A simple KPI dashboard you can maintain
Listen to this lesson
Nigerian voice narration
Fictional training case. Management wants a one-screen, monthly-updated view of the unit's key numbers. This lesson covers selecting a small number of KPIs tied to actual objectives, then building a maintainable dashboard with one raw-data sheet and formula-driven summaries. Work through the example, identify the evidence needed and practise the method with cleared or synthetic inputs. Any additional figures in the explanation are separate practice examples, not claimed rows in a downloadable file.
Worked example
Bello asks AI to help choose 5-7 KPIs for a fictional 'Revenue Monitoring Unit,' explaining its real objective is tracking collection efficiency, not just volume. AI proposes KPIs including 'Collection rate (%)', 'Average days to payment', and 'Number of defaulting accounts' — all tied to the stated objective — while rejecting a vanity metric like 'Total emails sent to defaulters' as not reflecting outcomes. Bello then asks for exact Google Sheets steps: one 'Raw Data' sheet pasted monthly, one 'Summary' sheet with formulas referencing it, and one chart per KPI, so updating is just pasting new raw rows each month without rebuilding formulas.
The method
Choose 5-7 KPIs by explicitly testing each candidate against the unit's stated objective before including it, then separate raw data (paste-only) from summary (formula-only) sheets so monthly updates require no manual rebuilding of calculations.
Worked practice and common mistakes
Define each KPI’s numerator, denominator, source, owner and update date. Eighty resolved complaints out of a hundred received is 80% only when the cohort definition is consistent. A missing denominator should be shown as unavailable, not zero. Display data freshness and separate raw data from summary formulas so new monthly rows cannot overwrite the calculations.
Review before using the result
KPIs should map to the unit's actual objectives, not everything measurable. A maintainable dashboard separates raw data from formulas so monthly updates are quick and consistent.
Your workplace practice
Use the recommended free assistant with this lesson's fictional example. Help me choose 5–7 KPIs for a [unit type] in a Nigerian public agency, then give exact Google Sheets steps to build a dashboard: raw data sheet, summary formulas, one chart per KPI. Keep it maintainable. Keep a copy of the input and draft. Compare the result with the verification steps above, record any correction, and retain placeholders where evidence is missing. The expected result is a checked draft for human review, not an automatically approved decision. Course examples and practice responses are fictional; amounts, dates, rules and thresholds are not official guidance or supplier quotations.
Open Microsoft Copilot (free tier) and paste this prompt there. Most dashboards in Nigerian offices live in Excel — Copilot speaks Excel.
Help me choose 5–7 KPIs for a [unit type] in a Nigerian public agency, then give exact Google Sheets steps to build a dashboard: raw data sheet, summary formulas, one chart per KPI. Keep it maintainable.
Why this tool: Most dashboards in Nigerian offices live in Excel — Copilot speaks Excel.
Hit a free limit? Switch to ChatGPT or Gemini and continue — the prompt works in any assistant.