You’ve been there: no matter how many reports, formal meetings, casual conversations or emailed memos, someone important inevitably claims they didn’t know about some important fact or insight and says “we should have a dashboard to monitor the performance of X.” Or maybe you’ve been here: you’ve said “yes, let’s have a dashboard. It will help us improve return on investment (ROI) if everyone can see how X is performing and be able to quickly respond. I’ll update it weekly.” Unfortunately, by week 3, you realize you’re killing several hours a week integrating data from multiple sources to update a dashboard you’re not sure anyone is actually using. Yet, dashboards have been all the rage and with good reason. They can help you and your coworkers achieve a better grasp on the data – one of your most important, and often overlooked assets. You’ve read how they help organizations get on the same page, speed decision-making and improve ROI. They help create organizational alignment because everyone is looking at the same thing. So dashboards can be effective. They can work. The question becomes: How can you get one to work for you? Focus on these 5 best practices. Equally important, keep an eye on the 7 critical mistakes you don’t want to make. 5 Best Practices for Creating Effective Dashboards