Challenges and success factors in the implementation of a dashboard

Dashboards are tools that allow organizations to track and analyze their indicators and other results.

The implementation of a dashboard is a process of continuous improvement where changes must be applied periodically to adapt to the circumstances of each moment and to adjust the indicators to the objectives of the organization.

In addition, dashboards require a period of adaptation to analyze if their design, usability and analysis are aligned with the business strategy and the needs of its users for a correct diagnosis of the results and subsequent decision making.

However, the implementation of a technological solution of these characteristics involves certain challenges, such as time management, the knowledge of the current situation of the company, the involvement of senior executives, the definition of priorities and strategic objectives and the detection of critical variables necessary to control each functional area.

Even so, there are certain steps that can be factors that lead the project to success.

Success factors in the implementation of a dashboard

There are several factors that can help make the implementation of adashboard a success.

• Top-down approach. From the most strategic aspects such as the definition of the strategic lines and objectives to the concretion of the data that will allow obtaining the indicators, to measuring the degree of fulfillment of the objectives.
• Involvement of the Management Team in the initial and final phases of the project for a correct definition and revision/validation of the results obtained.
• The correct definition of the indicators to ensure a single reading of the indicators. Aspects such as purpose, method of calculation, origin of the data... help to a correct definition of the metadata associated with the indicator.
• Adequate number of indicators. It is equally problematic to experience a lack of information than an excess of it.
• The availability and quality of the necessary data for the calculation of the indicators with the objective that the information is always available, minimizing the efforts of obtaining it and assuring that the data are truthful.
• User-oriented tools to facilitate their use and correct understanding of the results in a visual and interactive way. Highlighting the most relevant results in predefined reports and the possibility of making ad-hoc reports that allow better analysis and diagnosis of the results.

Finally, it is important to prepare for surprises. Dashboards allow you to make discoveries about data. It's a good time to analyze them critically and use them to make new decisions.