visualization: running a business with dashboards and scorecards

VisualizationRunning a business with

Dashboards and Scorecards

Jeffrey A. Shaffer, MBA, PMP, CMQ/OE

Vice President, Unifund

Presented by:

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1 Introduction

How we use Business Intelligence

Visualization and Presentation

Unifund Dashboard & Scorecard

VisualizationRunning a business with Dashboards and Scorecards

Our Motto:

“In God we trust, all others bring data.”

W. Edwards Deming

Business Intelligence

Transforms beyond the dataData

Information

Plans that

guide the

organization

or SBU

Knowledge

Business Intelligence at Unifund

• Gives us the ability to make better decisions

and make them faster

• More control to end user and management

for reporting and slicing and dicing of data

• Used to be competitive advantage in our

industry – is becoming more common

• Those companies not using it will

likely not survive

• Query and Analysis

– Ad-hoc reporting

– Analysis Tools

– Slicing and Dicing

• Reporting & Performance Management

– Dashboards

– Scorecards

• Plan, Budget and Forecast

– Forecast vs. Actual


Internal Reporting:

• Performance Management

– Scorecards

• Inventory Management

• Forecast vs. Actual

– Exception Based Reporting

• Unifund Auto-Liaison Reports

– Auto generated

– Weekly email burst to Attorney Network

– Based on Performance Standards


External Reporting:

• SQL Database

• Data Warehouse and Data Marts

• Excel 2007

• Cognos

• Microsoft Reporting Services


BI Platform:

Visualization and Data Presentation

Not-So-Best

Practices

Time Utilization Chart


Just for Fun

85%

15%

Percentage of Chart which Looks like PacMan

Looks Like PacMan

Does Not Look Like PacMan


• Wrong Message or No Message at all

• Cluttered Dashboard

– Too Much Information

– Crammed on One Page

– Horizontal Scroll

• Over use of Graphs

• Gauges

• Flashing Cells

• Bad Color Choices

Poor Choices:

Unlock Hidden Value

UnifundPortfolio

Enhancement

Joel RosenthalManager, Acquisitions & Portfolio Management

(513) [email protected] This material is proprietary to Unifund Group Debt Investors, LLC (Unifund). It may not

be replicated or transmitted in whole or part without express consent of Unifund.


Best

Practices


• Experts on Visualization

– Edward Tufte

Reading Suggestions:

• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

• Envisioning Information

– Jacques Bertin

• Semiology of Graphics

– Michael Friendly

– Charles Joseph Minard

Best Practices:


Sparklines (Tufte):


Sparklines:

• Small, high-resolution graphics embedded in a

context of words, numbers, images. Sparklines

are data-intense, design-simple, word-sized

graphics.


Trellis Charts (Small Multiples):

• "Illustrations of postage-stamp size are indexed

by category or a label, sequenced over time

like the frames of a movie, or ordered by a

quantitative variable not used in the single

image itself."


• Who is the user? Know your audience.

• What are the business questions that need

answered? Get input.

• What are the correct measurements?

• Solid Foundation – the Data

• Create SOP for presentation

– Formats

– Color Scheme

– Charts and Graphs

Best Practices:


What meaning does color bring to the dashboard?

• Color Schemes

– Data Presentation (lots of blue)

– Stop-light Colors

• Green is Good

• Yellow is Caution

• Red is Bad

• Avoid them otherwise

– Use Neutral Colors

– Earth tones are calming

• Edward Tufte recommends for adding gentle color

Unifund Practices:

Title or Heading


What meaning does color bring to the dashboard?


• Data Bars (Excel 2007)

– Quickly see Actual vs. Projection

– Easily display % and $

– Similar to Sparklines

• Marimekko Chart

– Stacked Bar Chart

– Multi-Dimensional Data

– Variation Using Cylinders

• Combine with stop-light colors

• Inventory Management

Unifund Practices:


• Mapping

– Location can relate disparate data

– A Map is worth a thousand cells

– Easy to see problem areas

– By State

– By County/Jurisdiction

– Even by Address

Unifund Practices:

Foreclosures (July 2008)


• Mapping Tools

– Integrated Maps in BI platforms

– Microsoft MapPoint

– Excel Add-In with Templates

• Mapland

– KML file with Google Earth

• www.BatchGeo.com

– GeoCode Addresses

– Create KML file

– Load into Google Earth

Unifund Practices:


• FlowingData.com

• NoteandPoint.com

• EdwardTufte.com

• JuiceAnalytics.com/writing/

– Blog

– Dashboard Design white paper

Included in Handouts

• TED.com – Hans Rosling

• TechnicallyFunny.com

Additional Materials:

Unifund

Dashboard

&

Scorecard

Contact Information:

Jeffrey A. Shaffer, VP, Unifund

(513) 489-8877

[email protected]

Jeffrey A. Shaffer, MBA, PMP, CMQ/OE

Vice President, Unifund

Presented by: