Executive dashboard software programs can help you manage your all your business projects and records with little effort. You can use dashboard software to integrate your business management techniques with others who are working on the same projects. Maximize your time with a business dashboard that has become easier to use and allows you to manage all aspects of your business more smoothly. You should take every advantage of the expertise developed by business intelligence dashboard companies.

Dashboard software can operate online so that you can manage your business from any location with an Internet connection. Financial dashboard software vendors can provide products that give you concise and relevant forms so that you can easily consolidate all your accounting systems. Managers and executives can plan their time and review the time of their staff with the latest information management dashboard. Find a number of ways to maximize your time by using business dashboards.

1. Use custom business dashboards

2. Use dashboard analysis

3. Use executive dashboards

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Integrate an executive dashboard into your systems

The user-friendly options available in executive dashboard software make using the programs easy and accessible for any business now. Small, medium and large companies can eliminate the need for extensive paper trails and long meetings in favor of desktop software that can operate within your entire workflow processes.

I recommend: Learn about the various applications that can make your business run more smoothly with the information provided by Corda. Boxes and Arrows provides educational articles that concern business owners today, including information about executive dashboards and how you can use them and incorporate the technology in your company.

Try online dashboard software

For many of the newer online programs you don't even have to download any special software to your systems if you choose to engage web-based custom business dashboards. These operations typically allow you a trial period, which you should take advantage of as well.

I recommend: Find reviews of various online dashboards and their suppliers at Enterprise Dashboard. Read about the various uses for executive dashboards before making your final purchasing decisions with the information available at Article Dashboard.

Get your team using business dashboards

Once you've opened up the possibilities of running your business with the assistance of executive dashboard software, you need to get your team on-board with the programs. Instead of calling on consultants to handle projects, your managers should be able to use their own desktops to manage projects and generate reports.

I recommend: Find in-depth articles that explain the various uses of dashboard software and how you can best utilize the technology at Business Intelligence Knowledge Base. Find informative articles to guide your dashboard decisions at the Small Business Technology Advisor.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take advantage of free demos of executive dashboard software before making a long-term commitment to one provider.

When you peer at your car's dashboard, you can quickly assess how the vehicle is functioning and receive alerts when something's gone awry. Small business dashboards offer something similar to business owners: a consolidated view of key information about the business, including alerts when trouble looms.

Dashboards are essentially one-screen, customizable computer snapshots comprising charts and tables of your company's key indicators: sales reports (daily, monthly, year-to-date), cash on hand, profitability, back orders, inventory levels, payroll, accounts receivable and payable, etc. Costs range from about $150 to $1,500 for an off-the-shelf program, but there are also Web-based subscription models that start at about $150 a month.

If you're using Peachtree or Quickbooks, you already have dashboard capabilities (Peachtree doesn't use the word "dashboard," but the program's home screen serves that function.) Microsoft Small Business Accounting also has dashboard functionality that includes:

1. Automatic company-wide updates when the program receives new data
2. Customizable views for different employees
3. Warning lights when indicators reach unacceptable levels

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Test drive off-the-self software

If you don't already have the software, you can download free trial versions and check out their respective dashboard features.

I recommend: Download free trial versions of Peachtree, Quickbooks and Microsoft Small Business Accounting.

Consider using Web-hosted software

Dashboard views are also available in online versions, such as the service from Quickbooks, and from Web-only packages such as NetSuite. The benefits of hosted accounting software include easy access from any Internet connection and automatic software upgrades.

I recommend: Check out a screen shot of the NetSuite and Quickbooks dashboards. You can also download a trial version of NetSuite and a trial version of Quickbooks.

Determine what you need to track

Once the software is installed, you'll need to figure out which business indicators you want to track. This may not be as obvious as it sounds. The most important number or ratio for your business may not be the one you think it is, and that all-important number may change over time.

I recommend: To start thinking about what business information your dashboard should include, see these tips on Inc.com. The site also includes a worksheet to help you figure out what numbers are most important for your business. (Free registration required.)

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check to see if your current accounting software has dashboard capability.
• •  Plan on two to three months to get up and running, both in terms of implementing the software and inputting the data.
• •  Inquire whether the software you're considering has different views for different people: CEO, salespeople, bookkeepers, accountants, etc.
• •  Your dashboard may need to change as your business changes. Make sure your dashboard can grow with you and your business.

Executive dashboard software is becoming more sophisticated all the time. As new research into new levels of executive management continues to be explored, business intelligence dashboard programs are being developed to streamline the processes. Business dashboard software can easily be integrated into your current operations with the right kind of systems. You’ll find many of the executive dashboards to be user-friendly and a welcomed addition to your operations.

With the expansion of global markets and the need for quick decisions, along with the value of time-management techniques, you’ll need to stay on top of all the innovation and emerging information management dashboard software. To remain competitive you’ll have to find ways to include dashboard software in your operations. As dashboard analysis continues to improve, there are a number of ways you can keep up with business dashboards news and trends.

1. Log on to executive dashboard blogs and websites

2. Subscribe to business dashboard publications

3. Sign on for email alerts from providers of custom business dashboards

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Share information with other information management dashboard users

Blogs are increasingly becoming the media of choice for many small business owners looking for quick and efficient means to communicate with other like-minded professionals. Find an Internet blog or website that provides trust-worthy information on business dashboards and attracts reliable posting participants.

I recommend: BNET will keep up with the dashboard technology usage so that you can get all the latest information. Dashboard Spy can keep you updated with all the news and movement in the dashboard industry and how it affects small businesses if you set yourself up for email alerts on the subject.

Read up on changes in dashboard analysis

Business dashboards news and trends are popular topics in tech and small business publications available online. It's a good idea to stay on top of the industry as a whole so that you can know about changes that may be ahead of your current provider's abilities and offer better features as the industry streamlines the processes.

I recommend: Keep up with current trends and dashboard news affecting all facets of the industry at Dashboard Insight. Get news emails everyday from Search CIO, a great source of dashboard news and trends for the business owner who needs to stay on top of the latest business technology.

Receive information management dashboard alerts

While most business owners are trying to clear out their in-boxes to save time, you should allow at least one information provider to get into your email with alerts about changes and upgrades that others in the industry are employing. You shouldn't miss out on vital business corporate dashboard alerts when they are available.

I recommend: Keep up by reading the various papers and research reports put out by InetSoft. Try the demos of the latest dashboards and the newest visuals they deliver from Business Objects.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Start dabbling in executive dashboard software with a simple program that you run on your own computer. After you become more comfortable and can justify the expense, you can begin to add more programs and bring in more of your key employees to the programs.

If you want a quick and easy way to monitor how your business is doing, then a business dashboard may be just the tool you're looking for. There are lots of software programs on the market that can help you with this aspect of running your business, so you don't have to invest the resources to develop your own. By purchasing the software, you won’t have to “re-invent the wheel,” and you can take advantage of others' experience and expertise. As you investigate the various dashboard programs that are available, you'll need to become familiar with some of terms you'll run across in your research.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are measures that a business can use to help managers define and evaluate how successful it is. A business dashboard usually involves a summary of the KPIs that the organization has selected.

I recommend: The BetterManagement website has a clear definition of KPIs and includes many articles on this topic in its library.

Business activity monitoring

Business activity monitoring (BAM) software can help business owners manage all the activities they have defined as important and relevant for success. A business dashboard is one way to do business activity monitoring.

I recommend: BusinessActivityMonitoring.com offers free resources for learning about business activity monitoring and includes links for related sites and BAM vendors.

Operating expenses

Operating expenses, also known as OPEX, are the ongoing cost of running a business. This includes expenses related to things such as sales and administration as well as research and development. A business dashboard should include operating expenses.

I recommend: You can find a sample of how operating expenses appear on an income statement by clicking the link on the operating expenses definition page at MoneyChimp.

Target income sales

Target income sales are the sales that the business needs to achieve a certain level of revenue or income. Business dashboards usually include a measure of target income sales.

I recommend: The business glossary at AllBusiness.com includes a definition of and formula for computing target income sales.

Gross profit

Gross profit or sales profit is the calculation of sales before the costs of making a product or providing a service (including overhead, payroll and taxes) are deducted. Business dashboards should include this metric.

I recommend: InvestorWords.com has a definition of this and several related terms.

Absenteeism

Absenteeism is a measure of how much productive time a business loses when employees are sick or otherwise absent from work, excluding vacation time. Business dashboards usually track this important metric.

I recommend: Need to know how to deal with an absenteeism problem? Go to Employer-Employee.com.