How to Build A Project Management Dashboard in 2024 | ClickUp (2024)

A project management dashboard adds value to teams by giving insights and updates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 🕐

Distributed teams face obstacles in effective project management. Communication becomes more complex as teams have limited synchronous interaction time or project data grows.

With real-time data visualizations and automated reporting, project management dashboards guarantee crucial project information is accessible anytime, anywhere.

It might seem intimidating to build a project dashboard because it involves planning and some design work. If you’re unsure about the potential return on investment (ROI) for the time and effort spent on creating a dashboard, it’s possible you fear making it too complicated.

Modern project dashboard software has simplified the process, so we’re sharing the best examples, templates, and tips to make a dynamic dashboard! 📊

What is a Project Management Dashboard?

A project management dashboard is a visual tool designed to help teams view project performance in one central location. It presents project-related information through charts and metrics, allowing the audience to quickly grasp the project’s status, progress, and potential risks.

Many projects in today’s modern market are often interdependent, meaning that their outcomes and success are closely linked to one another. This interconnection can occur within a single organization, where multiple projects rely on shared resources, deliverables, or timelines.🌐

Coordinating tasks across various time zones sometimes leads to delays and slow down decision-making processes. These challenges result in misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and reduced productivity.

And with dashboard software like ClickUp, Google Sheets, or Excel, you’ll have a range of visualization options to cater to specific projects!

Here are the benefits of project dashboards to optimize project performance:

• Improved visibility: Project management dashboards offer real-time visibility into the overall project status. You can quickly identify bottlenecks, monitor task progression, and detect potential issues before they escalate
• Better communication: Dashboards facilitate efficient communication among team members. Updates are instantly accessible, keeping everyone on the same page and enhancing team collaboration
• Performance tracking: Through visualization tools, these dashboards can track project performance metrics effectively. You can measure team productivity, project budget, and time management, and more
• Data-driven decisions: By providing a comprehensive view of project data, dashboards give project managers the right context to make informed, data-driven decisions. This helps in better project planning and risk management
• Increased efficiency: The ability to see tasks, deadlines, and dependencies in one place helps streamline workflows. Project management dashboards simplify task allocation and prevent resource overutilization, leading to increased project efficiency

As a human first and project manager second, your uniqueness is an asset that can lead to innovative and successful project management. Feel empowered to explore different project management dashboard software to discover what works best for you, your team, and your projects! ⚡️

How to Make a Project Dashboard With Examples

ClickUp Dashboards act as a customizable canvas where you can interact with data from various tasks, projects, and more in one place. The dashboard makes it easier to manage resources (such as individual departments, budgets, and equipment) allocated across different bodies of work.

Here’s how to create a project management dashboard:

Step 1: Define dashboard objectives and KPIs

What are the specific pain points or challenges the team is facing? What do you want to measure and track? Once the objectives are clear, you can focus on what type of dashboard should be used.

Choose indicators that can be tracked easily and deliver immediate value. It’s also important to select relevant metrics that everyone on the team cares about and understands. Using a template will help you quickly build out the visual elements of the dashboard. (But more on this later!)

Step 2: Choose a dashboard software

With different project management tools available, it might be necessary to trial a few options. Take a closer look at the tool’s user-friendliness, integration capabilities with existing systems, scalability, and data security measures. It also helps to prioritize a project management tool that aligns and optimizes the team’s workflows.⚙️

And you don’t have to go through this process alone! Ask key project team members to share their perspectives on how the dashboard will add value to their work. You’ll get a better idea of what key dashboard features to look out for.

Step 3: Design the dashboard layout

Sketch the layout of your dashboard, keeping in mind the needs of your dashboard audience (teams, stakeholders, or clients). Leverage charts, graphs, and other visualizations to present the data in the best way possible.🎨

Try to limit the number of elements on your dashboard, making sure that you emphasize the most important metrics. This will help users quickly identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and make informed decisions faster.

At this stage, it is also important to decide who has access to the project management dashboard and at what level they can interact with the data. For instance, you can allow team members to view the dashboard but restrict them from editing or making changes.

Learn how to build a ClickUp Dashboard that checks off your design and function expectations!

Step 4: Build the dashboard components

Start building the dashboard components based on the defined KPIs and data structure. Use the dashboard software’s drag-and-drop features to arrange the dashboard and make adjustments as you go.

Once the components are in place, it’s time to customize the dashboard. Use colors and other visual cues to highlight key elements or trends in the data. This will help you focus on what matters most for your team and project goals.🏆

You can also add interactive elements such as buttons and dropdowns to let users filter and segment their data in real time. These features will give users better control over the data and allow them to explore further insights and trends.

Bonus: Excel KPI Dashboard!

Before deploying the dashboard to the entire team, get feedback from key stakeholders and team members to identify any improvements or additional features that could enhance the dashboard’s usefulness. You’ll want to know if there is missing project information, cluttered data, or unclear components.

Once you’ve received and incorporated feedback, share the dashboard with the whole team to use for tracking project progress. Make sure everyone knows how to read and interpret the dashboard so that they can identify trends quickly and take action accordingly.✍️

Finally, plan regular reviews of the project dashboard. This will help ensure that all stakeholders are up-to-date on progress and any changes that have been made. It will also allow you to capture new insights or adjust the dashboard as needed.

3 Project Dashboard Templates for Your Key Audiences

One of the advantages of using a project dashboard template is its flexibility and adaptability to cater to diverse project needs and use cases.

A well-designed dashboard template serves as a foundation that project managers can customize based on the specific requirements of their individual campaigns or project portfolio.👩‍💻

1. ClickUp Project Management Dashboard Template

Best for tracking performance across all your projects

The ClickUp Project Management Dashboard Template is a powerful tool to kickstart customized dashboards. It offers various view types, including a Gantt chart, to stay organized throughout the project. With intuitive collaboration features, task tracking, and customization options, it streamlines project management and decision-making.

Project managers can efficiently allocate resources, monitor progress, and adapt the dashboard to suit different project types. The template serves as a centralized hub for project data, promoting better organization and collaboration at every project phase! 🤝

2. ClickUp High-Level Project Management Plan Template

Best for tracking deliverables across the entire team

High-level plans are necessary for project initiation, facilitating project scoping, effective stakeholder communication, and gaining buy-in. They empower teams to adapt to changes and prioritize strategic decision-making without becoming overwhelmed by intricate details. 📃

The High Level Project Plan Template by ClickUp is the perfect visual project management tool to define project objectives, allocate resources, and establish clear priorities for the team. The List view allows project managers to create an organized list of tasks and deliverables, making it easier to outline project goals and objectives!

3. ClickUp Executive Project Status Report Template

Best for sharing task progress with key stakeholders and leaders

Executives need a project dashboard to gain real-time visibility into the organization’s projects. With a centralized and easily accessible overview of project progress, key performance indicators, and potential bottlenecks, executives can make informed and timely decisions. ⏳

The Executive Project Status Report Template by ClickUp replaces your weekly status emails that stack up over the course of the project. They’re able to get a comprehensive view of the project’s progress, key metrics, and potential risks. With prebuilt ClickUp Custom Fields and different task views, this template simplifies the process of overseeing multiple projects in a portfolio at the same.

Check out more executive summary templates!

7 Types of Dashboards for Successful Projects

With a variety of dashboard types at our disposal, the challenge often lies in choosing the right one to align with the project’s unique needs and objectives.

The best project management dashboards have well-defined objectives. Attempting to cover too many things can hinder productivity, decision-making, and project success.

Here are seven more types of dashboards to add to your productivity toolkit!

1. Task Progress Dashboard

The task progress dashboard is an important tool for tracking the current status of a project. This dashboard typically features a chart of tasks and their progress, allowing project managers to monitor how much has been completed and where the next steps should be taken. It may include data on estimated vs. actual completion dates to provide further visibility into the team’s performance.

2. Budget Tracking Dashboard

The budget tracking dashboard is a must-have for staying on top of project spend. This type of dashboard typically features data points such as total costs, projected expenses, and available funds. Additionally, it may also provide information on the cost per task or resource to help identify any potential issues with budgeting and/or spending.💰

3. Risk Management Dashboard

The risk management dashboard is essential for preparing for and mitigating potential risks during the course of a project. This type of dashboard provides an overview of all identified risks and their associated mitigation plans, allowing project managers to quickly adjust their strategy if any new threats arise. Additionally, it helps keep the team focused on the most high-priority issues hurting progress.

4. Team Performance Dashboard

The team performance dashboard monitors the progress of individual team members, allowing project managers to identify potential issues or areas for improvement. This type of dashboard may include data on task completion times, task accuracy, and other metrics related to team productivity.

5. Client Communication Dashboard

A client communication dashboard is essential for staying on top of any questions or feedback from your clients. This consolidation simplifies the process of accessing relevant information, eliminating the need to go through different communication channels, such as emails, phone calls, and even social media messages! 👥

6. Resource Allocation Dashboard

Unlike a team performance dashboard, the resource allocation dashboard is essential for assessing resource distribution across various projects or tasks. So there’s a fair and balanced allocation that aligns with project priorities and organizational objectives. This type of dashboard provides a high-level view of where resources are being used, allowing project managers to quickly identify any potential inefficiencies.

7. Issue and Bug Tracking Dashboard

The issue and bug tracking dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying, monitoring, and resolving any issues or bugs encountered during the course of a project. This type of dashboard offers a centralized view of current issues and provides data on the progress of each task associated with them. 📈

More importantly, it can help prevent costly delays by alerting project managers when deadlines are approaching, and the work hasn’t been started.

Drive Project Success With ClickUp Dashboards

With a user-friendly interface and intuitive drag-and-drop features, you have full control to set up your project dashboard in ClickUp to your preferences. No need to worry about extensive training or complicated setups! ClickUp offers pre-built templates and easy-to-follow customization steps.

Create a free ClickUp account today and invite your collaborators to explore the platform! 🔍