A dashboard is not just a tool for presenting data—it’s a form of marketing from which IT hopes to achieve a beneficial outcome. Whether the goal is to gain executive buy-in, influence decisions, or highlight the value IT brings to the business, the dashboard should be designed with this in mind. It’s about showcasing IT’s impact in a way that drives action, whether that means securing more resources, aligning priorities, or improving collaboration. By understanding what outcome you’re trying to achieve, you can ensure the dashboard tells the right story and promotes the desired business result.
Any opportunity to communicate with the business is an opportunity to reinforce that IT is a strategic business partner and not simply bits and bytes.
Types of Dashboards
1. Strategic Dashboards: Designed for executives, these dashboards present high-level metrics that are directly tied to business objectives priorities, and strategies, but don’t forget to call out successes.
2. Tactical Dashboards: These are meant for middle managers who why choose our service are overseeing specific projects or departments. They offer a more detailed look at operations but still focus on IT performance or OKRs.
3. Operational Dashboards: Used by IT teams, operational dashboards monitor day-to-day technical metrics like system health and security. While these dashboards are more technical, they can be connected to business goals when integrated into the larger dashboard framework.
Conclusion
IT and business alignment is critical for an organization’s success, yet it’s an area where many organizations fail. By addressing the root causes of the communication gap—complexity, jargon, lack of context, TLDR, etc.—and implementing dashboards that speak directly to business needs, organizations can turn IT from being perceived as wire-pullers or propeller heads into a partner.
In short, if IT is going to speak to the business effectively, the conversation needs to change—and dashboards are a powerful way to make that happen.