Making Data and Knowledge Visible
In my many years of consulting for SMEs and Nonprofits, I’ve seen brilliant projects stumble because of a lack of shared language and structure.
I recently wrapped up a major digital transformation project where I sat across the table from a the leadership team.
We had completed the research and scope phases and the first part of the system had gone through the implementation, testing and deployment phases. The next step was to complete the second part of this massive system overhaul. I had spent weeks in the data, analysing the overlaps and creating an aligned data perspective and as a consultant, I had many of the answers from a top-down perspective. I knew the "why," the "how," and the "when."
But I knew something else, too: If that knowledge stayed with me or even just with the directors, the project was at risk.
A Dashboard for Alignment
We invested a percentage of the budget to engage a programmer to take the manual spreadsheets, automate them into a centralized, live dashboard. My logic for a highly visible dashboard was simple: What if one of the central knowledge-keepers of the project went on holiday? What would happen if someone fell ill and was off work for several weeks? If there are ten people on a team comprised of two full-time members and a mix of consultants, specialist contract workers and freelancers, and each one gives a slightly different answer to a priority question, the execution will drift.
The Execution Gap
A few weeks into the execution phase, the cracks began to show. The meetings and dashboard began but information was not shared and progress was not well communicated due to the internal team vs. external consultant nature of the change. During a progress meeting, we realized incorrect data points were being transmitted through the team, and as a result, back up to the management team.
Because there wasn’t a visual, data-backed 'Single Source of Truth' to refer to, everyone was working on assumptions. We didn’t know what was happening to the project timeline and budget because we weren't speaking the same language or looking at the same data.
Suggestions for SMEs and Nonprofits
When we worked on the ArtistsInspire Grants (AIG), we moved away from the Master Spreadsheets of siloed information and processes and built a system where the data was the authority. We used traffic light logic for human actions and automated triggers so that the Coordinator and the Project Manager didn't have to guess, they just had to look at the screen. This made it easier to report up and down the leadership ladder as everyone could access the dashboard for real-time updates and actions.
If you build a dashboard for your data, you are managing by data and facts. And in a high-stakes environment with government funders like Economic and Social Development Canada or Canadian Heritage support and funding, you can’t afford to be misunderstood.
Digital Transformation Strategy: Scaling systems for $500k+ grant portfolios.
Change Management: Overcoming executive resistance to transparency.
Operational Efficiency: Reducing human error through automated dashboards.
Compliance & Governance: Aligning internal data with Law 25 standards.