Insights
Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
The Negative Effects of Dashboard Proliferation
In the business world, it's widely accepted that data is power. The more data a company has, the better equipped it is to make informed decisions that will help it succeed. As a result, many businesses have invested heavily in data-gathering and -analysis tools over the past few years. However, this increase in data collection has led to a new problem: dashboard proliferation.
Dashboard proliferation occurs when a company has so many different data sources and dashboards that it becomes difficult for employees to keep track of them all and make sense of the information they contain. This can lead to decreased productivity and decision-making as employees waste time sifting through data that isn't relevant to their tasks. Additionally, it can create confusion and frustration, as employees may not know which dashboard to refer to for specific information. In extreme cases, dashboard proliferation can even cause companies to lose sight of their core objectives and goals.
How Dashboard Proliferation Happens
There are a number of factors that can contribute to dashboard proliferation. One is the sheer number of data sources that companies now have access to. With the advent of big data, businesses are now able to collect and store more information than ever before. Additionally, there are a wide variety of software platforms available that allow businesses to create custom dashboards for their specific needs. As a result, it's become increasingly easy for companies to create new dashboards without fully considering whether or not they're actually needed.
Another contributing factor is the fact that different departments within a company often have different data needs. For example, the sales department might need information on customer acquisition costs while the marketing department might need information on website traffic levels. While it's important for different departments to have access to the data they need, this can often lead to duplication of effort and an excessive number of dashboards.
The final factor is simply humans' cognitive biases. People tend to underestimate how long it will take them to find specific information and overestimate how often they'll need to refer back to certain dashboards. As a result, they're more likely to create new dashboards than they actually need.
The Negative Effects Of Dashboard Proliferation
As mentioned above, dashboard proliferation can lead to decreased productivity and decision-making as employees waste time searching for information among multiple dashboards. Additionally, it can create confusion and frustration as employees try to figure out which dashboard contains the information they need. In extreme cases, dashboard proliferation can even cause companies to lose sight of their core objectives by making it difficult for them to focus on what's important.
Conclusion:
Dashboard proliferation is a serious problem that affects businesses of all sizes across all industries. While it's important for businesses to have access to accurate and up-to-date data, having too much data can be just as harmful as having too little. When creating or maintaining dashboards, businesses should focus on quality over quantity and make sure that each dashboard serves a specific purpose. Otherwise, they risk losing sight of their core objectives among an ever-growing sea of irrelevant data points.
Learn how BI Radar can help identify and prevent Dashboard Proliferation in your organization.
