Academy

Join the Intrafocus Academy

If you like our free strategy resources then join the Intrafocus Academy for additional material

Strategy Workshop

A three-session workshop based on the Intrafocus Strategic Planning Process (SPP)

Balanced Scorecard Certification

A five-day master class and certificate as a Balanced Scorecard Professional

Strategic Plan Audit/Review

Let us take a look at your strategic plan to check it contains all the elements needed in a good plan

Resources

Strategy & KPI Resources

A library of resources for anyone interested in strategic planning and KPI management

Strategic Planning Process (SPP)

Our next generation Strategic Planning Process based on the Balanced Scorecard Methodology

Blog - Intrafocus Insight

New articles published every two weeks, join our mailing list and keep up

Our Customers

Don’t take our word for it, see what the Intrafocus customers have to say.

Software

Spider Impact KPI Software

Intrafocus is the only EMEA authorised reseller of Spider Impact® from Spider Strategies®.

Spider Impact - Video Guides

From getting started all the way through to integrating into back-end systems.

Spider Impact - Documentation

Everything you need to know to set up Spider Impact, configure and import data

My5 KPIs - On your PC, Mac & Phone

Keep your key performance indicators to hand with the My5 KPIs universal application

Contact and Help Desk

If you have any questions or need some help or guidance, you can contact us at any time.

Creating dashboards

This article about creating dashboards uses examples for QuickScore. A quick reminder: QuickScore and Scoreboard are basically the same application. They run on the same codebase. The only difference is the terms used in the menus. QuickScore uses the Balanced Scorecard terminology so you will see words like Perspective and Measure. Scoreboard uses a generic business language, so you will see terms like Key Performance Area and KPI.

What makes a good dashboard?

Where a scorecard will provide information about Measures or KPIs, a good dashboard will bring together multiple business performance elements and present them in context. It is the context that turns data into information.  A good dashboard will not burden the viewer with too many clever gauges, dial, charts or other visual instruments. However, it will turn confusing row and column spreadsheet numbers into easy-to-read bundles of useful information. Typically a dashboard will provide an overview of an organisation’s performance or concentrate one a functional or departmental area.

In this example, a company is represented by a Strategy Map that consists of a set of related strategic objectives. Each of the objectives is underpinned by a set of Measures/KPIs. The Measures/KPIs can be reached by clicking on the strategic objective bubble. In this example, you might click on the Red objective to see where the actual problem is occurring.

Creating Dashboards - 1

A more typical dashboard view would come from the financial area. In the example below, we can see a set of gauges which provide a snapshot in time, and more importantly, some line charts that provide historical information leading to the snapshot. In the centre, we can see the line chart includes red, green and amber thresholds associated with the KPI Net Profit. Typically, a financial KPI will have thresholds that vary every month as they are aligned to a budget or a forecast.

Creating Dashboards - 2

It is important to remember that less-is-more when thinking about dashboard design. There is always a temptation to add too much information. The result, inevitably, is that nothing stands out and you might just as well be looking at spreadsheet data. Careful design ensures that the appropriate objects are used, and the information provided is useful. In the following sales dashboard example, a pie-chart has been added as this provides a useful insight into sales.

Creating Dashboards - 3

Dashboards should provide useful information upon which decisions can be made. A poor dashboard can have completely the opposite effect, that is, they leave the user confused and bewildered. Here are six things that a dashboard should not do:

  1. Exceed the boundaries of a single screen.
  2. Supply inadequate context for the data
  3. Choose inappropriate display media
  4. Ineffectively highlight what’s important
  5. Clutter with useless decoration
  6. Misuse or overuse colour

With QuickScore and Scoreboard, dashboards can be quickly and easily created using the dashboard design module. The ‘widgets’ available have been designed to be consistent in colour and attribute. This means, although there may not be a huge number of objects to choose from, you can guarantee all of your dashboards will look great and will not fall foul of the rules above.

If you would like more information about QuickScore or Scoreboard or how to create an informative dashboard, please be sure to visit other areas of this website.