Chapter 1 of 6 · 5 min
A report is not a dashboard
Dashboards answer 'what's the number right now.' Reports answer 'what should we do next.' Managers who confuse the two end up refreshing metrics all month and deciding nothing. A monthly report is a decision document with a beginning, a middle, and an end — and the end is an assignment to a person with a due date.
How to tell the difference in ten seconds
Read the last page of anything you're about to call a report. If it lists recommended actions with owners, it's a report. If it lists more metrics, it's a dashboard export. Both are useful; they aren't interchangeable.
- Dashboard: 'Reviews +18% this month.'
- Report: 'Reviews +18%. The lift came from Midtown after we fixed reservation timing. Do the same at Airport next.'
If your monthly ends with 'here are the numbers,' it's a dashboard wearing a report's clothes. Push it to end with two assignments.