Academy · Dashboards · Guide
A good dashboard answers one question
before anyone has to ask it.
Most dashboards die quietly: too many tiles, no definitions, nobody who acts. This guide shows how to build an overview that actually gets opened in the weekly meeting, whether it lives in a spreadsheet, a BI tool or, later, in Peak Analytics.
Where do you want to make progress?
Tasks per board and status as a pivot
A good dashboard answers one question
before anyone has to ask it.
One audience, few numbers, each with a definition.
Most dashboards die quietly: too many tiles, no definitions, nobody who acts. This guide shows how to build an overview that actually gets opened in the weekly meeting, whether it lives in a spreadsheet, a BI tool or, later, in Peak Analytics. At the top, the three to five numbers that tell you whether you're on course; below them, the breakdown that explains why. Every number carries its period, its source and something to compare it with.
What you need.
- One person who owns the overview and opens it at a fixed time.
- A written definition for every number, with source, date field and currency.
- A comparison for each number: last month, the same month last year, or a target.
- Header: audience · decision · rhythm (example Team lead · capacity · Mondays)
- Top row: three to five numbers with a comparison (example open tasks per board versus last week)
- Below: the breakdown that explains (example Board × status)
- Footer: definitions and data as of (example Source tasks, as of Friday)
The learning path
Audience, numbers, rhythm.
Fix the audience and the decision
A dashboard for management looks different from one for the project team. Write one sentence on who uses it and what it decides, for example: "Every Monday, the team lead decides which client boards need help."
- Tasks per board and status as a pivot
- Read the largest board and its share of the total
- Use "Check" to create a task for the team lead
Use "Check" to create a task for the team lead
If you get stuck
When the number doesn't fit.
Nobody opens the dashboard. What now?
Usually the decision behind it is missing. Remove everything that hasn't triggered an action in the last four meetings and put the remaining numbers on the agenda for good.
Two overviews show different revenue. Which one is right?
Probably both, under different definitions: order date versus receipt date, with or without refunds. Write the definition on the number and agree on one.
Can I build a dashboard in Peak Analytics yet?
No. Dashboards, tiles and charts are planned. Today you save individual pivot evaluations as views, use the four monthly report templates for orders and share a released snapshot by link.
Your quality check
Before you apply it to your numbers.
Tick what you have checked. Your selection stays in this view only.
0 of 3 points checked
What this article is based on.
Editorial page with fictional examples (Harbourview Agency (fictional), Willowcourt Advisory (fictional), Nordwind Travel Goods (fictional)). The guide describes an approach; where Peak Analytics covers a step today, the page says so explicitly. No measurements, no customers, nothing is sent or saved.
- Editorial demo
Synthetic numbers in the browser. No real data is read, computed or saved.
- Checked evidence
Peak Analytics is a preview: pivot over orders, receipts, tasks, goals and files; count, sum, average, minimum, maximum; day to year; CSV export; sharing a released snapshot; largest value as a task.
peak-one app/w/[scope]/apps/analytics, lib/bi/model.ts, lib/views/pivot.ts, lib/bi/share.ts · checked 2026-10-29
Fewer tiles, more decisions.
Once the numbers are settled, check their data quality before they appear on screen every Monday.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Peak Analytics for this guide?
No. The guide works with any spreadsheet. Peak Analytics is a preview; where it covers a step today, the page says so.
How many numbers belong on a dashboard?
Three to five at the top that tell you whether you're on course, with the breakdown that explains why below. Everything else goes into a reference evaluation.
Why do two dashboards show different revenue?
Usually because of different definitions, such as order date versus receipt date, or with and without refunds. Write the definition on the number.
Does Peak Analytics have dashboards?
Not yet. Dashboards and charts are planned. Today you save pivot evaluations as views and share a released snapshot by link.