EIS dashboards and balanced scorecard applications should fit the management style of the organisation. The biggest challenge is to be able to adapt the dashboard when the management style changes.
Executive Information System (EIS) dashboards and balanced scorecard applications have become very popular mechanisms that are used to feed executives with at-a-glance information on the organisation`s strategic key performance indicators (KPIs). Without having to page through pages or screens full of data, an executive can instantaneously gauge the company`s performance, especially if the appropriate thresholds and pre-warning indicators have been set.
Technology and data
There are many applications on the market through which dashboard-type functionality can be implemented. Some of these are extensions to query and reporting packages, as is found in BusinessObjects` application foundation, while others are more focused at dashboard-style applications, such as Proclarity.
Regardless of which front-end technology is used, it is imperative that the dashboard is populated from consistent, reliable, one version of the truth data. To achieve this implies that the underlying enterprise data warehouse must be in a good stable condition. It is foolish to try and run a dashboard application from any other data source. That would only result in de-focused parallel initiatives and management information and un-integrated inconsistent views of the organisation`s key management information.
Management style
The crucial thing to get right is to ensure the style of the dashboard application fits the management style of the organisation. Some management structures want to see the business performance in an income statement/balance statement type of view; others want to see a balanced scorecard view; other have other reporting formats for their KPIs - some with gauges, some with red light/green light indicators.
All these views are valid; not one of them is any better than the others. It all depends on the key drivers of the business. The crucial point though, is that the dashboard contents, style and presentation must suit the management style of the organisation.
It doesn`t help much to show employee productivity gauges when the CEO wants to drive the business off the bottom line as it is reported in the income statement. It doesn`t help to show fancy bars of debtors` days when the key driver is market share and the marketing manager wants to see it in a balanced scorecard.
Enter the new CEO
So the dashboard is working well, the data is refreshed every night and the gauges and traffic lights show all the necessary early warning signals every morning when the management staff log on... when suddenly, management changes, and in walks the new CEO.
"Well, the company has been running quite OK when measured on a financial `bottom line` basis, but I think we will do so much better if we`re measured on a personal KPI basis - from the top management structures all the way through to the support staff."
If you can get your data warehouse and dashboard applications to reflect that in the same time it takes to define and measure all those KPIs, we would vouch for it that you have a truly flexible and adaptive BI solution and dashboard application!
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