Business Intelligence for Executives: Dashboards That Actually Matter

Most dashboards are useless. 50 metrics, colorful charts, nobody looks at them. The CEO still asks for numbers via email because they don't trust the dashboard.

This isn't how it should be. A good dashboard answers in 30 seconds: "How is the company doing?" - and shows where action is needed.

Table of Contents

1. Why Most Dashboards Fail
2. The Right KPIs for Executive Management
3. Dashboard Architecture: What Really Belongs
4. Tool Comparison: What Fits Whom?
5. How to Build a Dashboard That Gets Used
6. Costs and Effort
7. Checklist for Your Management Dashboard

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Why Most Dashboards Fail

Problem 1: Too Many Metrics

Symptom: 50+ KPIs on one screen.

Why it happens:

• "We have the data, so let's show it"
• Every department wants their numbers prominent
• Nobody decides what's really important

The result: Information overload. Nobody recognizes what matters.

The solution: Maximum 7-10 KPIs on the main dashboard.

Problem 2: Wrong Granularity

Symptom: The CEO sees the same numbers as the team lead.

Why it happens:

• One dashboard for everyone
• No role definition
• "More detail is better"

The result: CEO gets lost in details, team lead misses context.

The solution: Drill-down, not drill-everywhere. Overview → detail when needed.

Problem 3: No Action Relevance

Symptom: "Interesting, but what should I do with this?"

Why it happens:

• Focus on current state, not deviations
• No thresholds defined
• No context (comparison, trend, target)

The result: Dashboard becomes wall decoration.

The solution: Every metric needs context: target, comparison, trend, alert.

Problem 4: Data Nobody Trusts

Symptom: "These numbers aren't even right."

Why it happens:

• Inconsistent data sources
• No clear metric definition
• Different systems, different truths

The result: Back to Excel and manual reports.

The solution: Single source of truth. Clear definitions. Ensure data quality.

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The Right KPIs for Executive Management

The Framework: 4 Perspectives

A good management dashboard covers four perspectives:

Perspective	Question	Example KPIs
Finance	How profitable are we?	Revenue, EBIT, Cash flow
Customers	How satisfied are customers?	NPS, Churn, Customer Lifetime Value
Processes	How efficiently do we work?	Cycle time, Error rate
Growth	How are we developing?	Pipeline, Conversion, Headcount growth

The Most Important KPIs by Company Type

SaaS / Subscription Business:

KPI	What It Measures	Target
MRR/ARR	Recurring revenue	Growth >10%/month (early)
Churn Rate	Customer attrition	<2%/month (B2B)
CAC	Customer acquisition cost	<1/3 of LTV
LTV	Customer Lifetime Value	>3x CAC
NRR	Net Revenue Retention	>100%

E-Commerce:

KPI	What It Measures	Target
GMV	Gross merchandise volume	Industry-dependent
Conversion Rate	Visitors → Buyers	2-4%
AOV	Average order value	Increasing
CAC	Customer acquisition cost	<1st order value
Repeat Purchase Rate	Returning customers	>30%

Services / Agency:

KPI	What It Measures	Target
Revenue per employee	Productivity	>€150k/year
Utilization	Billable time	>75%
Project margin	Profitability	>30%
Pipeline	Future revenue	>3x monthly revenue
Employee turnover	Retention	<15%/year

Manufacturing / Retail:

KPI	What It Measures	Target
Revenue	Total performance	Plan vs. Actual
Gross margin	Margin after COGS	Industry-dependent
Inventory turnover	Capital commitment	>6x/year
Delivery performance	On-time delivery	>95%
Defect rate	Quality	<1%

The "Oh Crap" Metric

Every industry has KPIs that should immediately trigger alarm:

Industry	"Oh Crap" Metric
SaaS	Churn > 5%/month
E-Commerce	ROAS < 1 (ads burning money)
Agency	Utilization < 60%
Manufacturing	Cash runway < 3 months

These belong on the dashboard - with a red alert.

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Dashboard Architecture: What Really Belongs

Level 1: The Executive Summary (1 Screen)

Goal: Understand in 30 seconds how things stand.

Content:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  EXECUTIVE DASHBOARD                    Jan 2025│
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                 │
│  Revenue MTD       Pipeline           Cash Flow │
│  €487k             €1.2M              €340k     │
│  ↑ 12% vs Plan     ↓ 8% vs Last Month ✓ Healthy │
│                                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ⚠️ ALERTS                                      │
│  • Enterprise churn: 2 customers at risk       │
│  • Project ABC: Deadline at risk               │
│                                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  📊 TREND (last 12 months)                     │
│  [Revenue chart with trend line]               │
│                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Level 2: Department Dashboards (Drill-Down)

Click on "Revenue" → Sales Dashboard Click on "Pipeline" → CRM Dashboard Click on Alert → Detail View

Level 3: Operational Details (for Team Leads)

• Individual deals
• Employee performance
• Project details

The "Alert-First" Principle

Instead of: Showing 50 metrics and hoping someone notices deviations.

Better: Alerts prominent, details on demand.

When metric X deviates from target > Y%
    → Red marking
    → Notification (optional)
    → Link to detailed analysis

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Tool Comparison: What Fits Whom?

Overview

Tool	Strength	Cost	For Whom?
Power BI	Microsoft integration	€8/user/mo	Microsoft environment
Tableau	Visualization	€70/user/mo	Data-intensive companies
Looker	Google integration	Custom	GCP users
Metabase	Open source	€0-85/mo	Startups, tech-savvy
Google Data Studio	Free	€0	Marketing, simple cases
Databox	Aggregation	€72/mo	Agencies, marketing

Tool Recommendation by Scenario

"We use Microsoft 365" → Power BI

• Native integration
• Familiar interface
• Affordable entry

"We're a tech startup" → Metabase

• Open source
• Developers can contribute
• Flexible

"We need it simple and fast" → Google Data Studio

• Free
• Easy connection to Google tools
• Limited with complex data sources

"We have complex data" → Tableau or Looker

• Powerful visualization
• Complex calculations
• Higher costs justified

What You Really Need

Minimum:

• Connection to your data sources (CRM, ERP, etc.)
• Automatic refresh
• Share with team

Nice-to-have:

• Mobile app
• Alerts/notifications
• Embedding in other tools

Overkill for most:

• ML integration
• Real-time updates (minutes are enough)
• Self-service for all employees

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How to Build a Dashboard That Gets Used

Step 1: Define Goals (Before the Tool!)

Questions you must answer:

1. What decisions should the dashboard support?
2. Who are the users? (CEO ≠ Sales Manager)
3. How often will it be viewed? (daily vs. weekly)
4. What are the 3-5 most important questions?

Example:

Decisions:
- Where do we invest marketing budget?
- Do we need to strengthen sales?
- Is our cash position healthy?

Users: CEO, CFO, Sales Lead

Frequency: Daily quick check, weekly deep-dive

Top Questions:
1. Are we hitting our revenue target?
2. How is the pipeline developing?
3. Which customers are at risk?

Step 2: Consolidate Data Sources

Typical sources:

• CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive)
• Accounting (QuickBooks, Xero)
• Bank (transactions)
• Shop (Shopify, WooCommerce)
• Analytics (GA4, Amplitude)

The challenge: Bringing data together.

Options:

1. Direct connectors (simple but limited)
2. ETL tools (Fivetran, Airbyte) → Data warehouse
3. Custom scripts (flexible but maintenance)

Step 3: Define KPIs (Precisely!)

Bad: "Revenue" Good: "Net revenue after returns, in EUR, booked by service date"

Every KPI needs:

• Name
• Definition (exact)
• Data source
• Calculation logic
• Target value
• Responsible person

Step 4: Design Visualization

Rules for good dashboards:

1. Consistency: Same colors for same meaning
2. Hierarchy: Important on top/left
3. Comparability: Current vs. plan vs. last year
4. Whitespace: Don't cram everything
5. Labeling: Everyone must understand what they see

Chart Selection:

Purpose	Chart Type
Trend over time	Line chart
Comparison	Bar chart
Part of whole	Pie chart (use sparingly!)
Target vs. actual	Bullet chart
Single value	Big number

Step 5: Test and Iterate

Week 1-2: Build prototype, test with 2-3 users Week 3-4: Incorporate feedback, refine Month 2: Roll out to all, training Ongoing: Monthly review - is it being used?

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Costs and Effort

Cost Overview

DIY (internal):

Item	Effort/Cost
Tool (e.g., Metabase)	€0-€100/month
Internal effort	40-80h one-time
Ongoing maintenance	4-8h/month

With external partner:

Item	Cost
Tool license	€100-€500/month
Setup + development	€10,000-€30,000
Ongoing support	€500-€2,000/month

ROI Consideration

What does it cost to NOT have a dashboard?

• CEO asks controller for numbers: 2h/week × €100/h = €800/month
• Decisions based on gut feeling: incalculable but expensive
• Problems recognized too late: €10,000-€100,000+ per case

Break-even: Often within 3-6 months.

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Checklist for Your Management Dashboard

Before Starting

• Decision makers identified (who uses it?)
• Top 5 questions defined
• Data sources listed
• Budget clarified
• Tool selected

During Implementation

• KPIs precisely defined
• Data quality verified
• Target values set
• Alerts configured
• Mobile access set up

After Launch

• Monitor usage (is it being used?)
• Collect feedback (monthly)
• Adjust KPIs as needed
• Check data quality continuously

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Conclusion

A good management dashboard isn't the one with the most charts - it's the one that shows in 30 seconds what matters.

The essence:

1. Less is more: 7-10 KPIs, not 50
2. Context is king: Target, trend, comparison
3. Alert-first: Deviations prominent
4. Data quality: Trust is the foundation
5. Measure usage: Dashboard without users is useless

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Next Steps

Want a dashboard that actually gets used?

At Balane Tech, we help executives identify the right metrics and build dashboards that improve decisions - not just look pretty. Free consultation