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What is a KPI dashboard and how to build one

Written by Katherine Garratt | 08-Jul-2021 07:16:00

Hundreds of pieces of a puzzle that are all over the place don’t make much sense. But when you put them together, you can easily understand what’s going on in the image.

That’s what happens when you put your KPIs together in a dashboard.

It gives you a clear, streamlined view of your most important metrics so you can easily track them and monitor your progress towards your individual, team, or company goals.

So, how do you create a KPI dashboard to track your vital metrics?

We’ve prepared this brief guide to help you choose the right way for you.

 

How to Create a KPI Dashboard

There are several ways to create a KPI dashboard where you’ll be able to monitor your KPIs and how they measure against your company’s high-level goals.

  1. Creating a Spreadsheet

    Excel, Google Sheets and similar tools for building spreadsheets enable you to create a KPI dashboard for your company or team.

    However, a downside to this method is that you need to gather the necessary data on your own and enter it into the spreadsheet manually. Then you can create charts and graphs to represent your data visually and prepare it for analysis. You may find it too time-consuming to do so, especially since you can’t save templates, customise them, and use them again.

     

  2. Creating a Presentation

    PowerPoint presentations also allow you to create straightforward graphs and charts to represent the data you’ve collected about your KPIs.

    However, you also need to do plenty of work manually. When there’s new data, you need to update your charts on your own, and as you’re copying and pasting new numbers and percentages, chances are an error could occur.

  3. Using a Data Visualisation Tool

    The simplest and least time-consuming option is using a data visualisation tool.

    These tools allow you to collect your website data automatically and track it over a specific period of time, updating it in real-time. Moreover, anyone on your team can access these dashboards at any time so collaborating on the same dashboards becomes easier.

    If you choose data visualisation tools, you also have access to numerous dashboard templates, which can save your time - you can pick one that fits your needs instead of creating a new dashboard from scratch. When it’s time to submit your report or analyze the collected data, you don’t need to manually enter new data like in spreadsheets or presentations.

    Marketing, sales, and customer support teams worldwide mostly rely on tools that offer both data collection and visualization in comprehensive but user-friendly dashboards that show all the important metrics you need to follow. Some of those tools are Google Analytics, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, etc.


Choose What Fits You Best

KPI dashboards allow you to track all your crucial metrics in one place. Depending on the method of creating a dashboard, your data may be updated automatically, or you may need to update the charts independently.

Are you looking for a quick solution that offers templates you can easily customise? Do you want to monitor real-time changes in your data? Will you be collaborating with your colleagues on the same KPI dashboard?

The answer is clear then - choose your tool and start building your unique KPI dashboard to monitor your business success.

 

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