Best practices for an effective Dashboard for business / MIS (Management Info System)

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Best practices for an effective Dashboard for
business / MIS (Management Info System)
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Most organizations today are seeking new
technologies to enhance operational capacity and
reduce costs of operations. One of the main
challenges facing any type of organization in the
modern setup is enhancing efficiency in an
environment of increasing operational costs. One
way of enhancing productivity in any
organizational setup is by leveraging the data
generated and using it in decision making.
Introduction
Introduction
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• A dashboard for business or an MIS (Management
  Info System) plays a similar role to that of a
  heart in the body. This system ensures data
  collated from different parts of your
  organization are processed and then presented in
  a manner that will help make the right decisions.

The Role of a Dashboard/MIS
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• By integrating a dashboard in your organization,
  you will ensure all teams have the necessary
  information when they need it. For instance, a
  supply manager knows the inventory in the
  warehouse through the warehouse management system
  (WMS). At the same time, the market department
  has information from the system showing which
  products are flying off the shelves and which
  ones require a new marketing strategy.

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• Whether you are in the healthcare or automotive
  industry, you have to set in place systems that
  will help you optimize the information you have
  in the organization.  An effective Management
  Info System helps in strategic planning,
  operational and management control, scheduling
  control, goal setting, organization
  communication, decision making and risk
  management among other areas. Today, dashboards
  are the de facto face of business management
  applications and they are integral in business
  intelligence (BI).

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• While dashboards and information management
  systems have become ubiquitous in modern
  business, there are still challenges which most
  companies face in the implementation of the
  systems. In some cases, dashboards are created
  on-the-fly and with time they become loaded with
  meaningless information.

Dashboard/MIS Implementation Challenges
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• For every dashboard that is an integral tool in a
  business, there are thousands which are just
  pretty interfaces full of graphics which will not
  help business teams. The early days of dashboard
  integration into business involved fusing pretty
  graphics with the right information displays.
  While this might sound like an ideal solution,
  there is still more that needs to be done.

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• Modern web MIS and dashboard design now blends
  usability, utility and aesthetics to provide a
  system that adds value to an organization.  In
  order to achieve this, it is important to observe
  the best practices for an effective dashboard.
  Below are some of the guidelines that will help
  you achieve this

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1) If you dont know the application, business
case behind the app, there is no way you are
going to build a helpful dashboard or MIS
platform. Your design must start with these
questions who is your audience? What is the
value of the dashboard to the target audience?
What type of dashboard is best suited for this
audience? In essence, you have to know the role
of the users in the organization, their workflow,
skill range, business data expertise, and
customization needs.
Design A Purpose-Filled Dashboard
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Truth be told, most people are resistant to
change and one way of encouraging your staff to
embrace a new dashboard or MIS is by involving
them in the design. In fact, it is recommended
that every stakeholder in your business, from the
supplier, vendor and driver, to the inventory
manager and accountant, should have a say in the
design of your dashboard. This creates a sense of
ownership and they will not revert to their
beloved spreadsheets after you have launched the
system.
2) Involve the Users
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3)Use Iterative Design
If you want a dashboard that will be acceptable
to the users, make sure it is developed using an
interactive design. One of the main concerns
faced by dashboard designers is the fact that
clients always return after the project is
complete claiming the dashboard doesnt fit their
specifications. It is important to request the
designer to follow iterative design where a
cyclic process of prototyping, testing,
analyzing, refining, feedback and finally the end
product is used. The idea is to ensure users love
the dashboard you provide.
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What you are going to include in a dashboard
should be a key factor which even surpasses the
look. The format is important but the content
matters even more. In terms of form, consider the
structure, design principles, and functionality.
Factors that may influence the dashboard form and
content include timelines, aesthetic value,
mobility, collaboration, data details and
density. As a rule of thumb, when designing a
dashboard, make sure you add performance
indicators, use basic designing principles, keep
data fresh, include actionable information and
dont overload.
4) Focus on Form and Content
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A dashboard presents crucial information for
better management decisions. At W2S Solutions,
we build complex web and mobile applications and
build Dashboard that helps SMEs and
Entrepreneurs to promote their business.   To
make the dashboard really useful, application has
to be filled with quality datas and Its high
priority to finish the whole system before
getting into managing the datas.
Conclusion
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practices for an effective Dashboard for business