Beyond Reporting: Using Dashboards to Take Your Agency to the Next Level

1. Beyond Reporting: Using Dashboards to Take Your Agency to the Next Level Kelsey Louie, MSW, MBA Chief Executive Officer Gay Men’s Health Crisis 6/16/16

2. Dashboards “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it” --Peter Drucker

3. What is a Dashboard? • An easy to read, often single page, real-time report, showing a graphical presentation of the current status (snapshot) and historical trends of an organization’s key performance indicators to enable instantaneous and informed decisions to be made at a glance --Peter McFadden, CEO of Excel Dashboard Widgets "What is Dashboard Reporting" 2012-05-10

4. What is a Dashboard? • Similar to the dashboard in your car, a performance management dashboard is a display of various meters, gauges and lights that give you up-to-date information on the current status of your organization. • The metrics used in dashboards should tell a manager how their organization or department is performing • Dashboards are very user specific. • The dashboard metrics do not inherently tell you whether the results are positive or negative; this is left up to the user’s own interpretation of the data.

5. Purposes • Visual presentation of performance measures • Ability to identify and correct negative trends • Measure efficiencies/inefficiencies • Ability to generate detailed reports showing new trends • Ability to make more informed decisions based on collected business intelligence • Align strategies and organizational goals • Saves time compared to running multiple reports • Gain total visibility of all systems instantly • Quick identification of data outliers and correlations

6. Strategic Benefits • Effective monitoring of business operations • Effective communication of information • Effective sharing of information • Better decision-making process

7. Tactical Benefits • Ability to reach and consolidate relevant data from one or multiple sources • Access to up-to-date information • Organization and presentation of information in a way that can be absorbed immediately by staff and other key stakeholders • Effective and standard formatting of business reports • Easy and fast access to information for better decision making • Performance aligned with targets, goals and objectives • Enhanced analytical tools • Increased communication, prioritization and accountability

8. Additional Benefits • Enhanced skills for managers • Builds confidence of others (staff, board, funders, etc.) • Operational efficiencies can lead to programmatic opportunities • More time for strategic thinking and innovation • Reduces the need for ad hoc reports and data gathering

9. Dashboard vs Scorecard Scorecards • Scorecards are the performance management tool that compares strategic goals with results. • This tool is typically a top-down approach that allows management to implement its strategy by aligning performance with goals. • Similar to a grade school report card, the scorecard measures periodic results (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually) against a predetermined goal, allowing users to gauge how their performance stacks up against expectations.

10. Dashboard vs Scorecard

11. Challenges • Deciding which metrics to track • Building the actual tool • Remembering that it is primarily a management tool, then a reporting tool • You create it. You change it. • Getting buy in • The investment in time is well worth it. This is documented widely.

12. Implementation Challenges • Data inaccuracy • Practice makes perfect, source data, Project Manager • Lack of stakeholder involvement • YOU! • Disconnect with organizational goals • Continual tweaking • Lack of context • Discussions/narratives • Unattractive visual display • Project Manager

15. Data-Driven Administrative Supervision (DDAS) How dashboards fit into a larger management paradigm Continuous Quality Improvement Skills Building

16. Questions??? Thank you!