Before You Ship Your Dashboard
Before sharing a dashboard, check whether it actually helps someone make a decision
A short, practical resource for reviewing whether your dashboard is ready before it goes out: audience, decision, metrics, context, and action.
I've seen a lot of dashboards nobody opens. I've built some of them myself.
Most don't fail because of a technical problem. They fail because it's unclear who they're for, what decision they should enable, or what action they should trigger after someone looks at them.
This checklist distills the questions I now ask before publishing any dashboard: real audience, concrete decision, hero metric, visual hierarchy, useful defaults, and maintenance. It's short, direct, and forces you to think about the person before the chart.
Instead of focusing only on design or tools, it helps you validate what matters most: whether the audience is well-defined, the decision is clear, there's a hero metric, the context is sufficient, and the dashboard suggests what to do next.
If you build dashboards for Slack, meetings, or stakeholders who say "I just need visibility," this PDF saves you hours of work that ends up as digital dust.
What's included?
- Practical questions to validate audience, decision, and hero metric
- Checklist built for analysts, not for window dressing
- Focused on real decisions, not just pretty visualizations
- Reviews visual hierarchy, filters, defaults, and edge cases
- Includes post-launch ownership: who maintains the dashboard after
- Works regardless of whether you use Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or any other tool
Ideal for
Key benefits
- Catches lack of focus before publishing
- Improves clarity and usefulness for decision-makers
- Helps you prioritize what matters over what looks nice
- Can be applied in minutes
- Works regardless of whether you use Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or any other tool
Contents
- 01 About the audience
- 02 About the content
- 03 About the design
- 04 About maintenance
- 05 The question that sums it all up
Related resources
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Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a dashboard is ready?
A dashboard is ready when a specific person can find what matters quickly, understand what it means, and use it to make a decision.
What should I check before publishing a dashboard?
Review audience, decision, hero metric, context, visual hierarchy, filters, edge cases, and ownership after launch.
Does this checklist work for Power BI, Tableau, or Looker?
Yes. The checklist doesn't depend on the tool — it depends on the clarity and usefulness of the dashboard for decision-making.
Who is this checklist for?
Data analysts, BI professionals, analytics engineers, and anyone who builds dashboards and wants to validate whether they're actually ready to be used.
How do I receive the guide after purchase?
Right after payment you will be redirected to a download page where you can download immediately.
Are updates included?
Yes. All future updates are included at no extra cost.
What format is the product?
PDF, so you can open it on desktop, tablet, or mobile.
Is there a refund policy?
If it is not a fit, email me within 7 days and I will refund you. No questions asked.