From Planning to Progress Part 3: If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It

Imagine building a new exhibit, attraction, or community center without checking progress—no site walks, no schedules, no budget tracking. You’d never do that on a construction site… so why do it with your strategic plan?

To stay on course, your plan needs a dashboard—something that helps your team track what matters, flag issues early, and make informed decisions in real time. Without it, you're building blind.

But let’s be clear—we’re not talking about complicated spreadsheets or dense reports that no one reads. A good dashboard is:

• Clear: Everyone knows what’s being measured and why it matters.

• Connected: Aligned directly to your strategic goals and objectives.

• Actionable: Updated regularly so you can respond—not just report.

And while financials, attendance, and clients served are easier to quantify, don’t ignore the hard-to-measure stuff. Words like “world-class,” “engaging,” “inclusive,” and “long-term impact” show up in a lot of strategic plans—but how do you know when you’ve actually achieved them? Define what those terms look like in action. Decide how you’ll track them. Then, commit to measuring what matters most to your mission.

Dashboards keep goals visible. They focus your team’s attention, promote transparency, and spark cross-department collaboration. And they build trust with your board, funders, and community by showing real progress—not just intentions.

Because here’s the truth: if you can’t see it, you can’t move it forward. And just like on any job site, when things start to drift, you need real-time feedback to course-correct and finish strong.

Your dashboard isn’t just a reporting tool—it’s your control panel for bringing your vision to life.