Sell! Sell! Sell! Why Build a Dashboard Anyway? (Part 2 of 6)

In my last article, I introduced you to the idea of Business Intelligence within a SharePoint framework and the basic terminology around dashboards. To review, a dashboard, in the context of this discussion, is a container for scorecards, reports and other objects. Scorecards provide an aggregated, weighted view of business performance across varying functional areas. This time, we’re going to discuss the drivers for creating a dashboard.

Generally, when you start talking about scorecards, people picture the balanced scorecard. The balanced scorecard has 4 perspectives (or objectives), according to the Kaplan methodology which seems to be generally recognised as the most common balanced scorecard. These are: Financial, Operational, People and Customer. The KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) which make up each perspective are specific to your organisation and might be based on your organisation’s 5-year strategy plan or a core set of performance measures or a combination of both. For example:

However this is not the only type of scorecard. How about a sustainability scorecard which shows these perspectives:

Or these:

Now let’s look at an entirely strategy-based approach to a balanced scorecard:

How about a scorecard for use by call centre staff:

As you can see there is no limit to the ways you can use a scorecard except your imagination. But that’s all very well and good, how do you the humble technician explain it to the decision makers? There really are two audiences – those making the IT strategic decisions and business managers, which in my experience means Marketing Managers and Finance Managers. Somehow you need both parties to come to the party at the same time. Which can be a challenge… but that’s a problem you’ll have to nut out for your own organisation. How to manage them? That I can help with!

Ok so first, let’s address the business managers.

Now let’s address the second part of the equation, those holding the IT purse-strings. There are a few wins from their perspective (dodgy scorecard pun intended) too:

• Leverage existing investments in SharePoint and SQL
• Dashboards tend to create warm-fuzzy feelings in high-level managers because they look pretty
• Reduce printing of flat reports
• Reduce storage of large spreadsheets and Access databases
• Reduce emailing spreadsheets around the organisation
• One version of the truth!

But you know what else, if you can get the business managers on board first, the 2^nd part will be a lot easier!

The fact is, hysterical pronouncements about the death of balanced scorecards are somewhat exaggerated. In fact, I’d say a complete crock! If I can see at a glance, the performance of my organisation or my area or my whatever! I am a happy chappy. That’s just common sense. As to the rest, well, I pity the fool. As some old dude with a lot of bling once said.

	Part 1 – Getting to Know You – Intro to SharePoint BI
	Part 2 – Sell! Sell! Sell! Why Build a Dashboard Anyway?
	Part 3 – KPIs – Where do I Come From?
	Part 4 – Dissecting Dashboards
	Part 5 – We Really Need to Talk – Scorecards & Reports
	Part 6 – Beware the Bogeyman – Securing Dashboards

Siyonara amigos! Till next time.

Kristen Hodges, MCTS, MCITP
http://www.bi-tch.blogspot.com

http://b-iq.org

References

http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c081013a.asp
http://www.bscol.com/pdf/Kaplan-Nagel-Mar04DM.pdf