From reporting to decisions: designing useful dashboards

Start with the decision

A useful dashboard begins with a decision, not a visual. Define who needs to act, what changes their response and how quickly the signal needs to arrive.

This article uses placeholder examples so the framework can later be expanded with real project material.

• Name the operating decision
• Define the decision owner
• Set the review cadence
• Document the action threshold

Shape a clear information hierarchy

Use summary signals to establish context, then provide deliberate paths into drivers, segments and exceptions. Every chart should answer a question that matters to the audience.

Keep metric logic governed

Measures should be defined once in the semantic model and reused across views. The following placeholder illustrates a simple DAX measure pattern.

Total Value =
SUM ( FactTransactions[Value] )