The Single Pane of Glass Myth

Dashboards report. Leaders need insight. There's a difference.

You've integrated all your project dashboards into one view. So why is your Steering Committee still confused?

I've seen organisations invest heavily in Project software and unified dashboards, integrating every project management tool, all to create the perfect "single pane of glass" view.

Then they sit in Steering meetings where executives still ask the same questions: "Are we on track?". "What does this really mean for the business?". "Should we be worried?".

𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞.

Your dashboard might show you that Project A is 73% complete, Project B has 12 open risks, and Project C is 3 weeks behind schedule. But it doesn't tell the story that leadership needs to hear.

The story might be: "We're at a critical decision point. Project A's early success has revealed an opportunity to accelerate Project C, but only if we accept the delay and reallocate resources now. The 12 risks in Project B? Ten are minor, but two could derail our Q4 launch if we don't act this week."

The Programme/Project Manager's most critical role isn't managing the dashboard. It's being the Chief Storyteller.

They are the only person who can weave together data points from multiple projects to crate a coherent narrative of progress, risk and value. They translate technical complexity into business impact. They connect the dots that no dashboard can.

𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚 3-𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞:

➡️ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧:  Briefly recap the strategic goals we committed to. This makes sure everyone is reminded of the "why" and helps prevent scope creep conversations

➡️ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞: Present the data-driven reality, but frame it in terms of business outcomes, not project metrics. Instead of 73% complete, say "We've delivered the first phase to 2,000 users, and adoption is exceeding targets by 40%."

➡️ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠: Highlight the strategic decisions that need to be made NOW. Don't just present problems, present pre-analysed options and recommend a path forward.

The dashboard might give your stakeholders information, but your story gives them insight, context and confidence.

At your next meeting, close the dashboard for the first 10 minutes. Tell the story first. Then use the data to support it.

You might be surprised how much clearer the conversation becomes.

What's your experience with programme and project reporting? Do you lead with data or the story?