The Trouble With Dashboards
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Ally Gill, UKSMA Conference 2008 1
description
Transcript of The Trouble With Dashboards
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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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
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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
www.allygill.co.uk
