Menu

KPIs and Dashboard Planning

Lesson 3: KPIs and Dashboard Planning

What is a KPI?

A key performance indicator is a metric selected to monitor progress toward an important objective.

  • A metric becomes a KPI because of its decision-making role, not just because it can be counted.
  • Good KPIs are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.

Metric type

Description

Example

Lagging indicatorMeasures outcomes after they happenMonthly revenue, churn rate
Leading indicatorSignals future outcomesTrial sign-ups, pipeline value
Vanity metricLooks good but doesn't guide decisionsTotal page views with no context
Actionable metricDirectly linked to a decisionCheckout abandonment rate

Define each KPI

Use a KPI definition template so everyone calculates it the same way:

Field

Example: Conversion rate

NameVisitor-to-order conversion rate
Business meaningShare of visitors who place an order
CalculationOrders ÷ unique visitors × 100
Unit%
Time periodWeekly, Monday–Sunday
Data sourceWeb analytics + orders table
Refresh frequencyDaily at 6 AM
OwnerE-commerce manager
ExclusionsInternal traffic, test orders, bots
Target≥ 3.0%

"Active user" can mean very different things across products (logged in? performed a key action?), so define it before comparing teams or months.

Example

Online shop dashboard:

KPI

What it tells you

RevenueOverall commercial performance
Conversion rateHow well traffic turns into orders
Average order valueBasket size
Order countVolume
Refund rateProduct or expectation problems
Delivery time (median, P90)Customer experience

Together, these show both commercial performance and customer-experience issues.

How to plan a dashboard

Step

Action

1. AudienceWho uses it? (executives, managers, operations)
2. DecisionsWhat will they decide using it?
3. KPIsPick 3–7 metrics that support those decisions
4. LayoutMost important KPIs top-left; trends next; breakdowns below
5. ContextAdd comparisons: vs target, vs last period, vs same period last year
6. FiltersOnly those that answer real questions (date, region, product)
7. TestHave real users try it; fix confusion

Dashboard vs report:

Dashboard

One-off report

Monitors ongoing performanceAnswers a specific question
Refreshes automaticallyStatic snapshot
Many users, repeated useA specific audience, used once
Standard KPIsCustom analysis and narrative

Common mistakes

  • Too many metrics: dozens of numbers hide what matters.
  • Vanity metrics with no link to a goal.
  • No comparison: a number with no target or previous period lacks meaning.
  • Too many filters: users get lost.
  • Unclear definitions: different teams interpret the same KPI differently.

Data Analytics Tutorial



Learn via Video Course

Data Analysis and Processing with Python using Pandas - Data Science Course Logo

Data Analysis and Processing with Python using Pandas - Data Science Course

5 hrs



Get in Touch For Details