digital dashboard

The dashboard of a car is designed to present vital real-time information to the driver, such as speed, fuel supply, and engine status. Ideally this information should be easy to grasp at a glance, allowing for prompt action when neces-sary. Conversely, unnecessary and potentially distracting information should be avoided, or at least relegated to an unobtrusive secondary display.

A digital dashboard is a computer display that uses sim-ilar concepts. Its goal is to provide an executive or manager with the key information that allows him or her to monitor the health of the enterprise and to take action when neces-sary. (A digital dashboard can also be part of a larger set of management tools—see decision support system.)

The screen display for a digital dashboard can use a variety of objects (see graphical user interface). These can include traditional charts (line, bar, or pie), color-coded maps, depictions of gauges, and a variety of other interface elements sometimes known as “widgets.”

However information is depicted, the dashboard is designed to summarize the current status of business or other functions, identify trends, and warn the user when attention is required. For example, a dashboard might summarize production and shipping for each of a compa-ny’s factories. Bars on a chart might be green when levels are within normal parameters, but turn red if, for exam-ple, production has fallen more than 20 percent below target goals. Dashboard displays can also be useful for graphically showing the degree to which project objectives are being met.

Digital dashboards can be custom built or obtained in forms specialized for various types of business. Typi-cally the dashboard is hosted on the corporate Web server and is accessible through Web browsers—perhaps with an abbreviated version that can be viewed on PDAs and smart phones.

Critique

Today dashboards are in widespread use in many top cor-porations, from Microsoft to Home Depot. An oft-cited advantage of dashboard technology is that it keeps manag-ers focused and provides for quick response in situations where time may be crucial. No longer is it necessary for the manager to track down key individuals and try to make sense of their reports over the phone.

Some critics, however, worry that dashboards may make management too “data driven.” Those regular calls, after all, can form an important part of the relationship between an executive or manager and subordinates, as well as get-ting a sense of morale and possible personnel problems that may be affecting productivity. Overreliance on dashboards and “bottom line” numbers may also hurt the morale of salespeople and others who come to feel that they are being micromanaged. Further, the dashboard may omit important considerations that in turn are likely to receive less atten-tion and support.