Scorecard vs. dashboard: what each one is for

When we show a leadership team a Growth Plan Dashboard, the first question is often, "We already have a Scorecard. Isn't this the same thing?"

It's a fair question, and the answer is no. They're built to answer different questions, on different clocks, for different decisions.

What the Weekly Scorecard is for

In EOS®, the Weekly Scorecard is a short list of activity-based numbers, usually five to fifteen, each owned by one person, each with a weekly goal. It's reviewed in the first minutes of the weekly meeting. Anything off track drops to the Issues List.

It's excellent at what it does: catching problems early, keeping accountability clear, and making sure the business runs the way it should this week.

What a Growth Plan Dashboard is for

A Growth Plan Dashboard answers a longer question: are we on track to hit the year, and if not, what's causing the gap?

It shows three things, month by month:

• Actuals against the Growth Plan, not against last year
• The gap, in dollars, and whether it's growing or shrinking
• The drivers that explain the gap, such as new customers, average order, price, close rate or capacity

It's reviewed monthly by the leadership team, and it feeds the quarterly session where Rocks get chosen.

Side by side

• The question: the Scorecard asks whether last week went as it should; the Dashboard asks whether you'll hit the year.
• The clock: the Scorecard is weekly; the Dashboard is monthly and year to date.
• The source: the Scorecard uses activity numbers people report; the Dashboard uses financial and operating data pulled from your systems.
• The goals: Scorecard goals describe a healthy week; Dashboard targets describe what closes the gap to plan.
• What it leads to: the Scorecard surfaces issues to solve this week; the Dashboard surfaces Rocks that move the year.

Why green can still mean behind

Scorecard goals are usually set when a measurable is created, and they describe a healthy week. They rarely change when the plan does. So a team can hit every weekly goal and still fall behind a Growth Plan that needed more than a healthy week. The Scorecard isn't wrong. It's answering its own question.

How they work together

The best setups connect the two. When the Dashboard shows a driver falling behind, the team adds or adjusts a Scorecard measurable that moves it. When the Scorecard catches a problem, the Dashboard shows whether it matters to the year. Your Scorecard keeps doing its job. The Dashboard sits beside it.

Curious how your numbers compare? Try the Growth Fit Check, or read our guide, Built to Fix, Not to Grow.