// MIS REPORTS & DASHBOARDS
One figure, one agreed meaning.
Sales says one number, finance says another. We set up MIS reports and dashboards for small businesses around the decisions you make, with each figure’s source, calculation and owner agreed.
REPORTING & BUSINESS DECISIONS
Agree what the numbers mean before building the dashboard.
A management meeting starts with three versions of the same figure. Sales has one total, finance another, and an operations spreadsheet uses a different month-end. Before anything else, we work out why they differ and agree which definition the decision needs.
Good reporting rests on source data, calculation rules, reporting dates and a named owner. In a small business the sources are usually the accounting software, a few Excel sheets and bank statements. A dashboard also needs a clear reader: what should they notice, check or act on when they open it?
We help define the measures, prepare the data and set up the monthly MIS, reports or dashboards for the people who will use them. The work can include data checks, reporting notes and user guidance. If a source application needs a new field or integration, we plan that as technology work.
DATA & REPORT DEVELOPMENT
Define the measures, prepare the data and build the report.
Identify the decisions
Establish who will use the reports, which questions they need answered and how often the information is required.
Define measures and sources
Document calculation rules, source systems, reporting periods and ownership. Identify gaps or inconsistencies that affect the proposed report.
Develop and validate
Prepare the agreed reporting inputs and develop the dashboards or analysis. Review sample results with the relevant business users.
Introduce the reporting routine
Provide definitions, refresh instructions and user guidance. Agree who maintains the report and how changes will be reviewed.
REPORTING OUTPUTS
- A reporting brief linked to named users and business questions
- A measure dictionary covering definitions, calculations and ownership
- Source-data mappings and a record of relevant data-quality findings
- The agreed dashboards, reports or analysis with validation records
- Refresh, maintenance and user guidance for the reporting arrangements
RELATED CAPABILITIES
Building the dashboard is often the easier part. The harder work sits upstream: a sales application that records orders without a delivery date, or a measure no manager has agreed to own. Adviserve can bring in technology and governance work to fix those at the source. A problem fixed there no longer needs a footnote in every report.
QUESTIONS
Common questions.
What problem does this solve?
Different teams reporting different totals for the same figure. We agree one definition for each key figure, then build reports on it.
What data can you use?
Your existing sources, such as accounting software, Excel sheets and bank statements.
What do we receive?
A measure dictionary, checked data, monthly MIS reports or dashboards, and guidance on refreshing and maintaining them.
What if our data has errors?
Data-quality problems are recorded and fixed at the source where possible, so reports can be trusted.
Two reports, two different totals?
Bring a sample report, a figure people argue about or a decision your reports do not help with.