Effective dashboards remain a challenge for many organizations, even with experienced teams. Too often, dashboards are built around readily available data rather than strategic business objectives, limiting their ability to drive performance and growth. To address this issue, Info-Tech Research Group has published a comprehensive blueprint, Build Better Dashboards Across Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success, which provides a structured approach for designing dashboards that enhance cross-functional collaboration, track key metrics, and support data-driven decision-making.

"Without good analytics, reports are just numbers on a page," says Terra Higginson, Principal Research Director at Info-Tech Research Group. "Organizations are sitting on vast amounts of data without a clear strategy to extract value. Our blueprint is designed to help businesses turn raw data into actionable insights, aligning dashboards with goals that drive measurable impact."

Info-Tech's research highlights the critical role dashboards play in marketing, sales, and customer success, where real-time data visualization supports performance tracking and strategic decision-making. However, without a well-structured dashboard, organizations risk making decisions based on outdated or incomplete information, ultimately hindering growth and operational efficiency.

"When analytics are done well, they answer a business question and support the company's business goals," explains Higginson."These goals cascade down to each department and each person. However, collecting data alone won't drive results because, without business context, data is just meaningless numbers. The magic happens when you start with a clear goal, understand how each department contributes to it, and see the individual roles within that vision. This approach transforms a dashboard from being merely interesting to genuinely insightful."

In its latest blueprint, the firm outlines eight essential factors for IT and business leaders to consider when developing high-impact dashboards:

1. Identify Business Goals: Define clear objectives that align with overall business strategy and drive decision-making.
   
   
2. Outline the Metrics: Establish SMART goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress effectively.
   
   
3. Evaluate Data and Select an Analytics Tool: Leverage AI-powered data tools to clean and structure data for accuracy and reliability.
   
   
4. Identify the Data and Sources: Integrate data from multiple platforms through APIs or manual processes for a comprehensive, unified view.
   
   
5. Design the Dashboard: Develop visually compelling and user-friendly dashboards to track real-time marketing, sales, and customer success metrics.
   
   
6. Build Requirements Document: Outline data sources (e.g. CRM, marketing automation, Google Analytics, Excel), field mappings, and workflow alignment across systems.
   
   
7. Establish Regular Reporting Intervals: Set a structured cadence for dashboard updates and reporting to maintain relevance and usability.
   
   
8. Iterate and Improve Dashboards: Regularly test and refine dashboards to enhance insights and maximize value.

By aligning dashboards with business objectives and tailoring them to specific user needs, organizations can transform raw data into a strategic asset. According to Info-Tech's resource, a well-designed dashboard enables leadership teams to track performance, identify trends, and drive operational efficiencies that lead to measurable business growth.

For exclusive and timely commentary from Terra Higginson, an AI marketing expert, and access to the complete Build Better Dashboards Across Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success blueprint, please contact [email protected].