No One Cares About Dashboards – And Why That Matters for Your Business
Dashboards aren’t the destination — they’re a distraction when they don’t lead to better decisions. Here’s why businesses need a different approach to data.
We’ve all been there: sitting through a presentation where someone proudly reveals their latest dashboard — a colourful array of charts, metrics, and KPIs that took weeks (sometimes months) to build.
Everyone nods appreciatively, a few questions are asked, and then… nothing happens.
The dashboard joins dozens of others: rarely visited, barely referenced, and even less likely to influence actual decisions.
This isn’t just a technology issue. It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of how businesses create value from information.
The Dashboard Delusion
I wrote No One Cares About Dashboards as a provocative statement to challenge the way we approach data in business. After nearly two decades helping global organisations implement data systems, I’ve seen the same pattern repeated:
Businesses become obsessed with dashboards — not the decisions they should support.
The hard truth? Business leaders don’t want dashboards.
They want answers to critical questions like:
Where are we losing money?
Which products should we prioritise?
How can we serve customers better?
What’s preventing us from growing faster?
Yet too often, we build beautiful dashboards that fail to address these questions directly.
Why?
The Real Problem: Tools Before Questions
This obsession with dashboards is a symptom of a bigger issue: starting with tools instead of starting with problems.
We see this play out across every function:
IT implements systems no one uses fully
Marketing chases the newest platforms without clear goals
HR rolls out complex performance systems that frustrate everyone
The pattern is the same — we assume that tools will automatically produce better outcomes.
They rarely do.
The Business Impact: Wasted Resources, Missed Opportunities
This approach isn’t just inefficient — it’s costly.
Resource drain:
A Nigerian distribution company spent ₦15 million on analytics software that no one could use effectively. Meanwhile, they couldn’t answer basic stock-out questions that were costing them ₦2 million monthly.
Decision paralysis:
Too much data without clear thresholds leads leaders to fall back on gut instinct — negating the entire purpose of the investment.
Eroded trust:
Every failed data project damages organisational confidence in using data to drive decisions.
Opportunity cost:
While teams focus on implementing complex tools, simpler, more actionable solutions are overlooked.
A Pragmatic Alternative
This doesn’t mean abandoning dashboards. It means rethinking how we use data.
Here’s what I recommend:
1. Start with decisions, not data
Before collecting anything, ask:
What decision will this information help us make?
If the answer isn’t clear, don’t proceed yet.
2. Embrace constraints
Constraints are not barriers — they are focus tools.
A healthcare provider in Abuja reduced missed appointments by 37% using SMS reminders instead of investing in a CRM they couldn’t maintain.
3. Deliver value quickly
You don’t need complex infrastructure to create business impact.
A manufacturing team in Kaduna reduced material waste by 23% in under 3 months using nothing more than photos and a spreadsheet.
4. Build for your reality
Design for the real environment — not the ideal one.
That means planning for:
Patchy connectivity
Mixed tech skills
Existing workflows
5. Focus on actionable insights
Reports that say what happened are helpful.
Insights that say what to do next are powerful.
Your analytics should lead to clear next steps, not just nice visuals.
Beyond Dashboards: A Business Philosophy
This isn’t just about analytics — it’s about a mindset shift that applies across all business functions.
Focus on solving core problems
Use tools your team already understands
Prioritise utility over perfection
Design for the current environment
Build solutions that are simple, repeatable, and sustainable
The most successful businesses I’ve worked with don’t have the fanciest tools — they have the most pragmatic mindset.
Your Turn
Take a hard look at your dashboards and data efforts:
Do they clearly answer the right business questions?
Can you articulate the decisions they support?
Do they suggest actions, not just show data?
Are they being used, not just built?
If not, it might be time to rethink your approach — because honestly, no one cares about dashboards.
They care about results.
They care about clarity.
They care about growth.
And in business, that’s what truly matters.
Have you seen a data initiative fail because it focused on the tool, not the problem? I’d love to hear your thoughts below or in the comments.