DEFINITION
Automated Dashboards are an ambition for project managers, stakeholders, and team members as they can provide a consolidated view of various project aspects such as schedule, budget, resources, risks, and progress. Automated dashboards utilize all-in-one style software (i.e. it has all the data in it), data integration and visualization technologies to aggregate and present data in an easily digestible format, enabling quick decision-making and effective project management.
Who needs an Automated Dashboard?
Automated Dashboards are often sought by Project Owners managing Capital Improvement Programs for enhancing decision-making, ensuring project compliance, and improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of their project delivery. On occassion, they can be attempted by Project Consultants, however a Automated Dashboard systems can be cost and time prohibitive given how time consuming they can be to set up if not using specialised software like Mastt.
Key Features of Automated Dashboards
- Real-Time Data Visualization: Dashboards display up-to-date information through charts, graphs, and gauges, offering immediate insights into project status and trends.
- Customizable Views: Users can customize dashboards to focus on specific data points that are most relevant to their role or project needs, such as cost overruns, schedule delays, or resource allocation.
- Interactive Elements: Many dashboards allow users to interact with the data, such as drilling down into charts for more detailed views or adjusting parameters to see potential impacts of changes.
- Alerts and Notifications: Automated alerts can notify project teams about critical issues or deviations from planned metrics, allowing for prompt corrective actions.
- Integration Capabilities: Dashboards can integrate data from various sources, including project management software, financial systems, and external databases, ensuring a comprehensive view of all project dimensions.
When to Use an Automated Dashboard
- Regular, Recurring Reporting: Automated dashboards are ideal for projects that require consistent monthly reports, providing an instant visual representation of progress, budget status, and other critical metrics without the need to compile data manually each month.
- Heavy Data Aggregation Required In scenarios where a project manager or executive oversees multiple projects simultaneously, an automated dashboard can aggregate data across these projects, providing a unified view that helps in assessing overall portfolio performance, resource allocation, and risk management.
- Program Management: For large-scale programs involving multiple interdependent projects, dashboards are essential for synthesizing complex datasets into actionable information, ensuring program managers can monitor dependencies, timelines, and budgetary conformance across the entire program
- Complex Project Management: For managing large-scale projects with multiple variables, phases, and teams where keeping track of all project facets in real-time is crucial.
- Performance Monitoring: When continuous monitoring of project performance against key metrics like budgets, timelines, and quality standards is necessary.
- Stakeholder Communication: To provide stakeholders with an accessible, transparent view of project progress and status without the need for detailed reports or frequent meetings.
- Risk Management: In projects where it is critical to continuously assess and respond to risks, dashboards can highlight risk factors and their impacts on project outcomes.
Implementing an Automated Dashboard
- Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Identify which metrics are most important for tracking the project’s success. Common KPIs might include cost performance index, schedule variance, quality incidents, and stakeholder satisfaction.
- Select the Right Tools: Choose dashboard software that can integrate seamlessly with existing project management tools and support the specific data visualization needs of the project.
- Data Integration: Set up data feeds to ensure that the dashboard reflects accurate and current project data from various sources.
- Training and Accessibility: Train project team members and stakeholders on how to use the dashboard effectively. Ensure that the dashboard is accessible on multiple devices and platforms to facilitate easy access for all users.
- Review and Iterate: Regularly review the effectiveness of the dashboard and make adjustments as project needs evolve or as more data becomes available.
Automated dashboards are an essential tool in modern project management, providing a high-level overview of project health and facilitating proactive management through instant access to vital data. They enhance transparency, improve communication, and enable more data-driven decision-making in capital and construction projects.
What does an Automated Dashboard look like?
A modern, user friendly Automated Dashboard should look like this 👇
