5 Questions to Answer Before Launching Your BI Analytics Dashboard

You've spent weeks making sure all the details are just right for your dashboard launch. Now, it's time to step back to review your big-picture goals and how to achieve them.

Before you launch your shiny new dashboard to colleagues and managers, make sure you can answer the following questions for success.

1. What would success look like in 3 months? What about in 6-12 months?

The first step before launching your dashboard is to think ahead to how users should engage with it. Consider who will use it and how often, how they can use the insights they gain, and if company processes need to change.

Envisioning how your dashboard's use will evolve over time will help you plan ahead. For example, if you expect to augment the dashboard in a second phase, lay out when that can begin and when you will need to solicit user input.

Once you've set a plan, keep track of the progress toward your goals. By monitoring adoption and encouraging feedback early and often, you can iterate quickly and intervene if you see any negative trends.

2. Which specific business decisions should your dashboard enable?

Your dashboard should enable your colleagues and managers to make well-informed decisions. After you understand which types of decisions will be enabled, you can communicate how users should adjust their workflows to get the full benefit.

Once the dashboard is live, make sure the insights are reaching the right people. Find ways to share best practices and engage stakeholders through the initial rollout and onwards for continued success. Keep in touch with key decision makers to ensure they are getting ongoing value from the dashboard.

3. How can you keep the dashboard relevant and address changes in business requirements?

Even a great dashboard will lose traction if it doesn't evolve with changing business needs so you will need to continually evaluate the value the dashboard is delivering. If you are not the dashboard end-user, keep an open dialogue with your users so you know their sentiment and are aware of future needs.

Tracking adoption can alert you to changes early on. If usage is slipping or not growing as you expect, work quickly to find out why – perhaps needs are changing. Be ready to identify these changes and adjust the dashboard as needed. Remember to inform your users of upcoming updates so they remain on board and engaged.

4. Have you considered all your stakeholders?

Take a moment to identify your stakeholders, including those who may be impacted indirectly by the project. End-users, executive sponsors, customers, technical support, etc. – understand if they will be affected and how you will get their buy in early on. If you have not yet engaged your stakeholders individually or in small groups, do so now to get support before launch. Then, host a larger meeting to formally launch the dashboard and build momentum.

If your project is a success, you may find that other teams are interested in getting involved or learning best practices. Be ready to share your success and help others build value.

5. Is there an executive sponsor or champion for this project?

Your project is more likely to succeed if it has a champion inside the company. If you are that person, think about how you will promote the project broadly and share results. If you have an executive sponsor, identify ways to engage that person. For example, look for opportunities for you or your sponsor to use the dashboard during a weekly meeting; or create an executive report to be emailed every morning. The more visibility your dashboard has, the more value it will bring to the company and the more support it will receive.

Prepare for Success

If you've thought through these issues before, now is a good time to step back and review your list. If not, take 30 minutes to write out your responses to these questions. Armed with your launch plan, adoption strategy, and methods to track progress, you will be well positioned to deliver a successful BI analytics dashboard.

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