In a world where organisations produce a considerable amount of data every day, the dashboard has become an essential tool for tracking activities, measuring results and guiding decisions.
But one essential question deserves to be asked:
What is a dashboard for, if nobody takes a decision from what it shows?
A dashboard can be visually striking, with fine colours, modern charts and a great many indicators. Yet if it does not allow a situation to be grasped quickly, a problem to be spotted or an action to be decided, its value remains limited.
A dashboard is not a collection of charts
A good dashboard does not display every piece of data available.
It must above all answer concrete questions:
Where do we stand?
Have we reached our objectives?
Which results are satisfactory?
Which indicators look abnormal?
Where are the gaps?
Why have those gaps appeared?
What actions should we take?
Who must act, and by when?
The real value of a dashboard therefore lies not in its appearance but in its ability to turn data into information useful for a decision.
Too much data can hide what matters
One of the commonest problems in dashboard design is the multiplication of indicators.
One often finds:
several dozen charts;
indicators that nobody uses;
extremely detailed tables;
figures with no target to compare them to;
charts with no interpretation;
information that does not match what users need.
The outcome can be paradoxical: the more information a dashboard holds, the harder it becomes to know what to do.
A decision-maker does not need to see every figure. They need to see the information that makes the situation understandable and action possible.
A good dashboard tells a story
Data visualisation should carry the reader step by step from information to action.
For example:
Data → Indicators → Analysis → Alert → Decision → Action → Follow-up
Take the case of a development project.
If a dashboard shows that an activity is 58 % complete, that figure alone says too little.
It has to be compared with:
the target set;
the previous period;
the other areas of operation;
the project schedule;
the resources deployed.
If the target for the same period was 80 %, the dashboard must draw attention to that gap immediately.
The question then becomes:
Why are we at 58 % instead of 80 %, and what should we do about it?
That is the moment when a dashboard truly starts to play its part.
From visualisation to decision
A genuinely useful dashboard makes deciding easier.
For instance, instead of simply showing:
Completion rate: 58 %
it can set out:
Completion rate: 58 %
Target: 80 %
Gap: −22 points
Trend: falling
Area most affected: Region X
This presentation immediately supplies more context.
It lets the manager ask the right questions and, above all, define an answer:
Should resources be reinforced?
Should the activity be reorganised?
Is there an operational problem to identify?
Should the schedule be revised?
Is a deeper analysis needed?
It is this capacity to guide action that separates a real decision-support tool from a mere presentation tool.
The five marks of a useful dashboard
1. Relevant indicators
Every indicator must have a reason to be there.
If it contributes neither to tracking an objective, nor to understanding a situation, nor to taking a decision, its presence should be questioned.
2. Clearly defined objectives
A figure with no reference point is hard to read.
An indicator should as far as possible be compared with a target, a baseline, an earlier period or another unit of analysis.
3. Easy reading
The decision-maker must be able to grasp the important information quickly.
Visual hierarchy is therefore essential: alerts, gaps and priority information must be visible at once.
4. Trends, not only snapshots
A single figure tells only part of the story.
Movement over time reveals:
progress;
stagnation;
deterioration;
a break in the series;
a trend that calls for action.
5. A clear link to action
The ultimate question remains:
“And now, what do we do?”
A dashboard that performs must help answer it.
A dashboard need not be complicated to be powerful
Technical sophistication is not the same thing as quality.
A dashboard can be built with Excel, Power BI, R, Python or other tools, but the tool matters far less than the quality of the design.
Before choosing charts or colours, one has to understand:
Who will use the dashboard?
For which decision?
How often?
With what data?
Which indicators really come first?
The technology comes afterwards.
The real purpose: turning data into decisions
In monitoring and evaluation, in research, in project management or in steering an organisation, producing data is not enough.
It has to be put to work.
A good dashboard must carry you:
from data to information,
from information to analysis,
from analysis to decision,
and from decision to action.
That is why at Waaldé Impact we see data not as an end in itself, but as a lever for understanding realities better, improving steering and supporting better-informed decisions.
In conclusion
A dashboard can be beautiful and still be useless.
Conversely, a simple dashboard, well thought out and built around what its users need, can become a genuinely strategic tool.
The question is therefore not: “Is my dashboard good-looking?”
The question is rather:
“Which decision does my dashboard make possible?”
If the answer is “none”, it may be time to rethink it.
Waaldé Impact
Study • Research • Training
We support organisations in their needs for studies, research, data analysis, monitoring and evaluation, training and consulting.
Secteur 22, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
waaldeimpact@gmail.com
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📞 +226 75 97 74 67
📞 +226 70 69 44 43
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