The document discusses the importance of dashboards in monitoring project performance and aligning strategic objectives, emphasizing their role in providing real-time data to support decision-making. It highlights challenges in standardizing metrics across projects, tracking costs, resources, and risks, and offers different methods for implementing dashboards, including paper and electronic options. The document urges organizations to begin small and evolve their dashboard systems while considering existing data to avoid overwhelming initiatives.

1. 1/25/2012
Jane Betterton
Betterton Technical Services
Bettersw@swcp.com
505-292-4262
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Business
Inputs: Results
Vision
Mission
Strategy
Market
Outputs
Tools &
Techniques
Source: PMI. Org OPM3 Standard Presentation ©
2012 Project Management Institute, Inc. 2
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2. 1/25/2012
Business
Inputs: Results
Vision
Mission
Strategy
Market
Outputs
Tools &
Techniques
Source: PMI. Org OPM3 Standard Presentation ©
2012 Project Management Institute, Inc. 3
 Scorecards
◦ Used to monitor strategic alignment and success with
strategic objectives. (Balanced Scorecard is one of the
better known techniques)
 Dashboards
◦ Used day to day at the tactical and operational level
◦ Just like your car dashboard, you need real-time
information to drive your car to arrive at your
destination (strategic objectives)
 Make sure Dashboards “connect” to your
Scorecards
◦ Example: If a scorecard objective for your car is “increase
miles per gallon by 10% in the next year” then your
dashboard should have a real time view of this data so
that performance towards that target is met.
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Key Concept:
Focusing the
“Scope” of the
Dashboard
Increases the
Likelihood of a Business
Inputs:
Successful Results
Vision
Dashboard or Mission
Scorecard Strategy
Implementation Market
Focus Area : Project
Performance Outputs
Tools &
Techniques
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 Helps project managers track multiple projects
◦ Driving multiple cars at one time
 Communicates status of projects to
organizations in a standardized view that
supports
◦ Developing dashboards drive standardization
 Provides a more objective view of project status
and performance
◦ Dashboards drive an organization towards performance
targets
 Alerts decision makers to take action earlier
 Serves as communication tool for project
manager Key Concept: As you are building your Dashboard
think how you will track benefits of using the
Dashboard. Since Dashboards require a lot of work,
keep benefits visible so support can continue
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Risk
Key Concept: Try to
use existing data &
processes first.
Work/ Cost
(Resources)
Time Improving
processes/data AND
building a
dashboard is
usually too much
for an organization
to do at one time
Performance
(Scope + Quality)
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Ideal Approach – Provides
Roll Up Based on Time,
Cost, Resources & Risks.
Reference: ProjectManager.com This could be a roll up of
multiple projects or an
entire program/ portfolio
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Time Component
Challenges
• Requires standardizing
milestones at an individual
project level so that roll-ups
of multiple projects are
meaningful
• Requires agreeing on
business rules of when a
tasks/ milestone is missed
• Defining a baseline for dates
before the project begins
• Unless you are using off the
shelf software a “drill” down”
can be difficult
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Work/ Cost Component
Challenges
• Organization must have an
approach to identify cost
(expenses, work time, labor
time)
• Cost data is often lagging
and not available for weeks
• Costing in and R&D, IT or
internal project can be
difficult to forecast
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Resources Component
Challenges
• Requires resources be
allocated in advance
• In order to have accurate
data, resources have to do
time tracking by project
• It is difficult for a person to
admit they are “under-
allocated”
• Many organizations do not
have project time tracking
with timely information
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Risk Component Challenges
• Requires the organization
develop a standard approach
to logging risk with a rating
system
• Organization must value risk
information as much as
time-cost-work information
• Project managers must be
rewarded for logging risk –
this is difficult culture shift
for most organizations
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Electronic
Electronic – Web
Paper/ – Server
Wall Type
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 Paper Based
◦ Advantage: Easy to get started and use to drive
standardization
◦ Advantage: Great starting point before investing in
electronic approach
◦ Disadvantage: Drill down and updates are difficult/
labor intensive
 Wall Based
◦ Advantage: Supports stand up meeting and quick
updates
◦ Disadvantage: Not portable, difficult to use for
reports
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 Electronic – Local Server
◦ Advantage: Using Excel type approach may not require
IT resources and it will be available for updating by
multiple users
◦ Advantage: Drives standardization to the next level
◦ Disadvantage: Drill down is possible, but requires
advanced skills in Excel and information is not available
in the field
 Electronic – Web Based
◦ Advantage: Drill Downs and reports based on best
practices are built in
◦ Disadvantage: Usually requires IT support & managing
software & users is usually a full time job
◦ Disadvantage: Security and working with organization’s
firewall
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 Know the questions your dashboard is trying
to answer before building it
 Make sure you can actually collect the data
you want to measure
 Begin by summarizing and analyzing data you
already collect
 Dashboards should always have a printable
version
 Your first dashboard should never use a
dashboard tool – that should come later
Source: www.ciodashboard.com
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 Unless you are in a very large organization
with IT Support – Start small
◦ Consider paper approach, standardization is
sometime harder that you think
◦ Consider publishing a companion report with the
dashboard to avoid putting too much on the
dashboard
◦ Do not be afraid to “Cut & Paste’ information from
other tools and reports
 Implementing a Dashboard to Monitor Project
Performance is Complex
◦ Write a Project Plan before you start!!!
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 What has been your experience implementing
dashboards?
◦ Have you had success or observed success with the
electronic tools?
 If your company does not have dashboards to
monitor performance, how do they do this?
 Is the work required to develop a dashboard
worth it?
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 Person, Ron. "9 - Developing Executive &
Operational Dashboards." Balanced Scorecards &
Operational Dashboards with Microsoft Excel.
Indianapolis: Wiley, 2009. 107-12. Print.
 Curran, Chris. "10 CIO Dashboard Tips — CIO
Dashboard." CIO Dashboard — IT Strategies for
CIOs and IT Leaders. Ciodashboard.com, 25 June
2009. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.ciodashboard.com/metrics-and-
measurement/10-cio-dashboard-tips/>.
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 BTS Principal, Jane Betterton - Since 1992 Jane has utilized best
practices in project management to provide practical solutions in
today’s dynamic and complex organizational structures. She has
extensive strategic planning, project management, organizational
and personnel development experience. With her academic and
professional background in chemical engineering, R&D type
manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and software development, Jane
has specialized in working with complex technical environments.
Jane is an expert in MS Project, and Microsoft Office applications
and their use in communicating effectively in an organization.
 Jane is actively working with PMI’s Organizational Project
Management Maturity Model (OPM3) to objectively assess an
organization’s level of maturity in planning, executing and closing
their projects, managing their programs and leveraging their
portfolio to reach their strategic goals. Jane is a PMI OPM3 Certified
Professional.
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 Organizational Project Management Maturity
Model – OPM3
• Provides a way for organizations to measure
themselves against best in class practices of
managing Projects, Programs & Portfolios.
• Shows the maturity of organizations in implementing
OPM to achieve their organizational objectives.
• Highlights needed areas of improvement for
organizations to help them achieve better business
results.
Source: PMI. Org OPM3 Standard Presentation © 2012
Project Management Institute, Inc.
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Reference: http://www.magnatag.com
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