Reading Tables, Charts, and Dashboards

Before reacting to a color, rank, or percentage, read the title, date range, legend, and units. A dashboard is a compressed view of a larger situation.

Ask whether the metric covers the whole formation or a subset, and whether higher or lower values are actually desirable for this measure.

When a summary number drives a decision, look one level deeper:

• Which category or sub-unit is driving the headline result?

• What changed since the last report — and why?

• Does another source tell a different story?