Posted By Dashboard Spy ~ 5th October 2011
Microsoft Excel can be an excellent choice of platform for quick business dashboard implementation. If you want to see the range of stylings that a sales dashboard constructed in Microsoft Excel can have, visit the post titled “32 Examples of Sales Dashboards” at Chandoo.org. This post is literally the largest grouping of excel sales dashboards collected in a single post.
The best part of the post is that you can download the source files for these excel dashboards.
Here are just a couple of examples of the dashboards on the post:
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Posted By Dashboard Spy ~ 28th September 2011
A Dashboard Spy reader who is a dentist undergoing their annual HIPAA Compliance Audit was running some software to check for technology security problems and decided to grab a screenshot for me. Take a look:
I’m not sure what software they were running. I’ll ask and report back. Here is some additional material he sent me:
The checklist for HIPAA compliance for tech systems includes the following documents:
Possible Interview and Document Request for HIPAA Security Onsite Investigations and Compliance Reviews
Personnel who may be interviewed
- President, CEO or Director
- HIPAA Compliance Officer
- Lead Systems Manager or Director
- Systems Security Officer
- Lead Network Engineer and/or individuals responsible for:
- administration of systems that store, transmit, or access Electronic Protected Health Information (EPHI) o administration of systems networks (wired and wireless)
- monitoring of systems that store, transmit, or access EPHI
- monitoring of systems networks (if different from above)
- Computer Hardware Specialist
- Disaster Recovery Specialist or person in charge of data backup • Facility Access Control Coordinator (physical security)
- Human Resources Representative
- Director of Training
- Incident Response Team Leader
- Others as identified….
Documents and other information that may be requested for investigations/reviews a. Policies and Procedures and other Evidence that Address the Following:
- Prevention, detection, containment, and correction of security violations
- Employee background checks and confidentiality agreements
- Establishing user access for new and existing employees
- List of authentication methods used to identify users authorized to access EPHI
- List of individuals and contractors with access to EPHI to include copies pertinentbusiness associate agreements • List of software used to manage and control access to the Internet
- Detecting, reporting, and responding to security incidents (if not in the security plan)
- Physical security
- Encryption and decryption of EPHI
- Mechanisms to ensure integrity of data during transmission – including portable media transmission (i.e. laptops, cellphones, blackberries, thumb drives)
- Monitoring systems use – authorized and unauthorized Use of wireless networks
- Granting, approving, and monitoring systems access (for example, by level, role, and job function)
- Sanctions for workforce members in violation of policies and procedures governing EPHI access or use
- Termination of systems access
- Session termination policies and procedures for inactive computer systems
- Policies and procedures for emergency access to electronic information systems
- Password management policies and procedures
- Secure workstation use (documentation of specific guidelines for each class of workstation (i.e., onsite, laptop, and home system usage)
- Disposal of media and devices containing EPHI
Other Documents:
- Entity-wide Security Plan
- Risk Analysis (most recent)
- Risk Management Plan (addressing risks identified in the Risk Analysis) • Security violation monitoring reports
- Vulnerability scanning plans
- Results from most recent vulnerability scan • Network penetration testing policy and procedure
- Results from most recent network penetration test
- List of all user accounts with access to systems that store, transmit, or access EPHI (for active and terminated employees) • Configuration standards to include patch management for systems that store, transmit, or access EPHI (including workstations)
- Encryption or equivalent measures implemented on systems that store, transmit, or access EPHI
- Organization chart to include staff members responsible for general HIPAA compliance to include the protection of EPHI • Examples of training courses or communications delivered to staff members to ensure awareness and understanding of EPHI policies and procedures (security awareness training)
- Policies and procedures governing the use of virus protection software
- Data backup procedures
- Disaster recovery plan
- Disaster recovery test plans and results
- Analysis of information systems, applications, and data groups according to their criticality and sensitivity
- Inventory of all information systems to include network diagrams listing hardware and software used to store, transmit or maintain EPHI
- List of all Primary Domain Controllers (PDC) and servers
- Inventory log recording the owner and movement media and devices that contain EPHI
More info: Data backup and recovery
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Posted By Dashboard Spy ~ 20th September 2011
Here’s a very helpful diagram that encompasses the marketing campaign landscape. Take a look at the following graphic. It’s from Gartner Group.
In the powerpoint deck that accompanies this diagram, we see the following:
Key Issues for Marketing Departments
- What marketing processes will drive increased revenue?
- What marketing processes will improve operational efficiency and reduce marketing costs?
- How can a marketing organization measure and manage marketing performance?
- How can companies assess MRM technologies?
Download the Gartner presentation here:
Top Marketing Processes for 2010 and the MRM Magic Quadrant [Direct download of a pdf]
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Posted By Dashboard Spy ~ 14th September 2011
A Dashboards.org reader sent me this article to post: Doing Dashboards Right
Software dashboards that consolidate and report performance metrics about programs, business processes or information technology infrastructure can be valuable tools for agency managers and decision-makers. Dashboards can also become seldom-used frills if executives decide they don’t deliver the information they need to do their jobs.
Experts say that a dashboard’s success or failure boils down to a few key elements.
The right metrics
“Before you even go buy the technology, know what you are trying to accomplish and examine if you’re going to be able to do it,” said Greg Cohen, chief of business management and metrics at the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate. “And then you have to stick with it and take action on it, or people won’t take their metrics seriously.”
The right tool
It can help immensely if the dashboard software can incorporate many different data types. Technologies that do not require a lot of up-front schema knowledge or data modeling tend to work the best, said Matt Eichner, vice president of strategic development at Endeca.
Older dashboard systems required data modeling that had to anticipate what questions the dashboard users might ask. New systems are capable of finding data relationships automatically.
“In the intelligence and defense communities, the ability to do off-road analysis is a fundamental requirement,” Eichner said. “So dashboards must provide exploratory capabilities that any person can use. They must provide high-level summaries but also guide users through the next step process of drilling into the individual pieces behind it.”
Agencies might also want a dashboard that can collect data automatically. Manual collection increases costs dramatically and can become a major burden. Because dashboards are only as good as the data going into them, determining how the data will be collected is critical.
The right processes
Starting with a small trial project is a good way for agencies to decide whether dashboards are a good option for them and work out the kinks before a bigger implementation, said Shawn O’Rourke, vice president of risk management services for American Systems, a government technology solutions provider.
“Do not try to capture all your information on the dashboard the first time out,” O’Rourke said.
Also, don’t underestimate the potential resistance to a program that will implicitly monitor people’s performance, O’Rourke said.
“When instituting a dashboard, it is important to engage the organization to communicate the dashboard’s purpose within the organization,” he said. “Open communication and clear goals will help ensure the trust in the program and its operations. Also, test driving the dashboard before it goes into full operation will help bring attention to any potential problems.”
Recommended Reading
Posted By Dashboard Spy ~ 6th September 2011
Yes, this is definitely the largest collection of enterprise dashboard examples, dashboard design best practices and dashboard templates! To the Dashboard Spy reader who forgot the “backdoor link” to the thousands of enterprise dashboard examples, we are happy to dig up the link for you.
Simply go to http://www.enterprise-dashboard.com/sitemap
It’s the first page of the listing of executive dashboards from a very wide variety of business niches and represents all flavors of digital dashboards:
- executive dashboards
- balanced scorecards
- enterprise dashboards
- enterprise reporting
- excel dashboards
- performance metrics
and much more!
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