With war in Europe looming, Churchill needed to make decisions. He needed all the facts in a format that could be quickly understood and channeled into action. He knew that his decision-making ability would be improved if he saw all the facts on one page, succinctly presented.

Decision-making and performance can be improved in your business, too, if you can receive and concisely communicate the key knowledge within your enterprise.

But finding the right format for this concise presentation can be a challenge.

The best way is to use a one-page dashboard, applied to a particular area in your business. Let’s look at six specific ways that you can use a one-page dashboard to focus your business and improve performance and profitability.

1. Benchmarking
a one-page review of benchmarking results

description understand how your key metrics compare to peers (or competitors) and find the top opportunities
target audience chief operating officer, division heads, operational leaders, managers, executives what to include key financial measures and ratios compared to your peers and your industry; operational and productivity measures
breakthrough benefits systematically view at a glance what’s working and what’s not in your industry; using just one page, see clearly where you stand among peers in many different areas

2. Investor Relations
a one-page investor/analyst summary

description allow the investment community to gather facts from a single sheet you provide
target audience institutional investors, investment analysts, lenders
what to include supporting data for presentations and conference calls with investors, analysts, banks
breakthrough benefits prepare for just about any question—using one sheet of paper; conduct focused, productive discussion of past trends and future direction from a one-pager containing dozens of performance measures and multiple hundreds of data points; provide this summary upfront or keep in your “back pocket” to use as needed

3. Sales & Marketing
a one-page, data-driven sales tool

description give your prospects and customers all the data they need to buy from you by quantifying the benefits on a single page
target audience prospects and customers
what to include full comparison of all possible solutions for a prospect; purchase patterns for current customers; gaps in a customer’s current use of your services; market data and trends; competitive positioning; total cost savings opportunities
breakthrough benefits startle your customers with depth of analysis and forthrightness about your products’ benefits; leave prospects with specific facts and reasons they should choose you, not just some lingering “warm fuzzies” from a sales call

4. Incentive Compensation
a one-page comp plan update

description view up-to-date details on all components of your compensation plan
target audience executives and other employees compensated based on quantifiable performance
what to include all direct and indirect performance measures that affect the compensation calculation; minimum and maximum possible achievement levels; last year’s criteria and performance levels
breakthrough benefits gain quick understanding of how compensation measures work and provide regular exposure to them; better motivate your team

5. Management & Strategy
a one-page performance scorecard

description see all your key performance drivers and metrics at a glance
target audience decision makers, executives
what to include actual vs. plan; historical trends; projections; performance ranking by business unit
breakthrough benefits spend far less time gathering data and creating bloated reports; spend far more time tapping new opportunities and optimizing your business; learn where you need to drill-down and get more data; spot trends and correlations quickly; compare business areas to identify star performers and laggards

6. Board Communication
a one-page, compact board briefing

description display essential corporate performance data in an easy-to-read format that still provides indepth coverage of board-level topics
target audience your board of directors
what to include monthly financial info; competitive information; operational metrics; project status; capex trends; business segment breakout
breakthrough benefits present a balanced view that can be absorbed by your time-starved board; speed up decision-making since everyone has ready access to key information; reduce surprises by showing all the data with regularity; streamline the board book—show relevant data in less space

Action Points
How to apply this today

1. For each of the target audiences indicated at left, answer the following questions:

a. Do we provide them with all the information they need for making the best decisions?

b. Do we provide them with information in a way that is fast for them to absorb and use?

c. Do we provide them with information in a succinct, focused format?

2. For each target audience with one or more “no” answers, look into developing a one-page dashboard tailored to their specific needs.

About ProfitMetrics Inc.

ProfitMetrics helps companies on top opportunities by creating customized one-page report called a ProfitMetrics Dashboard.

ProfitMetrics Dashboards:

• are used in a range of industries
• allow you to focus on specific ways to increase revenue, lower costs, and strengthen core values
• can create a balanced scorecard
  for your organization
• transform your raw data into ongoing reports that highlight top priorities

ProfitMetrics Inc.
2476 Bolsover #400
Houston, TX 77005-2518

www.profitmetrics.com
Tel  (713) 667-5570
Fax (713) 893-2408