Build a Systems Dashboard That Actually Gets Used

The founder calendar is noisy: product, team, capital, customers. A systems dashboard keeps the signal visible.

What belongs in the dashboard

1. Vital metrics. Pick five numbers that prove the business is alive. Give each an owner and an alert threshold.
2. Pipeline status. Track product, hiring, and distribution bets from pitch to shipped.
3. People load. Highlight who is at capacity, who is underutilized, and upcoming PTO.
4. Rhythm log. Capture weekly decisions, experiments, and commitments in plain language.

How to run it

• Daily pulse: 3 minute scan before stand-up. Update blockers inline.
• Weekly review: 20 minute Friday recap to close loops and surface risks.
• Monthly reset: prune unused widgets. Add the next critical signal; delete the one nobody checked.

Tools that play nicely

• Notion or Coda for a flexible interface with built-in automations.
• Airtable if you need structured data and more complex relationships.
• Motion or Sunsama to feed workload data back into the dashboard.

Keep it human

Color code by owner, add short Loom walkthroughs, and keep copy conversational. The dashboard should invite use, not punish it. When the team trusts the view, they volunteer updates without the weekly chase.