Building an AI Performance Dashboard
One row per initiative, and four columns: baseline (before), current value (after), target, and the money it represents. If a line cannot show a baseline and a dollar figure, it is a diagnostic, not a KPI, and belongs on a different screen.
The structure
Keep it brutally simple: initiatives as rows, and four columns, baseline, current, target, value. The simplicity is the point; it forces every line to justify itself in money or reclaimed time.
- One row per initiative, never merge them into a single "AI" line.
- Baseline column, captured before launch; the field everyone skips.
- Current + target columns, updated on a fixed cadence so trends are visible.
- Value column, reclaimed hours or dollars; the reason the row exists.
Why the discipline pays
Programs with predefined KPIs and captured baselines pay back 2–3x faster, because the dashboard itself kills weak initiatives early and concentrates budget on the ones that work.
Frequently asked questions.
How often should the dashboard be updated?
Leading indicators weekly, lagging indicators monthly or quarterly. The cadence should match how fast each metric can meaningfully move, updating a lagging metric weekly just adds noise.