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"Dashboard Now!" "What For?" "..." The Silence That Every Power BI Developer Knows.

Dashboard to answer what? We don't know! But we need it. Immediately. The classic stakeholder dilemma.

Author

Glenda Carnate
July 10, 2026

Read time: 2.5 minutes

The stakeholders required the development of a dashboard. The developer asked, “What questions should it answer?” The response was, “We do not know; we just need you to develop it for us the day before.” The development began.

3 Ways to Respond to “We Need the Dashboard” Requests.

1. Find out what decision the dashboard needs to facilitate.
❌ Building a dashboard without knowing its purpose.
✅ Stop and ask, “What type of business decision do you need this dashboard for?”
Establish the outcome prior to creating the interface.

2. Start from a single KPI rather than from a complete dashboard.
❌ Trying to create it all at once.
✅ Working on a single metric that is crucial to calculate first.
Show a proof of value, then enhance it.

3. Manage their expectations.
❌ Telling them that the dashboard will be ready an hour before the deadline.
✅ Clarifying that you can create something fast, but that gathering the data takes time.
Ensure that they are aware of the procedure.

💡Key Takeaway: 

Consumers want dashboards right away, but they aren’t sure what to ask about. It’s your task to help them gain that clarity before they start creating anything.

👉 LIKE this if you’ve ever been asked to make a dashboard but without a proper brief.

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