Use four useful lenses
A starter dashboard can group measures into demand, delivery, money timing and exceptions. The exact metrics depend on the business, but the categories help avoid a wall of disconnected numbers.
A contractor example
For a small plumbing job, keep the quoted sell, actual labour/material/travel cost, approved variations and remaining work visible together. A fictional workbook example shows a $395 quoted sell and $290.60 of actual cost to date, leaving $104.40 before any remaining work is completed. That difference is a contribution-to-date view, not final profit. The Trades Job Costing Kit is built around this quote-versus-actual-versus-variation workflow.
Keep definitions stable
Write down what each measure includes, which date it uses and who owns the source. Stable definitions make a weekly comparison more useful than a larger dashboard with changing formulas.
- Show the reporting period.
- Flag missing or estimated values.
- Link each red metric to an action owner.
Review for decisions
A dashboard earns its place when it changes a decision. Remove cards that no one uses, and add a note beside any metric that needs context before action.