AllyGill,UKSMAConference2008

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  Concepts

o  Understandwhatwereallymeanwhenwetalkaboutdashboards

  Principles

o  ReviewsomegoodpracFcesinvolvedinestablishingandusingadashboard

  PiGalls

o  HighlightthekeypiGallslikelytotrapthedashboardiniFators,owners,

designersandusers

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“We are drowning in information, but

starved of knowledge”

ANON

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dashboard |�da sh �bôrd| Noun: thepanelfacingthedriverofavehicleorthepilotofanaircraO,containinginstrumentsandcontrols

instrument |�instr�m�nt| Noun: 1atoolorimplement,esp.onefordelicateorscienFficwork:asurgicalinstrument|wriFng

instruments;athingusedinpursuinganaimorpolicy;ameans:dramaasaninstrumentoflearning.

2ameasuringdeviceusedtogaugethelevel,posiFon,speed,etc.,ofsomething,esp.amotorvehicleor

aircraO.

control |k�n�trōl| Noun: 1thepowertoinfluenceordirectpeople'sbehaviourorthecourseofevents:thewholeoperaFonis

underthecontrolofaproducFonmanager|thesituaFonwasslippingoutofhercontrol;theabilityto

manageamachineorothermovingobject:helostcontrolofhiscar|improveyourballcontrol;the

restricFonofanacFvity,tendency,orphenomenon:pestcontrol;thepowertorestrainsomething,esp.

one'sownemoFonsoracFons:givechildrenFmetogetcontroloftheiremoFons;(oOencontrols)a

meansoflimiFngorregulaFngsomething:growingcontrolsonlocalspending;aswitchorotherdevice

bywhichamachineisregulated:thevolumecontrol.

Source–newOxfordAmericandicFonary/AppledicFonary

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  Adigitaldashboard,alsoknownasanenterprise

dashboardorexecuFvedashboard,isabusiness

managementtoolusedtovisuallyascertainthestatus

(or"health")ofabusinessenterpriseviakeybusiness

indicators.

  Digitaldashboardsusevisual,at‐a‐glancedisplaysof

datapulledfromdisparatebusinesssystemstoprovide

warnings,acFonnoFces,nextsteps,andsummariesof

businesscondiFons.

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 Weseemtousethetermsinterchangeably

 VeryoOenwecombineaspectsofallthreeinto

anenFtyandcallitadashboard

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ManagementDemands

DashboardforpresentaFontoboard

Office/ITStaffCreate

ExcelSpreadsheet

ManagementPresent

Dashboard

BoardAdoptsDashboardasbestthingsincesliced

bread

Dashboardfallsintodisuse/

misuseaOerthreemonths

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 Easytouseofficetoolslullusintobadworking

pracFces

 Uninformedbutwell‐meaningmanagersiniFate

theproblemthroughunrealisFcrequests

 Uninformedbuteager‐to‐pleasestafffailtopush

backandbuildbeauFfulcreaFonsbutpoor

businesssoluFons

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1111

  ADashboardisaviewintoanintegratedsystemofcriFcalacFviFes

  Alltheseelementsneedtobeconsidered,definedanddesigned

Input/Collection

Data Storage Data Manipulation

Data Analysis

Data Presentation

Interpretation &

Decision Making

Rules and Definitions

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Dashboard‐PresentaFon

Reports–DetailedAnalysis

Repository–RawData

Input/Collection Data Storage

Data Manipulation Data Analysis

Data Presentation

Interpretation & Decision Making

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•  SENIORMANAGERS,BUSINESSUSERS

Dashboard‐PresentaFon

• ANALYSTS,MANAGERS,

Reports–DetailedAnalysis

•  SYSTEMS,ENGINEERS,MANAGERS

Repository–RawData

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ManagementDemands

DashboardforpresentaFontoboard

Office/ITStaffCreate

ExcelSpreadsheet

ManagementPresent

Dashboard

BoardAdoptsDashboardasbestthingsincesliced

bread

Dashboardfallsintodisuse/

misuseaOerthreemonths

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ManagementIdenFfiesBusiness

RequirementforDashboard

Analystsdefineandvalidate

requirements

MetricsSystem

EstablishedandDefined

DashboardCreated,

PilotedandVerified

DashboardUsebecomes

insFtuFonalised

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 BuildingaDashboardiseasy–tobuildauseful

Dashboardneedsdisciplinedbusinessand

systemsengineering

 TheDashboardistheoutputfromacomplex

chainofevents,acFviFesandpeople

 Dashboarddevelopmentneedstomovefrom

conageindustrytoindustrialisaFon

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 What’sthepurpose

 How’sthedashboardgoingtobeused

 Whohasaccesstothedashboard

 Dashboardneedstoservetheneedsofthe

businessnottheegosofitsusers

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 Datameansdifferentthingstodifferentsetsof

people

 Usersneedtobetaughthowtousethe

dashboardandhowtointerpretdashboarddata

consistentlyandeffecFvely

 Dangersofunusedelementsofdashboard

2020

 DysfuncFonalbehaviour:

o  BehaviouralignedtoachievingKPIsatexpenseof

goodbusinessdecisions

 ApporFonofblame:

o  KPIsusedto“punish”staff

 MisinterpretaFon:

o  Poordecisionsbasedonmisunderstandingofdata

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 FailuretoactonKPIs:o  KPIsignoredunFlpreventaFveacFonistoolate

 Wrongusers:o  PMsorsupportstaffdon’thaveaccesstomanagementdata

 Over‐engineeringasoluFon:o  ToomuchdetailburiestherealinformaFon

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 Adashboardisamanagementtooltofacilitate

thedecisionmakingprocessandneedsaDefined

PurposeandAudience

 Decisionsarerequiredateverylevelofthe

enterpriseanddifferentviewsofthesamedata

mayberequiredtomakedecisions

 Thetargetaudienceneedstounderstandtheir

roleandtheinformaFonbeingpresented

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 Metricsprogrammesmusthavemanagement

commitment

  Inappropriatescope–toomuch,toosoonvtoo

linle,toolate

  Inappropriateorambiguousmeasures

 TherearePeopleissuesinvolved

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 DashboardsmustalignwithexisFngmetricsand

measurementprogrammes

 CostofdatacollecFonmustnotexceeditsvalue

 Dataqualityassuranceisparamountfor

successfuldashboarduse

 UsersmustbetaughtnottotakeinformaFonat

facevalue

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 Adashboardcanonlybeusefulifthedataisof

highquality

 VerificaFonandfeedbackloopsmustbeinplace

tocontrolroguedatabeforeitcausestrouble

 Measuresandtheiranalysesneedtobe

consistentacrossthescopeofthedashboard–

ideallyattheenterpriselevel

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 DashboardBuildingisnotTrivial

o  Considerthewholesystem,notjusttheend‐point

 Don’tBuildadashboardwhenareportwilldo

o  Reportscapturethemoment–dashboardsshowthe

trends

 TargettherightsetsofUsersandeducatethe

o  Who’sgoingtousethedashboardandhow?

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 Usethedashboardtohelpdecisionmaking

o  Agooddashboardwillfacilitatedecisionmakingifit

iswelldesignedandusedproperly

 Aimforgoodness,notquanFty

o  RemovespuriousinformaFon,andrevisecontentas

necessary

 FocusonconsistentandconFnuoususage

o  Industrialiseyourdashboardsacrossthebusiness

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“In this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest

lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in

the long run, the easiest” HENRYMILLER

UKSMAConference2008

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FormoreinformaFonpleasecontact:

AllyGill,

OwnerandPrincipalConsultant,

ALLYGILL.CO.UK

ally@ally.gill.co.uk

info@ally.gill.co.uk

www.allygill.co.uk