About InetSoft
Since 1996 InetSoft has been delivering easy, agile, and robust business intelligence software that makes it possible for organizations and solution providers of all sizes to deploy or embed full-featured business intelligence solutions. Application highlights include visually-compelling and interactive dashboards that ensure greater end-user adoption plus pixel-perfect report generation, scheduling, and bursting.
InetSoft's patent pending Data Block™ technology enables productive reuse of queries and a unique capability for end-user defined data mashup. This capability combined with efficient information access enabled by InetSoft's visual analysis technologies allows maximum self-service that benefits the average business user, the IT administrator, and the developer. InetSoft solutions have been deployed at over 5,000 organizations worldwide, including 25% of Fortune 500 companies, spanning all types of industries.
What is the Role of an Operations Dashboard?
The role of an operations dashboard is to provide a real-time, consolidated view of essential operational data and key performance indicators (KPIs) in a visually informative and easily accessible manner. Operations dashboards are used to monitor and manage various aspects of an organization's operations, processes, and performance. Here are the main roles and functions of an operations dashboard:
Centralized Data Visualization: An operations dashboard serves as a centralized platform that brings together data from multiple sources and systems. It aggregates data from various departments, processes, and systems, providing a comprehensive and holistic view of the organization's operations.
Real-Time Monitoring: Operations dashboards update data in real-time or near-real-time. This feature enables stakeholders to monitor critical metrics and key data points as they happen, facilitating proactive decision-making and timely responses to changes or issues.
Performance Tracking: The dashboard displays key performance indicators (KPIs) related to operational efficiency, productivity, quality, and other performance metrics. It allows managers and teams to track performance against targets, benchmarks, and historical data.
Data Visualization: Operations dashboards use visual elements such as charts, graphs, gauges, and maps to represent data. Visualizations help users quickly understand trends, patterns, and anomalies, facilitating better data-driven insights.
Drill-Down Capability: Users can drill down into specific data points or metrics to gain more detailed information and investigate the root causes of issues or performance variations. This interactivity aids in problem-solving and analysis.
Alerts and Notifications: Operations dashboards can be configured to trigger alerts and notifications when predefined thresholds or critical events are met. Alerts help stakeholders respond promptly to exceptional situations that require attention.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Operations dashboards facilitate collaboration and communication among different teams and departments. A shared view of operational data fosters cross-functional understanding and alignment towards common goals.
Process Optimization: The insights gained from an operations dashboard can lead to process optimization and continuous improvement initiatives. Identifying bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for enhancement helps in streamlining operations.
Resource Allocation: An operations dashboard provides valuable insights into resource allocation and utilization. It helps managers allocate resources effectively based on real-time demands and requirements.
Executive Decision Support: Operations dashboards are invaluable tools for executives and senior management. They provide a high-level overview of the organization's health and performance, assisting in strategic decision-making.
Performance Evaluation and Reporting: Operations dashboards support performance evaluation by presenting data that can be used for reporting, presentations, and business reviews. It simplifies the process of sharing operational insights with stakeholders.
How is an Operations Dashboard Used in Finance?
An operations dashboard is a valuable tool for providing a comprehensive view of financial data, key performance indicators (KPIs), and operational metrics. It helps finance professionals and decision-makers monitor, analyze, and manage various financial aspects of an organization. Here are some ways an operations dashboard is used in finance:
Financial Performance Monitoring: An operations dashboard in finance displays key financial metrics, such as revenue, expenses, profit margins, cash flow, and working capital. It allows finance teams and executives to track financial performance in real-time or at regular intervals.
Budget and Expense Tracking: The dashboard helps monitor actual spending against budgets and forecasts. It aids in identifying variances, cost overruns, and areas where spending needs to be controlled.
Revenue Analysis: Finance professionals use the dashboard to analyze revenue sources, customer segments, and sales trends. Visualizations help in understanding revenue drivers and identifying opportunities for growth.
Cash Flow Management: The dashboard provides insights into cash flow patterns, including cash inflows and outflows. It helps in ensuring sufficient liquidity and optimizing working capital.
Financial Ratios and Metrics: Finance dashboards present various financial ratios and metrics, such as return on investment (ROI), return on equity (ROE), debt-to-equity ratio, and current ratio. These metrics aid in assessing financial health and performance.
Profitability Analysis: An operations dashboard enables finance professionals to analyze profitability by product lines, projects, or business units. Visualizations help identify profitable areas and areas that may need improvement.
Financial Planning and Forecasting: Finance dashboards support financial planning and forecasting by displaying historical trends, projected financial data, and scenarios. This assists in making informed financial decisions and setting realistic goals.
Risk Management: The dashboard helps in identifying and assessing financial risks, such as credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk. It allows finance teams to monitor risk exposure and take appropriate measures.
Expense Allocation and Cost Analysis: Finance professionals use the dashboard to allocate expenses to different departments or cost centers. Cost visualizations aid in cost analysis and optimizing cost structures.
Financial Compliance and Reporting: The dashboard facilitates financial reporting by providing visualizations of financial data that can be used in reports and presentations. It helps in meeting regulatory and compliance requirements.
Investment Analysis: Finance dashboards assist in analyzing investment opportunities and tracking the performance of investment portfolios. It helps in assessing risk and return on investment.
Business Intelligence and Decision Support: Finance professionals use the dashboard for data-driven decision-making. Visualizations enable easy comparisons and insights, aiding in strategic planning and execution.
Executive and Stakeholder Communication: An operations dashboard in finance is used to communicate financial insights and performance updates to executives, stakeholders, and board members in a clear and concise manner.
Recommended Reading About Operations Dashboards
Why Should You Consider an Operations Dashboard? - Operations dashboards exist to manage the day-to-day occurrences in a business. They are a particularly good tool when looking at metrics that change frequently and for being able to drill into the details to understand root causes of what is happening. As the name suggests, operations dashboards paint a picture of business operations. They concern themselves with the here-and-now rather than the later. Analytical dashboards concern themselves with the future...
Dashboard Examples: Marketing, Service, Safety, Healthcare, etc. - Data dashboards allow you to quickly view KPIs for different departments within your organization. They're also useful when you need to compare how well each department is performing against its goals. Click on an image to open one of these live interactive dashboards in a new tab. These industry specific visualization dashboards allow you to get a feel for how easy it to use InetSoft's data dashboard software...
Analytical or Operational Dashboard: Which One is Right? - There are two main varieties of dashboards: analytical dashboards and operational dashboards. Analytics dashboards are just that, analytical. They are created for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge and insight from data. Users of these dashboards seek insight into the past and the future, wondering what happened and what's to come. Operations dashboards, on the other hand, are not created specifically to learn. They exist to manage the day-to-day occurrences of a business...
KPI for Maintenance Dashboards - InetSoft, an innovator in BI software since 1996, and AssetPoint, a leading provider of (EAM) Enterprise Asset Management and (CMMS) Computerized Maintenance Management Software solutions for over 30 years, have partnered to offer easy to use, interactive maintenance dashboard solution for tracking and managing predictive and preventive maintenance. AssetPoint’s flagship product TabWare is an easy-to-use solution for managing all processes of maintaining manufacturing or industrial equipment and the operational facilities of any organization...
Management Dashboard Examples: Project Management, Production Management, etc. - Below are some good examples of management dashboards. A management dashboard can be looked at as an executive tool whose sole purpose it to make information easier to read. These dashboards can include a variety of different types of data, which can all be integrated into an easy to read dashboard. Good management dashboards allow users to seamlessly transition from one graph to another, without losing any important data. In order to gain the competitive edge in a particular market, your business needs to be able to read, track, and convert the data that is constantly changing everyday. These interactive dashboards control every aspect of your business. Whether you need to keep track of daily expenses, monthly inventory reports, or quarterly earning, a good management dashboard can help do that. ..
Dashboarding Metrics Examples: NGOs, Human Resources, Tech Support, etc. - Online metrics dashboards are revolutionizing business, as they bring the benefits of metrics dashboards to users wherever they are. Now executives can monitor performance and predict trends when working from home, or even on their phone while they're taking the subway. Below are online metrics dashboard examples designed using InetSoft's data mashup driven web app, Style Intelligence. These dashboards focus on key metrics...
Dashboards in the Transportation Industry - The purpose of a dashboard in the trucking industry is to provide real-time results and showcase logistics performance. These real-time results become the key performance indicators (KPIs), which helps you streamline the operations, especially logistics and travel based plans. As a result, you get the chance to simplify processes and make them more manageable. To make operations more streamlined and effective, trucking companies prefer to reach out to a well-recognized software development company for creating internal dashboards. These dashboards help them to manage their operations effectively...
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“We evaluated many reporting vendors and were most impressed at the speed with which the proof of concept could be developed. We found InetSoft to be the best option to meet our business requirements and integrate with our own technology.”
- John White, Senior Director, Information Technology at Livingston International |
Important KPIs in the Mining Industry - The mining industry is somewhat forgotten by the masses as rarely do people realize what an important role it plays to provide us with all the necessary raw materials. Without these raw materials being extracted from the earth, many of our livelihoods can become stagnant. Hence this is one industry that definitely deserves more praise than it actually gets. Over the years, technology has paved the way to achieve remarkable breakthroughs and overcome incredible challenges, thus enabling workers to accomplish unprecedented milestones...
Benefits of a Data Services Platform - A large part of the North American market data was available in a data warehouse which also included some of the forecast and budget information. But the real challenge that they faced was how to relate that on a global basis because the drugs in rest of the world Europe, Asia Pacific, et cetera were being primarily sold through wholesalers and distributors, and to get a full picture they have had to federate a lot of that information. So they had multiple challenges...
Educational Operations Dashboard - This is the continuation of a transcript of a presentation by Stu Worman from Indiana University at an IT conference for university IT professionals. Let me show you some of the information we have in our university's operations dashboard. This is the month of August. This data is the number of connections. We run an automated program that cleans all the computers and makes sure that as students move into our campus housing that their computers has anti-virus software installed, has all the updates before we give them a network connection...
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Read more about InetSoft's data mashup technology to learn how it makes BI asset delivery and maintenance more efficient than traditional BI solutions. |
Using Radar Charts in a Manufacturing Dashboard - Dashboards are a powerful tool for manufacturing reporting because they provide a real-time, visual representation of critical performance metrics that are important to decision-making. Dashboards allow manufacturers to quickly and easily monitor their operations, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their production processes. Dashboards provide a real-time view of key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics, allowing manufacturers to quickly and easily identify any issues that need attention. They enable manufacturers to quickly analyze data and make informed decisions based on the insights they gain. This can help reduce the time it takes to respond to issues, leading to increased efficiency and productivity...
SQL Dashboard Query - InetSoft's award-winning dashboard software allows users to query SQL databases for a live and interactive data mashup reporting experience. To view the SQL statements that a table will attempt to execute (the query plan), right-click the title bar, and select 'Show Plan' from the context menu. This opens the 'Query Plan' dialog box. The 'Query Plan' dialog box displays the queries that will be sent to the database at runtime. Additionally, it shows the data operations that the Worksheet will perform in post-processing, after the data is retrieved from the database. The plan also shows the source information for parameterized conditions...
Create Online Dashboards Easily - Online dashboards have become the number one business intelligence tool in use today. Dashboards supply professional users with a quick look at key performance indicators pertinent to business operations. Dashboards provide the working professional world with a means of gauging the temperature of their business versus the rest of their industry. Properly created online dashboards are simple, visually perceptible, aesthetically pleasing, and organized. They also apply human visual understanding to the visual delivery of information...