Currently we are trying to improve better project dashboards in the company. There is two main goals. Firstly, dashboard for project managers to see if their project is on track and to have one view about project parameters. Secondly, for the management, management wants to see info for every project with easily readable dashboard. They are hoping that maybe can detect things earlier if the project is not doing good.
Any good ideas or tools that we can use? Saving Changes...
This needs to start by understanding what measures (qualitative & quantitative) are going to help each set of stakeholders and ensuring that there is an easy, objective, verifiable means of getting that information consistently and accurately. Once that has been done, I'd suggest mocking up a sample dashboard and going through a few iterations of review and update with each stakeholder group before moving it to an automated solution.
As far as tooling goes, it really depends on the sources for the information. If those all exist within a single database then you have lots of options available. If those are scattered across diverse systems and potentially files, it is a much tougher proposition.
From a tactical perspective, I'd start with the project managers' (PMs') key measures. Compile them in a simple-to-use template in a worksheet tool with which they are comfortable, like Excel or Sheets. Let the PMs build their own pivots. You may find that the PMs are able to gain immediate insights and take action to revise some practices quickly, improving those performance measures "right out of the gate." That gives them a positive story to tell to support the dashboard initiative.
I have seen a number of analysts build tools that pointed out inflammatory information to executives, yet the analysts never provided it to the data owners to determine whether it was accurate or misleading.
Honoring information owners as a primary client helps to assure that the results provided are useful and don't create unneeded drama. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Thanks for the answers
I like the idea of sample dashboard.
Our information is not in single database and sadly the data is scattered across diverse systems. Will try to map what data is most useful for us, so hopefully that way we don't have to integrate with all the systems where the data is.
Currently different PMs are using excel to track their projects but there is no central system for the management.
Will think about your recommendations. Thanks again. Saving Changes...
