KPI dashboard template
A KPI dashboard puts the handful of numbers that tell you how the company is doing on one page, with targets and a red, amber or green status, so problems are visible at a glance. This free Excel template has three parts: a KPI list where you define each measure, a data sheet for monthly results, and a dashboard that colours itself and charts the trend.
Running a company of 30 to 200 people? Documents like this are now worth money.
It comes with ten example KPIs across finance, sales, operations, customers and people, which you can keep, change or delete.
What's in the template
Three sheets: a KPI list where each measure is defined once (definition, calculation, owner, target, whether higher or lower is better, and the amber band), a Data sheet for monthly results, and the Dashboard, which shows the month you pick against target, colours each status and charts the trend. The example data is for a fictional company; this is its dashboard for September:
| KPI | Target | Sep | Aug | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 320,000 | 327,000 | 287,000 | Green |
| Gross margin % | 48.0% | 48.0% | 44.0% | Green |
| Cash at month end | 250,000 | 214,000 | 238,000 | Red |
| Debtor days | 45 | 53 | 51 | Red |
| Weighted sales pipeline | 900,000 | 845,000 | 890,000 | Amber |
| New customers won | 6 | 6 | 4 | Green |
| On-time delivery % | 95.0% | 94.0% | 91.0% | Amber |
| Customer complaints | 3 | 3 | 5 | Green |
| Staff turnover (rolling 12 months) | 12.0% | 15.0% | 14.0% | Red |
| Revenue per employee (annualised) | 95,000 | 94,000 | 93,500 | Amber |
How to choose your KPIs
- Start from your goals. Each KPI should tell you whether you're on track for something that matters this year.
- Keep it short. Five to twelve measures is plenty for a company of 30 to 200 people.
- Mix lagging and leading measures. Revenue and profit tell you what already happened; the sales pipeline, on-time delivery and complaints tell you what's coming.
- Define each one once, in writing, so two people can't calculate "margin" two different ways.
- Give every KPI an owner who explains it when it goes amber or red.
The balanced scorecard idea (Kaplan and Norton, Harvard Business Review, 1992) is a useful check: do your measures cover finance, customers, internal processes and learning, or only money?
Example KPIs for a company of 30 to 200 people
A starting set, with one measure that looks back (lagging) and one that looks ahead (leading) in each area. Pick the ones that match this year's goals.
| Area | Looks back | Looks ahead |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | Gross margin % | Weeks of cash at the current burn or spend |
| Sales | Revenue against target | Weighted pipeline as a multiple of next quarter's target |
| Operations | On-time delivery % | Work or orders waiting beyond their target time |
| Customers | Complaints, or customers lost | Repeat orders or renewals due in the next 90 days |
| People | Staff turnover | Open roles and how long they've been open |
Each one needs a written definition in the KPI list before it goes on the dashboard: what counts, what doesn't, and where the number comes from.
How the status works
- Green: on target or better.
- Amber: worse than target, but within the amber band you set (for example within 5%).
- Red: outside the amber band.
For measures where lower is better, such as debtor days or complaints, the template flips the comparison.
Common mistakes
- Too many KPIs, so none get attention.
- Vanity measures that look good but don't drive decisions.
- No definitions, so the numbers get argued over instead of acted on.
- No owner.
- Targets set once and never revisited.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a KPI and a metric?
Every KPI is a metric, but a KPI is one of the few you've chosen because it shows progress towards a goal and someone acts on it.
How many KPIs should a company have?
For the leadership team, usually five to twelve. Teams can have their own, more detailed measures underneath.
How often should the dashboard be updated?
Monthly, alongside the management accounts, is typical. Fast-moving measures such as sales pipeline can be weekly.