Dashboard & Analytics

Difficulty: Intermediate

Overview

The Dashboard view transforms your taskboard data into actionable insights through visual analytics, charts, and performance metrics. While Kanban, List, and Gantt views help you manage day-to-day work, the Dashboard view steps back to answer strategic questions: How is the team performing? Are we on track? Where are the bottlenecks? What's our velocity?

Whether you're a team lead tracking sprint progress, a project manager monitoring deliverables, or an executive reviewing portfolio health, the Dashboard provides the metrics and visualizations you need to understand performance and make data-driven decisions.

What You'll Learn

• Understanding the dashboard layout and available widgets
• Key metrics: velocity, burndown, throughput, cycle time
• Visualizing task status and progress
• Tracking team and individual performance
• Identifying bottlenecks and workflow issues
• Creating custom reports
• Exporting data for external analysis
• Configuring dashboard for different audiences (team, stakeholders, executives)
• Understanding agile metrics (sprint burndown, velocity charts)
• Monitoring project health indicators

Prerequisites

• A Waymaker taskboard with active tasks
• Basic understanding of project metrics
• Familiarity with your project methodology (agile or waterfall)
• Some historical task data (metrics improve with time)

Understanding the Dashboard

What is the Dashboard?

The Dashboard is an analytical view that displays visual representations of your taskboard data, including:

• Charts - Line graphs, bar charts, pie charts showing trends and distributions
• Metrics - Key performance indicators (KPIs) like velocity, completion rate, etc.
• Widgets - Configurable components showing specific data (burndown, status distribution, etc.)
• Reports - Summaries and analyses of task performance

Purpose:

• Monitor progress - See how work is advancing toward goals
• Identify issues - Spot bottlenecks, blockers, and risks early
• Track performance - Measure team and individual productivity
• Communicate status - Share progress with stakeholders
• Improve processes - Analyze data to optimize workflows

Dashboard vs Other Views

Feature	Dashboard	Kanban	List	Gantt
Focus	Analytics & metrics	Workflow management	Data management	Timeline planning
Interaction	View only	Drag & drop	Edit inline	Schedule adjustment
Time Perspective	Historical trends	Current state	Current state	Future schedule
Best For	Reporting, retrospectives	Daily work	Bulk updates	Timeline planning
Audience	Leadership, stakeholders	Team members	Project managers	Planners, schedulers

When to Use Dashboard

Use dashboard for:

• Weekly/sprint reviews - Review velocity and completion rates
• Retrospectives - Analyze what went well and what didn't
• Stakeholder updates - Show project health to clients or executives
• Performance reviews - Assess individual and team productivity
• Process improvement - Identify and fix workflow bottlenecks
• Forecasting - Predict completion dates based on velocity
• Portfolio management - Compare performance across multiple boards

Dashboard is less useful for:

• Daily standup - Use Kanban view for current status
• Task editing - Use List or Kanban view
• Scheduling - Use Gantt or Calendar view
• Real-time collaboration - Use Kanban view

Accessing the Dashboard

To switch to dashboard view:

1. Open your taskboard
2. Click the view switcher in the top-right
3. Select Dashboard or Analytics icon
4. Dashboard loads with default widgets

Keyboard Shortcut: Press A (for analytics) to quickly switch to dashboard view.

Loading Time: Dashboard may take a few seconds to load as it calculates metrics across all task data.

Dashboard Layout

Widget Grid

The dashboard organizes content into a grid of widgets:

Layout:

• Flexible grid system (typically 2-3 columns)
• Widgets span 1 or 2 columns
• Vertical stacking based on importance
• Responsive layout (adjusts to screen size)

Customization:

• Drag widgets to reorder
• Resize widgets (expand/collapse)
• Add new widgets from library
• Remove widgets you don't need
• Save custom layouts

Dashboard Sections

Typical dashboard includes these sections:

1. Summary Bar (top):

• High-level KPIs (tasks completed, in progress, total)
• Overall progress percentage
• Overdue task count
• Team capacity utilization

2. Primary Charts (main area):

• Burndown chart
• Velocity chart
• Status distribution
• Priority breakdown

3. Team Performance (middle):

• Individual completion rates
• Workload distribution
• Assignment balance

4. Timeline Widgets (bottom):

• Upcoming deadlines
• Recently completed tasks
• Overdue items

Widget Types

Available widget categories:

Progress Widgets:

• Burndown chart
• Burnup chart
• Progress bar
• Completion percentage

Distribution Widgets:

• Status pie chart
• Priority breakdown
• Assignee distribution
• Layer/epic breakdown

Performance Widgets:

• Velocity chart
• Throughput graph
• Cycle time trends
• Lead time analysis

Team Widgets:

• Team member comparison
• Workload balance
• Completion rates per person
• Individual velocity

Time Widgets:

• Upcoming deadlines (next 7/14/30 days)
• Recently completed
• Overdue tasks
• Time to completion trends

Health Widgets:

• Project health score
• Risk indicators
• Blocker count
• Stale task warnings

Key Metrics Explained

Velocity

Definition: The amount of work completed per time period (usually sprint or week).

Measurement: Story points or task count completed per sprint/week.

Formula:

Velocity = Total points/tasks completed in period

Example: Team completes 25 story points in a 2-week sprint → Velocity = 25 points/sprint

Velocity Chart:

• Line or bar chart showing velocity over time
• X-axis: Sprint or week number
• Y-axis: Points or tasks completed
• Trend line shows average velocity

Uses:

• Forecasting - Predict future completion based on historical velocity
• Capacity planning - Understand team's sustainable pace
• Sprint planning - Commit to realistic work amounts
• Performance tracking - See if velocity improves over time

Best Practice: Track velocity over 3-6 sprints minimum to establish reliable average. Don't compare velocity across teams (different estimation scales).

Burndown Chart

Definition: Visual representation of work remaining over time within a sprint or project.

Chart Elements:

• X-axis: Time (days in sprint or weeks in project)
• Y-axis: Work remaining (story points or task count)
• Actual line: Real progress (should decrease over time)
• Ideal line: Theoretical perfect progress (straight diagonal)

Interpretation:

Actual below ideal → Ahead of schedule Actual on ideal → On track Actual above ideal → Behind schedule Actual flat → No progress (blocker or issue) Actual increasing → Scope creep (work added)

Sprint Burndown:

• Shows remaining work in current sprint
• Updates daily as tasks complete
• Helps team see if they'll finish sprint commitment

Project Burndown:

• Shows remaining work in overall project
• Updates weekly or by phase
• Helps forecast project completion date

Uses:

• Daily standup - Quick visual status check
• Mid-sprint - Adjust if falling behind
• Sprint retrospective - Analyze sprint performance

Burnup Chart

Definition: Shows cumulative work completed over time (opposite of burndown).

Chart Elements:

• X-axis: Time
• Y-axis: Work completed (cumulative)
• Completed line: Total work done (should increase)
• Scope line: Total work planned (should be relatively flat)

Advantages over Burndown:

• Clearly shows scope changes (scope line moves up)
• Celebrates progress (line goes up = good)
• Easier to understand for non-technical stakeholders

Interpretation:

Completed approaching scope → On track Gap between lines staying constant → Need to accelerate Scope line increasing → Scope creep visible

Throughput

Definition: Number of tasks completed per time period.

Measurement: Tasks completed per day, week, or sprint.

Formula:

Throughput = Tasks completed / Time period

Example: Team completes 20 tasks in 1 week → Throughput = 20 tasks/week

Throughput Chart:

• Bar chart showing tasks completed per period
• Helps identify productivity trends
• Compare across sprints or weeks

Uses:

• Capacity planning - Understand sustainable delivery rate
• Forecasting - Predict when backlog will be complete
• Process improvement - See if changes improve throughput

Difference from Velocity: Throughput counts tasks, velocity measures story points. Both useful, velocity more common in agile.

Cycle Time

Definition: Time from when work starts on a task until it's complete.

Measurement: Days or hours from "In Progress" to "Done".

Formula:

Cycle Time = Date completed - Date started

Example: Task moved to "In Progress" on Monday, completed Friday → Cycle Time = 4 days

Cycle Time Chart:

• Line chart showing average cycle time over weeks
• Trend line shows if improving (decreasing) or worsening (increasing)
• Can show percentiles (50th, 85th, 95th)

Uses:

• Process efficiency - Lower cycle time = faster delivery
• Predictability - Consistent cycle time = predictable delivery
• SLA tracking - Meet service level agreements (e.g., "resolved in 2 days")

Improvement Strategies:

• Reduce task size (smaller tasks complete faster)
• Limit work in progress (focus reduces cycle time)
• Remove bottlenecks (fix slow steps in workflow)
• Improve handoffs (reduce waiting time between stages)

Lead Time

Definition: Time from when task is created until it's complete.

Measurement: Days or hours from creation to "Done".

Formula:

Lead Time = Date completed - Date created

Lead Time vs Cycle Time:

• Lead time includes waiting time in backlog
• Cycle time only measures active work time
• Lead time ≥ cycle time always

Uses:

• Customer expectations - How long from request to delivery
• Backlog health - Large gap between lead/cycle time = backlog too large
• Process analysis - Understand where time is spent (waiting vs. working)

Completion Rate

Definition: Percentage of committed tasks completed on time.

Formula:

Completion Rate = (Tasks completed on time / Total tasks committed) × 100%

Example: Team commits to 20 tasks, completes 18 by deadline → 90% completion rate

Uses:

• Reliability metric - Can team deliver what they commit to?
• Planning accuracy - Improve estimation and commitment
• Stakeholder confidence - High completion rate builds trust

Target: 80-90% completion rate is healthy (100% may indicate under-committing).

Dashboard Widgets

Burndown Chart Widget

Configuration:

• Scope: Current sprint, specific layer, entire board
• Metric: Story points or task count
• Time Period: Sprint duration or custom date range

Display Options:

• Show ideal line (yes/no)
• Show scope changes (yes/no)
• Show weekends (yes/no)

Interactions:

• Hover over points to see exact values
• Click to drill down to task list for that day

Velocity Chart Widget

Configuration:

• Time Period: Last 6 sprints, 12 weeks, custom
• Metric: Story points or task count
• Grouping: By sprint, week, month

Display Options:

• Show average velocity line
• Show trend line (increasing/decreasing)
• Bar or line chart

Insights:

• Is velocity stable or volatile?
• Is velocity trending up (team improving) or down (team struggling)?

Status Distribution Widget

Visualization: Pie chart or bar chart showing tasks by status.

Sections:

• Backlog (e.g., 40%)
• To Do (20%)
• In Progress (15%)
• Review (10%)
• Done (15%)

Interpretation:

• Large Backlog → Good pipeline, but ensure it's prioritized
• Large In Progress → Possible WIP limit issue, team spread thin
• Small Done → Low throughput, investigate bottlenecks

Use Case: Quick snapshot of work distribution for stakeholder updates.

Priority Breakdown Widget

Visualization: Pie or bar chart showing tasks by priority.

Sections:

• High priority (e.g., 25%)
• Medium priority (50%)
• Low priority (20%)
• No priority (5%)

Interpretation:

• Too many high priority → Everything is urgent = nothing is urgent
• No high priority → Lack of focus or clarity
• Balanced distribution → Healthy prioritization

Team Performance Widget

Visualization: Bar chart comparing team members.

Metrics:

• Tasks completed per person
• Average cycle time per person
• Completion rate per person

Uses:

• Workload balance - Is work distributed evenly?
• Performance review - Identify top performers and those needing support
• Capacity planning - Understand individual throughput

Caution: Use carefully. Comparing individuals can create unhealthy competition. Focus on team performance, use individual metrics for coaching only.

Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)

Advanced Widget: Stacked area chart showing task flow over time.

Layers (from bottom to top):

• Done (green)
• Review (blue)
• In Progress (yellow)
• To Do (orange)
• Backlog (gray)

Interpretation:

• Vertical distance between layers = number of tasks in that status
• Horizontal distance = time tasks spend in status (cycle time)
• Bulges indicate bottlenecks (tasks piling up in a status)
• Smooth flow → healthy process
• Irregular flow → process issues

Use Case: Advanced process analysis, identifying workflow bottlenecks.

Filtering Dashboard Data

Time Period Filters

Adjust dashboard time range:

Options:

• Current Sprint - Show only active sprint data
• Last Sprint - Previous sprint for retrospectives
• Last 30/60/90 Days - Rolling window
• This Quarter - Current Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4
• Custom Range - Specify exact start and end dates

Application: Most widgets update to show data within selected period.

Layer/Epic Filters

Focus on specific work:

Filter by Layer:

• Select one or more layers (epics, sprints, phases)
• Dashboard shows only tasks in selected layers
• Useful for epic-level reporting or sprint reviews

Example: Filter to "Sprint 12" to see burndown and velocity for just that sprint.

Assignee Filters

View individual or team performance:

Filter by Person:

• Select one or more team members
• Dashboard shows only their tasks
• Useful for 1-on-1 reviews or personal dashboards

Team Filter:

• Select entire team or subgroup
• Compare team performance to individuals

Status and Priority Filters

Narrow focus to specific task types:

Status Filters:

• Show only "In Progress" or "Done" tasks
• Useful for analyzing specific workflow stages

Priority Filters:

• Show only "High" priority tasks
• Focus metrics on critical work

Custom Reports

Creating Reports

Build custom reports from dashboard data:

1. Click Create Report button
2. Select report type:
   • Sprint report
   • Team performance report
   • Executive summary
   • Custom report
3. Configure parameters:
   • Time period
   • Metrics to include
   • Filters (layer, assignee, priority)
   • Visualizations (charts to include)
4. Preview report
5. Save report template

Report Types

Sprint Report:

• Sprint goal and commitment
• Burndown chart
• Velocity comparison to previous sprints
• Completed vs. committed tasks
• Blockers and issues encountered
• Retrospective notes

Team Performance Report:

• Individual completion rates
• Cycle time by person
• Workload distribution
• Top performers and areas for improvement

Executive Summary:

• High-level progress (% complete)
• Key milestones achieved
• Upcoming deadlines
• Risks and blockers
• Budget/timeline status (if tracked)

Custom Report:

• Choose your own metrics and visualizations
• Combine widgets into single report
• Save template for recurring reporting

Scheduling Reports

Automated Reports (if supported):

• Schedule weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery
• Email report to stakeholders automatically
• Reports generate with latest data
• Useful for consistent executive updates

Manual Reports:

• Generate on-demand
• Export to PDF or Excel
• Share via email or meetings

Exporting Data

Export Formats

Download dashboard data for external analysis:

PDF Export:

• Visual snapshot of current dashboard
• Includes all visible widgets and charts
• Good for presentations and email updates
• Click Export → PDF

Excel/CSV Export:

• Raw data behind charts
• Allows custom analysis in Excel or BI tools
• Includes all tasks with properties
• Click Export → Excel or CSV

Image Export:

• Save individual charts as PNG or JPG
• Right-click on widget → Save as Image
• Use in presentations or documentation

Exported Data Contents

Task Data Export includes:

• Task ID, title, description
• Assignee, status, priority
• Start date, due date, completion date
• Estimated hours, actual hours
• Layer, labels/tags
• Created date, modified date
• Completion percentage
• Dependencies

Metric Export includes:

• Calculated metrics (velocity, cycle time, etc.)
• Time series data (daily/weekly values)
• Aggregated summaries

Use Cases:

• Import into Excel for pivot tables
• Load into Tableau or Power BI for advanced visualization
• Archive for historical records
• Provide raw data to stakeholders

Dashboard Configuration

Widget Library

Add widgets to your dashboard:

1. Click Add Widget button
2. Widget library opens with categories:
   • Progress & Burndown
   • Performance & Velocity
   • Distribution & Breakdown
   • Team & Workload
   • Timeline & Deadlines
   • Health & Risk
3. Select widget to add
4. Configure widget settings
5. Widget appears on dashboard

Popular Widgets:

• Sprint burndown chart
• Velocity chart
• Status distribution pie chart
• Team workload comparison
• Upcoming deadlines list
• Overdue tasks warning

Widget Settings

Configure individual widgets:

1. Click widget menu (⚙️ or •••) on widget
2. Select Settings
3. Adjust parameters:
   • Data source (current sprint, specific layer, all tasks)
   • Time period (last 6 sprints, 30 days, etc.)
   • Metric (story points or task count)
   • Visualization type (line chart, bar chart, pie chart)
   • Color scheme
4. Save settings

Widget-Specific Settings:

Burndown Chart:

• Show ideal line (yes/no)
• Include weekends (yes/no)
• Show scope changes (yes/no)

Velocity Chart:

• Number of sprints to display
• Show average line (yes/no)
• Show trend line (yes/no)

Team Performance:

• Sort by (completion rate, cycle time, task count)
• Show anonymous (hide names, show "Person A, B, C")

Dashboard Layouts

Save and switch between dashboard configurations:

Default Layouts:

• Team Dashboard - For daily team use (burndown, velocity, upcoming deadlines)
• Stakeholder Dashboard - For client updates (progress, milestones, risks)
• Executive Dashboard - High-level summary (% complete, key metrics, timeline)
• Retrospective Dashboard - For sprint reviews (velocity trends, cycle time, blockers)

Custom Layouts:

1. Configure widgets as desired
2. Click Save Layout button
3. Name the layout (e.g., "Weekly Status Report")
4. Layout saved to your profile
5. Switch between layouts via dropdown

Sharing Layouts:

• Share custom layouts with team members
• Export layout configuration as JSON
• Import layouts created by others

Best Practices

Dashboard Hygiene

Keep It Focused:

• Don't add every available widget
• Show only metrics that drive action
• 4-8 widgets is ideal (more = overwhelming)
• Remove widgets you don't regularly review

Update Regularly:

• Dashboard metrics rely on up-to-date task data
• Encourage team to update task status daily
• Review dashboard weekly minimum
• Refresh data before important meetings

Context Matters:

• Metrics mean different things in different contexts
• High velocity isn't always good (may indicate overwork)
• Low cycle time isn't always good (may indicate shallow work)
• Always combine metrics with qualitative discussion

Effective Metrics Use

Measure What Matters:

• Align metrics with team goals
• Agile teams: velocity, burndown, cycle time
• Waterfall projects: % complete, schedule variance, milestone tracking
• Support teams: resolution time, backlog size, satisfaction

Avoid Vanity Metrics:

• Metrics that look good but don't drive improvement
• Example: "Total tasks created" (doesn't show completion)
• Focus on actionable metrics that suggest specific improvements

Leading vs Lagging Indicators:

• Lagging - Historical (velocity, completion rate) - tell you what happened
• Leading - Predictive (WIP, blocker count) - tell you what will happen
• Use both for complete picture

Team Communication

Transparent Metrics:

• Make dashboard visible to entire team
• Don't hide metrics or use them punitively
• Metrics are for improvement, not blame

Retrospective Use:

• Review dashboard during sprint retrospectives
• Celebrate wins (velocity increased, cycle time decreased)
• Identify improvement areas (too many blockers, low completion rate)
• Define action items based on data

Stakeholder Updates:

• Use dashboard to prepare status updates
• Export charts for presentations
• Focus on trends, not individual data points
• Highlight both progress and risks

Advanced Analytics

Forecasting

Use historical velocity to predict future completion:

Monte Carlo Simulation:

• Runs thousands of simulations based on historical velocity
• Provides probability distribution of completion dates
• Example: "80% chance of completing by Dec 15"

Burn-up Forecasting:

• Extends current velocity trend line
• Shows when scope line will be reached
• Adjusts for scope changes

Use Cases:

• Answer "When will we finish?" with confidence levels
• Scenario planning (if we add X features, how does timeline change?)
• Stakeholder communication (manage expectations with data)

Bottleneck Analysis

Identify workflow constraints:

Cumulative Flow Diagram:

• Look for bulges in specific workflow stages
• Bulge in "Review" → review bottleneck (add reviewers, reduce WIP)
• Bulge in "In Progress" → too much concurrent work (reduce WIP)

Cycle Time by Status:

• Break down cycle time by workflow stage
• Identify slowest stages
• Focus improvement efforts on biggest time sinks

Blocker Tracking:

• Widget showing count of blocked tasks over time
• High blocker count → dependency management issue
• Track time blocked per task (wait time)

Predictive Analytics

Risk Indicators:

• Scope creep - Tasks added mid-sprint exceeding threshold
• Velocity decline - 2+ sprints below average
• High WIP - In Progress tasks exceeding limit
• Stale tasks - Tasks unchanged for X days

Automated Alerts:

• Notify when risk indicators trigger
• Example: "Warning: 5 tasks blocked for >3 days"
• Proactive intervention before problems escalate

Troubleshooting

Dashboard Not Loading

Issue: Dashboard shows loading spinner indefinitely.

Solutions:

• Refresh browser (Ctrl/Cmd + R)
• Check internet connection
• Clear browser cache
• Try different browser
• Check if taskboard has sufficient data (metrics need tasks)

Metrics Seem Incorrect

Issue: Velocity, cycle time, or other metrics don't match expectations.

Solutions:

• Verify task dates are set correctly (completion dates needed for metrics)
• Check filters - might be excluding tasks from calculations
• Ensure story points are set (if using points-based velocity)
• Review calculation period (last 6 sprints vs. last 30 days)
• Refresh dashboard to recalculate

Charts Not Displaying

Issue: Widgets show "No data" or blank.

Solutions:

• Check time period filter - might be excluding all tasks
• Verify tasks exist in selected layer/sprint
• Ensure tasks have required data (dates, estimates, status)
• Check if widget is configured correctly (settings menu)

Export Fails

Issue: PDF or Excel export doesn't download.

Solutions:

• Check browser pop-up blocker (may be blocking download)
• Try different export format
• Reduce dashboard complexity (remove some widgets)
• Check file permissions in download folder

Related Articles

• Kanban Board View
• Velocity and Estimation
• Sprint Planning
• Team Performance Reviews
• Exporting Taskboard Data
• Creating Custom Reports

Need More Help?

• Video Tutorial: Using Dashboard for Sprint Reviews (coming soon)
• Templates: Download dashboard layout templates
• Community: Share your dashboard setups
• Support: Contact support@waymakerone.com

---

Ready to master view switching? → Learn About Switching Between Views