Utilizing data to strengthen your change management approach can take many forms. One of the best ways to visualize data in support of change activities is through dashboards. Below are a few tips on how to make the most of your change dashboards.
Do: Understand all possible use case(s) for the dashboard.
During the initial brainstorming sessions when creating a dashboard, it is important to start by understanding exactly how your organization intends to use it. As with most change activities, understanding stakeholders and use cases is imperative to developing solutions tailored to the specific challenge(s) at hand. The same goes for dashboards. The usefulness of a dashboard is heavily dependent on leadership and the organization itself. Understanding their vision and plan with the dashboard (i.e. do they want to focus on the big picture or dive into the details?) is a great place to start. Then, use that information, along with additional stakeholder analysis, to drive the development of your dashboard.
Don’t: Forget to communicate the purpose of your dashboard.
Throughout the creation of your dashboard and when preparing to launch it, be sure to clearly communicate the purpose of it. Stakeholders may have differing ideas on why it was created and how it should be used, which can lead to misuse or misinterpretations of the dashboard and its contents. Engage leaders and sponsors to communicate the objectives and goals for the dashboard. This will help ensure the dashboard is being used effectively and in the way it is intended.
Do: Double-check your data.
Your dashboard is only as good as the data you use to create it. When building a change dashboard, you will need to create data inputs. Oftentimes, users of the dashboard can view these data inputs and dive into the details of where the data came from. This makes it even more necessary to double-check your data sources for accuracy before publishing your dashboard.
Don’t: Overcomplicate things.
Creating a change dashboard can seem overwhelming, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Start simply with a few visuals and continue to add more data as you go. Use available tools that you are already familiar with to get started and consult data experts within or outside your organization if you get stuck.
Do: Make it accessible.
Ensuring readability for all audiences is key to creating a successful change dashboard. Be mindful of the colors, fonts, and other visual elements chosen. Adding alternative text and written descriptions are great tools to increase readability and overall understanding of the dashboard components.
Don’t: Reinvent the wheel for future dashboards.
Once you’ve successfully built and launched your first change dashboard, chances are requests for additional dashboards will follow. When this happens, don’t go back to square one, go back to your original dashboard! Use your previously created dashboards as a template for future dashboards. Even if the data will not be the same, say your original dashboard provided a change strategy overview for a project and you now want to focus on visualizing training metrics for a separate initiative, you can still “lift and shift” elements from one dashboard to guide the creation of a new one. Once your audience gets used to a concept, it will be easier for them to follow if you use the same template each time.
Incorporating dashboards into your change activities may seem like a lot to take on and manage, especially if your change management team has little to no expertise in analytics. Partnering with an organization like Avaap, who brings deep expertise in both change management and data analytics, can help you learn in real time how change is being perceived. Custom dashboards can be created to meet the needs of each organization, are technology agnostic, and serve as a platform for ongoing analysis and understanding of your people and change initiatives.