Every dashboard should answer four questions
How do you create reports that don’t just show numbers but directly guide decisions? In this webinar with Zebra BI, we shared the four questions every dashboard should answer.
Rockfeather and Zebra BI tackled the biggest challenges in dashboarding: too many KPIs, lack of context, and reports that look polished but fail to support decision-making.
At the heart: every dashboard should answer four questions:
- Is performance good or bad?\
- How good or how bad?
- Why is it so?
- What are we going to do about it?
This framework ensures dashboards don’t become cluttered with KPIs and visuals that confuse instead of clarify.
Key takeaways from the webinar
- Always add context: benchmark against plan, forecast, or last year.
- Standardize: the same visual should always convey the same message.
- Simplicity over decoration: highlight only what matters.
- Build hierarchy: top KPIs first, with drill-downs for detail.
- Connect data to action: make it clear what decisions follow from the numbers.
Real-world examples
Heijmans standardized reporting across units, leading to faster, more consistent decision-making. KPN created a self-service dashboard aligned with IBCS standards, giving users ownership of insights and reducing BI workload.
Your next step
Want dashboards that truly make a difference? Start by applying the four-question test to your reports, or let Rockfeather help you build dashboards that support faster, smarter decisions.
Rewatch this webinar
Missed the webinar, or want to rewatch the examples? Here you go!
