How do you design a dashboard that aligns with your scorecard goals?

1 What are dashboards and scorecards?

Dashboards and scorecards are both visual displays of data that help you track and analyze your key performance indicators (KPIs). However, they have different purposes and features. Dashboards are designed to provide a quick and interactive overview of your current situation, highlighting trends, patterns, and anomalies. Scorecards are more focused on comparing your actual results with your predefined targets, using metrics, benchmarks, and color-coded indicators.

2 How to choose the right KPIs for your dashboard and scorecard?

The first step to design a dashboard that aligns with your scorecard goals is to choose the right KPIs for both. KPIs are the measurable values that reflect your strategic objectives and show how well you are achieving them. To choose the right KPIs, you need to consider your audience, your business context, and your data sources. You also need to make sure that your KPIs are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

3 How to structure your dashboard and scorecard?

The next step is to structure your dashboard and scorecard in a way that makes sense for your users and your goals. A common approach is to use a balanced scorecard framework, which divides your KPIs into four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth. This helps you balance your short-term and long-term goals, and your internal and external factors. You can then create a dashboard and a scorecard for each perspective, or combine them into one integrated view.

4 How to design your dashboard and scorecard elements?

The final step is to design your dashboard and scorecard elements, such as charts, tables, gauges, and icons. You need to choose the right type of element for each KPI, depending on the data type, the level of detail, and the message you want to convey. You also need to follow some best practices for data visualization, such as using consistent colors, fonts, and labels, avoiding clutter and distractions, and highlighting the most important information.

5 How to test and refine your dashboard and scorecard?

Once you have designed your dashboard and scorecard, you need to test and refine them to ensure that they are effective, accurate, and user-friendly. You can do this by collecting feedback from your stakeholders, conducting usability tests, and reviewing your data quality and reliability. You should also monitor your dashboard and scorecard performance over time, and update them as needed to reflect any changes in your goals, data, or context.

6 How to use your dashboard and scorecard for decision making?

The ultimate goal of your dashboard and scorecard is to help you make better decisions based on data. To do this, you need to use your dashboard and scorecard regularly, and not just as a one-time report. You need to analyze your data, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and take action to improve your performance. You also need to communicate your findings and recommendations to your team, your management, and your customers, and align your actions with your strategy.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?