In today’s fast-paced project management landscape, the need for clear, actionable data is more critical than ever. Project delivery dashboards are a key tool in empowering decision-makers, but are your dashboards truly driving better outcomes, or are they overwhelming your users with too much information? In this blog post, we delve into how to transform your project delivery dashboards based on insights shared by Gerard Duggan, a data analytics expert from KBR, in his recent webinar, Breaking Bad: How Project Delivery Dashboards Need to Change. By following best practices in dashboard design and data visualisation, your organisation can avoid common pitfalls and create dashboards that deliver real value.
Why Effective Dashboards Are Critical for Project Delivery
For project managers, data is everywhere. Whether it’s construction, engineering, or another complex field, stakeholders at every level of an organisation need access to the right information to make informed decisions. Yet, many dashboards fail to provide the context necessary for quick, efficient decision-making.
A typical project delivery dashboard might show progress reports, cost breakdowns, or personnel statistics, but as Gerard Duggan points out, numbers alone aren’t enough. Without the right context, how can you know if being 40% complete is good or bad? Is a project ahead of schedule or dangerously behind? Without adding insights such as planned versus actual progress, or highlighting important deviations, these numbers are meaningless.
Key Challenges in Project Delivery Dashboards
Here are some common issues that plague project dashboards:
- Information Overload: Many dashboards throw too much information at the user, making it difficult to know what’s important. Gerard recalls his early days in dashboard design, where he would cram too many metrics and visuals onto one screen, confusing rather than enlightening the user.
- Lack of Focus: Gerard explains that dashboards must stay focused on key objectives. What do decision-makers really need to know to act? If you can’t answer that question, the dashboard will likely fail.
- Poor Visualisation Choices: Choosing the wrong type of visualisation can overwhelm users. Gerard advises using simple, familiar visuals like bar charts or line graphs. Complex visuals such as chord diagrams might look impressive but are often not user-friendly.
- Failure to Communicate the Story Behind the Data: A great dashboard tells a story. It provides a logical flow of information, starting with high-level insights and drilling down into more detailed data when needed. Gerard highlights the importance of structuring dashboards so users know where to start and what action to take next.
How to Build Effective Dashboards for Project Delivery
If your dashboards are suffering from any of the challenges above, here are the steps you can take to improve them:
1. Understand Stakeholder Needs
Before you begin designing your dashboard, you need to understand your end users. What information is most critical to them? As Gerard emphasises, stakeholder engagement is key to ensuring the dashboard delivers value. This is where your soft skills come in – engage with project managers, C-suite executives, and even operational staff to understand their specific requirements.
2. Use Context to Give Meaning to Data
Numbers by themselves can be meaningless without context. A progress bar showing 40% completion means nothing unless you know whether that’s ahead of or behind schedule. Including planned versus actual progress, benchmarks, and performance against key metrics can help users understand the story the data is telling.
3. Simplify Your Design
Avoid the temptation to use flashy, complex visualisations. Gerard’s advice is simple: keep it clean. Stick to visuals that your users can understand at a glance. A simple line chart showing progress over time or a bar chart comparing planned vs. actual performance is often more effective than a multi-coloured radial chart.
4. Prototype Before You Build
Rather than spending weeks building a dashboard that might not meet your users' needs, sketch it out first. Use paper, or a quick design tool, and show it to stakeholders before committing time and resources. Gerard advocates this approach as it allows you to iterate quickly and ensure that you’re on the right track before you invest heavily in development.
What Makes a Good Project Delivery Dashboard?
The best dashboards share a few common traits:
- Clarity: Every element on the dashboard should serve a purpose. Avoid clutter and unnecessary details.
- Actionable Insights: Your dashboard should lead users to take action. If something is falling behind schedule, make it obvious so the user can act quickly.
- Contextual Data: Always provide the "why" behind the data. Are the numbers good or bad? How does performance compare to the plan?
- Customisation for Different Audiences: As Gerard explains, dashboards are not one-size-fits-all. A C-suite executive might need a high-level summary, while a project manager might need granular data. Build different dashboards for different users.
The Power of Storytelling in Dashboards
Data storytelling is more than just a buzzword; it’s a critical aspect of effective dashboard design. Gerard highlights that dashboards should guide users through the data in a logical way, starting from high-level insights and allowing them to drill down into more detailed data as needed. By using visual hierarchy, colour theory, and cognitive science principles, you can lead the user through the data journey and help them make sense of complex information without being overwhelmed.
One important aspect of storytelling is colour usage. Gerard points out that colour should have a clear purpose in your dashboard. For example, use colour sparingly to highlight key points or areas that require immediate attention, rather than applying a rainbow of colours that competes for the user's focus.
Breaking Bad: How Project Delivery Dashboards Need to Change
In today’s fast-paced project management landscape, the need for clear, actionable data is more critical than ever. Project delivery dashboards are a key tool in empowering decision-makers, but are your dashboards truly driving better outcomes, or are they overwhelming your users with too much information? In this blog post, we delve into how to transform your project delivery dashboards based on insights shared by Gerard Duggan, a data analytics expert from KBR, in his recent webinar, Breaking Bad: How Project Delivery Dashboards Need to Change. By following best practices in dashboard design and data visualisation, your organisation can avoid common pitfalls and create dashboards that deliver real value.
Why Effective Dashboards Are Critical for Project Delivery
For project managers, data is everywhere. Whether it’s construction, engineering, or another complex field, stakeholders at every level of an organisation need access to the right information to make informed decisions. Yet, many dashboards fail to provide the context necessary for quick, efficient decision-making.
A typical project delivery dashboard might show progress reports, cost breakdowns, or personnel statistics, but as Gerard Duggan points out, numbers alone aren’t enough. Without the right context, how can you know if being 40% complete is good or bad? Is a project ahead of schedule or dangerously behind? Without adding insights such as planned versus actual progress, or highlighting important deviations, these numbers are meaningless.
Key Challenges in Project Delivery Dashboard
Here are some common issues that plague project dashboards:
- Information Overload: Many dashboards throw too much information at the user, making it difficult to know what’s important. Gerard recalls his early days in dashboard design, where he would cram too many metrics and visuals onto one screen, confusing rather than enlightening the user.
- Lack of Focus: Gerard explains that dashboards must stay focused on key objectives. What do decision-makers really need to know to act? If you can’t answer that question, the dashboard will likely fail.
- Poor Visualisation Choices: Choosing the wrong type of visualisation can overwhelm users. Gerard advises using simple, familiar visuals like bar charts or line graphs. Complex visuals such as chord diagrams might look impressive but are often not user-friendly.
- Failure to Communicate the Story Behind the Data: A great dashboard tells a story. It provides a logical flow of information, starting with high-level insights and drilling down into more detailed data when needed. Gerard highlights the importance of structuring dashboards so users know where to start and what action to take next.
How to Build Effective Dashboards for Project Delivery
If your dashboards are suffering from any of the challenges above, here are the steps you can take to improve them:
1. Understand Stakeholder Needs
Before you begin designing your dashboard, you need to understand your end users. What information is most critical to them? As Gerard emphasises, stakeholder engagement is key to ensuring the dashboard delivers value. This is where your soft skills come in – engage with project managers, C-suite executives, and even operational staff to understand their specific requirements.
2. Use Context to Give Meaning to Data
Numbers by themselves can be meaningless without context. A progress bar showing 40% completion means nothing unless you know whether that’s ahead of or behind schedule. Including planned versus actual progress, benchmarks, and performance against key metrics can help users understand the story the data is telling.
3. Simplify Your Design
Avoid the temptation to use flashy, complex visualisations. Gerard’s advice is simple: keep it clean. Stick to visuals that your users can understand at a glance. A simple line chart showing progress over time or a bar chart comparing planned vs. actual performance is often more effective than a multi-coloured radial chart.
4. Prototype Before You Build
Rather than spending weeks building a dashboard that might not meet your users' needs, sketch it out first. Use paper, or a quick design tool, and show it to stakeholders before committing time and resources. Gerard advocates this approach as it allows you to iterate quickly and ensure that you’re on the right track before you invest heavily in development.
What Makes a Good Project Delivery Dashboard?
The best dashboards share a few common traits:
- Clarity: Every element on the dashboard should serve a purpose. Avoid clutter and unnecessary details.
- Actionable Insights: Your dashboard should lead users to take action. If something is falling behind schedule, make it obvious so the user can act quickly.
- Contextual Data: Always provide the "why" behind the data. Are the numbers good or bad? How does performance compare to the plan?
- Customisation for Different Audiences: As Gerard explains, dashboards are not one-size-fits-all. A C-suite executive might need a high-level summary, while a project manager might need granular data. Build different dashboards for different users.
The Power of Storytelling in Dashboards
Data storytelling is more than just a buzzword; it’s a critical aspect of effective dashboard design. Gerard highlights that dashboards should guide users through the data in a logical way, starting from high-level insights and allowing them to drill down into more detailed data as needed. By using visual hierarchy, colour theory, and cognitive science principles, you can lead the user through the data journey and help them make sense of complex information without being overwhelmed.
One important aspect of storytelling is colour usage. Gerard points out that colour should have a clear purpose in your dashboard. For example, use colour sparingly to highlight key points or areas that require immediate attention, rather than applying a rainbow of colours that competes for the user's focus.
Conclusion
Effective project delivery dashboards can make or break a project. By focusing on simplicity, stakeholder engagement, and actionable insights, you can create dashboards that not only look good but actually help your team make better decisions. As Gerard Duggan’s webinar illustrates, the key to success lies in understanding what your users need and presenting the data in a clear, focused way.
Want to learn more? Watch the full webinar Breaking Bad: How Project Delivery Dashboards Need to Change or sign up for our upcoming hackathons to get hands-on experience in dashboard design.
