Building an Action Dashboard – Module 9

For the sake of this post, we’ll use my measurement program for influencers and thought leadership post, located at:  http://joshuasanalyticsblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/measurement-for-influencers-thought.html, and discuss how I might convert that into an Action Dashboard.

In the first quadrant:

I would show a big percentage of positive press over a 30-day period, demonstrating it in relation to our goal percentage (let’s say … 80%).

I would include this because it is the “god metric” – its what we’re aiming for, and it's the entire reason the program exists in the first place. J

In the second quadrant:

I would list the top five influencers, and indicate the number of mentions GMI gets in each, per month.

I would then break that down into a quick view positive press and negative press metric using color-coded percentage indicators. (i.e. 76% positive press (in green) and 24% negative press (in red), relating it back to the goal.

I would include these metrics so that management can ascertain whether the program is working or not, and how far we have to go until the goal is reached. The analysts that analyze our community standing and perception could easily develop the percentages.

In the third quadrant:

I would show a summary of the KPI percentages I mentioned in the post, for example:

Increase or decrease in the share of recommendations.  

Increase or decrease in share of desired positioning

Increase or decrease in % of desirable quoting

Put simply, these are quantifiable ways to show that our program is either working, or requires adjustment – management will want to see them.

Finally, in the fourth quadrant:

I would place 3-4 summarized steps / milestones (a bit like dishing out meeting minutes) that management should consider in order to continue to reach our goal –  things like adjusting marketing dollars, launching a different / new campaign, (or getting rid of one), or even changing strategy in one form or another could all be part of these milestones / steps.

These action steps would be simple, and would provide management simple, effective calls to action. In essence, they would be a way for management to quickly act on the data presented in the previous three quadrants.