15.3 Types of Dashboards and Reports

Dashboards are not one-size-fits-all. The type of dashboard an analyst builds depends on who will use it, how often they will check it, and what decisions it supports. Research on dashboard use in practice identifies three primary types, each serving a different organizational level and decision-making cadence (Sarikaya et al. 2019; Eckerson 2010).

15.3.1 Operational Dashboards

Operational dashboards monitor day-to-day activities in real time or near real time. They are used by front-line managers and supervisors who need to know what is happening right now and respond quickly. These dashboards update frequently (hourly or daily), display a narrow set of metrics, and emphasize current status over historical trends.

In the absenteeism context, an operational dashboard might show which employees are absent today, the reason codes reported, and which departments are currently short-staffed. The audience is the shift supervisor or HR coordinator who needs to arrange coverage. The design is simple and action-oriented: red indicators for departments below minimum staffing, a list of unplanned absences, and a count of pending absence requests.

15.3.2 Analytical Dashboards

Analytical dashboards support deeper investigation of historical data. They are used by analysts and mid-level managers who want to understand patterns, identify root causes, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. These dashboards are interactive — users filter by time period, department, or absence reason to explore the data from multiple angles.

An analytical absenteeism dashboard might display monthly absence trends over three years, broken down by department and reason code. A manager could filter to see only medical absences, compare two departments side by side, or drill into a specific quarter to identify outliers. The emphasis is on exploration and context rather than immediate action.

15.3.3 Strategic Dashboards

Strategic dashboards track high-level KPIs aligned with organizational goals. They are designed for executives and senior leaders who need a periodic (weekly or monthly) summary of performance against targets. These dashboards are the simplest in design — a small number of metrics, each with a clear target and trend indicator.

A strategic absenteeism dashboard might show four metrics on a single screen: total absence cost this quarter versus budget, the year-over-year trend in chronic absence rate, wellness program ROI, and a comparison to industry benchmarks. The CEO does not need to see individual employee data or daily fluctuations — she needs to know whether the organization’s absenteeism problem is getting better or worse and whether current interventions are working.

15.3.4 Choosing the Right Format

The business requirements specification (Chapter 13) determines which type to build. A spec that identifies the audience as “shift supervisors who need daily staffing visibility” points to an operational dashboard. A spec for “the HR analytics team investigating seasonal patterns” calls for an analytical dashboard. A spec for “the quarterly board report on workforce health” suggests either a strategic dashboard or a static report — or both.

Static reports remain the right choice when the deliverable must be archived, versioned, or distributed to audiences without dashboard access. Many organizations use a combination: a live dashboard for ongoing monitoring and a periodic static report for formal communication and record-keeping (Few 2006).