What is a Digital/Executive Dashboard?

Legacy and Current Software Design

For the past few decades, we have followed a method in software development that I would call a Storage and Reporting model of system design.  The applications are written to store the specified data and then allow the business users to run reports to retrieve the data.  The user is then expected to understand the data that they are looking at and make a decision based on that information.  It is a model where all of the intelligence lies with the business user and the system merely stores and displays the data.

Automated Reporting Models

In order to try and deal with the inefficiencies of the Storage and Reporting model, the next system was designed to follow the same model but automate the generation of reports.  This is the model where the reports would be run on a nightly basis and would be available when the user came in the next morning.  This would keep the user from forgetting to run the necessary report and they wouldn’t have to take the time to actually generate the report.  This model still placed all intelligence and responsibility on the business user.

Dashboards and Intelligent Systems Model

This model is what I would call the model of the future even though it exists today.  With this model, the systems have been designed in such a way that they are now intelligent and can make some of the basic and even advanced decisions for you.  There are really two pieces to this model: The Intelligent Alerts and the Dashboard.

The Dashboard

The dashboard is a monitoring interface (many times web based) that gives you an overview of your system at a glance.  Much the same as the dashboard in your car.  It will give you an idea of what is going on with you system at that specific time.  Also, just like your car’s dashboard, it has warning lights.  If one of the warning criteria that you specify is met the warning light is illuminated.  This is your indicator of attention needed.

Learn More about Dashboards: 4 Advantages to Dashboards

The Intelligent Alert

As an addition to the dashboard, you would want to add an intelligent alert system.  This system would have specified thresholds that you specify that will trigger alert notifications to be sent.  If your system stops accepting orders there is an automatic text message that goes out to the managers in charge.  When a prospective client does not receive a follow up within the specified timeframe the sales manager is notified of the issue.  This system acts as active alert system so people don’t have to watch the dashboard every minute of the day.

Learn More about Intelligent Alerting: 5 Keys to an Intelligent Alert System

Benefits to Dashboard and Alert Model

The biggest benefit to the Dashboard and Alert model over the reporting model is that it does not require someone to always be monitoring all of the reports.

Also, the resources don’t have to review the 95% of situations where the system works successfully.  Now all that they have to review are the 5% that cause warnings.

This drastically increases the system efficiency and frees up your resources for other tasks.

We can help you build a dashboard and intelligent alerting that will make your business more efficient and profitable. Leave us a note!

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Tagged as: Alert System, Dashboard, Design, Intelligent, software