How can you effectively develop and maintain a manufacturing operations dashboard?

1 Define your objectives

Before you start designing your dashboard, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. What are the main questions you want to answer, the problems you want to solve, or the opportunities you want to explore? What are the key metrics and KPIs that reflect your operations performance and align with your strategic goals? How will you use the dashboard to make data-driven decisions and actions? Defining your objectives will help you focus on the most relevant and meaningful data and avoid cluttering your dashboard with unnecessary information.

2 Choose the right tools

The next step is to select the tools that will help you collect, store, process, and visualize your data. Depending on your data sources, volume, frequency, and complexity, you may need different types of tools, such as sensors, databases, software, or platforms. You should look for tools that are reliable, secure, scalable, and compatible with each other. You should also consider the features and functionalities that will enable you to create a user-friendly and interactive dashboard, such as filters, drill-downs, alerts, or annotations.

3 Design your dashboard

Once you have your tools and data ready, you can start designing your dashboard. You should follow some best practices to ensure that your dashboard is clear, concise, and consistent. For example, you should use a simple and intuitive layout that organizes your data into logical sections and categories. You should use appropriate charts and graphs that suit your data type and purpose, such as line charts for trends, bar charts for comparisons, or pie charts for proportions. You should use colors, fonts, and icons that enhance readability and contrast, but avoid distracting or misleading elements. You should also label your metrics and KPIs with descriptive names and units, and provide context and explanations when necessary.

5 Update and maintain your dashboard

Finally, you should update and maintain your dashboard regularly to keep it accurate and current. You should monitor your data sources and tools for any changes or issues that may affect your data quality or availability, and resolve them promptly. You should also review your objectives and metrics periodically to ensure that they are still aligned with your operations goals and strategies, and adjust them if needed. You should also look for new ways to optimize and enhance your dashboard, such as adding new features, functions, or data, or removing outdated or redundant information.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?