Example 3: Reporting Dashboard
Convert wishful thinking into measurable outcomes
Poor Specification
Management Dashboard
We need a dashboard for executives to see company performance.
Requirements:
- Show important KPIs
- Real-time data
- Nice visualizations
- Export capabilities
- Drill-down functionality
- Mobile responsive
- Customizable views
- Historical comparisons
Dashboard should be visually appealing and easy to understand. Executives should be able to get insights quickly.
Data should come from various sources and be accurate. Performance is important.
We need a dashboard for executives to see company performance.
Requirements:
- Show important KPIs
- Real-time data
- Nice visualizations
- Export capabilities
- Drill-down functionality
- Mobile responsive
- Customizable views
- Historical comparisons
Dashboard should be visually appealing and easy to understand. Executives should be able to get insights quickly.
Data should come from various sources and be accurate. Performance is important.
❌ Issues:
- No specific KPIs listed
- "Real-time" undefined
- "Nice" is subjective
- No data sources specified
- Vague performance needs
Better Specification
Executive Performance Dashboard
Users: 5 C-level executives, 10 department heads
KPIs to Display:
1. Revenue (MTD, QTD, YTD vs targets)
2. Gross Margin % (trend last 12 months)
3. Customer Acquisition Cost (by channel)
4. Customer Churn Rate (monthly)
5. Cash Position (daily balance)
Data Requirements:
- Update frequency: Hourly (except cash: daily)
- Sources: Odoo Sales, Odoo Accounting, Google Analytics API
- History: Display 24 months rolling
Features:
[MUST] Export to PDF/Excel
[MUST] Click metric → detail report
[MUST] Load time < 3 seconds
[SHOULD] Save custom view preferences
Success: 80% executives check daily
Users: 5 C-level executives, 10 department heads
KPIs to Display:
1. Revenue (MTD, QTD, YTD vs targets)
2. Gross Margin % (trend last 12 months)
3. Customer Acquisition Cost (by channel)
4. Customer Churn Rate (monthly)
5. Cash Position (daily balance)
Data Requirements:
- Update frequency: Hourly (except cash: daily)
- Sources: Odoo Sales, Odoo Accounting, Google Analytics API
- History: Display 24 months rolling
Features:
[MUST] Export to PDF/Excel
[MUST] Click metric → detail report
[MUST] Load time < 3 seconds
[SHOULD] Save custom view preferences
Success: 80% executives check daily
✓ Better because:
- Exact KPIs specified
- Update frequency defined
- Named data sources
- Performance target (3 sec)
- Usage success metric