What kind of information should my dashboard show?

Dashboards are increasingly important in the business world as they present the most important information in a simple and intuitive visual form. Softwares such as Multipeers allow the information to be presented in a practical way and it is updated to the second one, because only with current data will the decisions taken be beneficial to the future of the company. Dashboards let you understand what the company is heading for and whether business objectives are being met. However, if a dashboard is not customized correctly it can become a confusing tool, which complicates the manager’s life rather than helping him. In today’s article, we’ve covered the kind of information your dashboard should show!

Executive Information

An executive dashboard serves to simplify the general understanding of information. It is a very useful dashboard to analyze the KPIs and processes of a company at a global level. This executive tool is usually based on management methodologies such as the Balance Scorecard. The objective of this panel is to provide all executives with access to important data for the correct evaluation of new opportunities and improvement points. A top manager needs to know at every minute what is going on in the company, because only then will he be able to make important and beneficial decisions for all areas of the organization.

Project Management Information

Project management dashboards allow you to follow all project management, from planned activities, schedules, and other aspects. It is a very important tool because it decreases the probability of error and increases the effectiveness of communication.

Marketing information

The marketing area is very important in all companies and only with an effective follow-up of what is happening in this sector can the company improve. A marketing dashboard with real-time information about a company’s social media activity allows you to identify opportunities at the very moment they appear, allowing you to stay one step ahead of the competition. A fluctuation in the demand for a product, for example, could lead you to launch a specific campaign, increasing sales and improving company results.

Information about results analysis

This dashboard provides detailed information and is used to set trends against corporate goals. This panel allows you to perceive the results of internal actions as well as external public reactions to campaigns. A good example of this type of dashboard is Google Analytics, which lets you know the exact behavior of your website visitors.

Information on day-to-day operations

This panel is used by the work teams and focuses on the processes that each team needs to perform its functions. The data contained in this panel are intended to identify critical points of the operation, helping to correct them. They also facilitate communication between all members of the same team. It is a dashboard that varies depending on the department of the company and the activities to be carried out each day.

 

5 Reasons for your company to use a real-time management system

It is no longer news that business is happening at an accelerating pace. Companies need to be always aware of everything that happens, because only then will they be able to remain competitive and proactive, something that the market demands more and more. Nowadays, it is no longer possible for a company to survive only based on information with a few days: it is necessary for the manager to monitor in real time all the events that happen in your business. In today’s article, we’ll give you 5 reasons that indicate that your business needs a real-time management system!

You need to make more conscious decisions

When the manager knows exactly what is going on in the business, it is much easier to make the right decision and this is undoubtedly the most immediate and most important advantage of using a real-time information system. Most managers base their decisions on reports with a few days, which makes their action reactive rather than proactive. Analyzing the business in real time allows you to have all the necessary inputs so that you can consciously decide on the best route to take, since the information you are going to analyze is as current and reliable as possible.

Faster identification of business opportunities

With real-time business monitoring you can identify opportunities right when they appear, allowing you to stay one step ahead of the competition. A fluctuation in demand for a product, for example, could lead you to launch a specific campaign, increasing sales and improving company results. In an age where competition is so intense, having this competitive advantage is essential to win.

Setting up business alerts so you always know what’s going on

Business monitoring software such as Multipeers allows the definition of business alerts so that you are warned whenever a situation goes beyond your previously defined standard. Wherever you are, you will be notified by SMS or email about any changes to your previously set standards and you can act immediately, even before there are serious damages to the organization.

Connect to all data sources to reduce the search for information

Real-time business monitoring software interacts directly with all your data sources such as databases, web services, MDX, Microsoft Excel, RSS feeds, multimedia content, e-mail, applications, among others. You can even build your own connectors using the provided API so that no information from your organization is lost. So, in a single dashboard you will find complete and up-to-date information on everything that goes on in the company!

Lower probability of error

The use of real-time data analysis systems reduces communication failures and speeds data consolidation, thereby reducing the likelihood of making business-critical errors. All company information will be condensed only in one place, which makes analytical processes more agile and efficient.

 

Analyzing data in real time is increasingly a reality in companies around the world. Business happens at a very fast pace and it is essential that you know what is happening in your company to make the most appropriate decisions for your business. Download our e-book and learn how a BAM tool can help your management!

What can KPIs do for the management of a company?

Having defined KPIs is essential to the good performance of a company. KPIs are key performance indicators that tell us what state the business is in and how far (or near) we are from meeting the stated goals. Based on the indicators and the company’s performance, managers can make more informed decisions. BAM tools such as Multipeers allow you to track KPIs continuously and in real time. Analyzing performance consistently ensures that more attention is paid to meeting the objectives, effectively increasing the degree of achievement of the objectives. Continuous performance monitoring plays a key role in planning and subsequent control because it provides information on processes developed by the organization. The effectiveness of any control strategy depends to a large extent on the correct suitability of developed performance metrics and KPIs. In today’s article, let’s realize what KPIs can do for running a business!

Clear knowledge about business strategy

It is essential that each employee of the company or organization knows their KPIs and that they are updated with some frequency. “If we don’t know where we are going, any way is good”: the same goes for companies. If we are not aware of the results we should achieve with our work, we can do anything, and this may not be in line with the organization’s overall objectives. Defining the indicators of each employee and connecting to the monitoring system is essential for obtaining a global and integrated view of the state of the company and the performance of each one. It is also important to mention that each employee should have access only to the indicators that are important for the continuation of their work, so as to have a more focused and organized day-to-day.

Allow to evaluate the company quantitatively

KPIs allow measurable results to be achieved. And this is very important in a company, because the numbers do not lie! It is not enough to have a subjective knowledge about the results of the company. It is necessary to know objectively the true values ​​of the organization. Through the analysis of KPIs it is possible to redefine strategies and change what is not giving positive results. It is essential that KPIs are evaluated on a frequent basis, since only in this way can they have a significant impact on the life of the company.

Increase the performance of the sales department

When well defined and implemented, KPIs help drive sales. When there are defined goals and rewards associated with their implementation, the tendency is for employees to work even harder to achieve the stated goals. This creates healthy competition between the different vendors and in the end the company comes out to win with the increase in sales!

Make decision making more efficient

KPIs provide a lot of information about the company and in that way make decision making more efficient and easier. Managers often complain about the lack of information about the company in order to be able to decide consciously and these performance indicators gain a prominent role in making decisions about the future of the company. Managers can only make assertive and sound decisions if they have a full understanding of business reality. And nothing better than KPI’s to provide all that knowledge.

Improve achievement of objectives

Analyzing the performance of a company on a constant basis ensures that more attention is paid to meeting the objectives. An efficient process must be planned and controlled. Continuous performance monitoring plays a key role in planning and subsequent control because it provides information on processes developed by the organization. The effectiveness of any control strategy depends to a large extent on the correct suitability of developed performance metrics and KPIs.

 

Defining business indicators in a conscious way is fundamental to being able to analyze the business objectively. It is essential that the indicators analyzed show managers the way forward in order to correct errors and apply new strategies. KPIs should be simple so that the entire team is able to understand them. If you get too complicated a KPI, you run the risk of not being able to extract any useful information from your analysis. If employees do not understand the indicator, they can become unmotivated, which harms the company’s performance. A KPI should be analyzed frequently because only with constant monitoring can we understand if we are correctly executing the company’s strategy and generating value with our activity. You should always opt for indicators that can be measured easily and frequently so that you can make day-to-day decisions based on reliable and up-to-date information. Finally, it is important to note that not all indicators are for all companies. There are indicators that fit one type of business but don’t make any sense in other areas of activity. Defining meaningless or useful indicators will only create harmful noise to employees’ performance and this will have a negative impact on the company’s bottom line.

What is the impact of real-time analysis on business?

Business is happening at a very fast pace today, which means that managers need to monitor in real time everything that happens in companies, otherwise they will lose relevant information that is needed for conscious decision making. Nowadays, it is no longer advisable to only analyze reports that are a few days late: the market demands that you always keep abreast of what happens in your business. In today’s article, we will realize what the impact of real-time data analysis is for business.

More efficient decision making

When you know exactly what is going on in your business, it is much easier to make the right decisions. Analyzing your business in real time will give you all the inputs you need so you can consciously decide on the best course to take. The reports with a few days present outdated information, which doesn’t correspond to the actual state of the company at that time. Therefore, often the decisions made are mismatched and don’t benefit the business. Monitoring the business in real time will change this scenario, because you will have reliable information in your hand and will be able to make better decisions.

Possibility of correcting deviations in operational processes

A failure in the production process can mean serious problems with customers, suppliers and partners if it is not detected and corrected in a timely manner. Keeping track of the production process in real time allows us to identify any failures and their correctness, without letting the process with a problem drag to its final stage. Thus, even if there are problems in the production phase, it will be easier to avoid that these problems have an impact on the final result.

Using multiple sources of data and content

With the use of a system of data analysis in real time it’s possible to aggregate in a single system all the information related to the company. In this way, access to information becomes much easier and the time previously spent to gather information from various sources is reduced. There will no longer be a need to open multiple programs to understand what happened at a given time.

Ability to set business alerts

Business monitoring software such as Multipeers allows you to set up business alerts whenever there is a deviation from what is considered normal within your company. Wherever you are, you will be notified by SMS or email about any changes and you can act immediately, even before there is damage to the organization. This proves to be an enormous competitive advantage because it enables immediate action, even before there are consequences for the company’s processes.

More efficient people management

Real-time information on human resources can be a great competitive advantage for companies that want to adapt to changes. The monitoring systems provide immediate data on the distribution of employees in different sectors of the company, as well as updated information on their availability. Thus, it becomes easier to manage teams and optimize the work of employees, increasing the collective income.

How Process Integration Boosts Productivity

The integration of the departments of a company is fundamental so that there is a professional environment balanced and with maximum levels of productivity. Good internal communication helps improve team performance, but alone it cannot get the best out of each industry. Thus, to ensure maximum levels of results, the integration of processes is an essential strategy. In today’s article, we will answer the question: how does process integration increase productivity?

Efficient processes

The approach of the employees reduces the bureaucracies and improves the streamlining of the processes. It is important that there are frequent meetings to know what each team is doing and also to have plans for the future defined. It is essential that information between departments flow quickly, so that each department does not have to wait for others to know what is going on.

Increased productivity

This is the biggest benefit of process integration and is the great goal of every business. When employees work in tune, it is easier to respond to productive needs and internal and external communication benefits. Good communication between the departments and the good interconnection of the processes avoids problems of understanding and in the end the company is the one who wins the most.

Reduction in the time of the execution of the tasks

The tasks performed manually take much longer than those that can be performed by software, and this is one of the main advantages of automating processes for companies. An automated and interconnected system will allow a given task to be scheduled once and from that time it will be repeated accurately and effectively, consuming less time and eliminating the likelihood of error.

Reduction of costs

When processes are automated, employees become more productive and this is very good for the company’s finances. The automation of the processes contributes to the reduction of losses and optimizes the production. A good example is that automated systems are thought to save energy when they are not producing.

Tip:

Analyzing the business in real time is the trend of the future and more and more companies choose to use business monitoring tools like Multipeers. Using this tool, it is possible to know what is happening in the company at all times. It also allows the definition of business alerts so that the user is alerted whenever something goes wrong.

 

5 inspiring films about people management

People management is one of the most important areas in companies, but unfortunately it is one of the most undervalued. The internal public is the main public of the company, because it is through the actions of employees that the image of the company is created for external audiences. There are films with very valuable lessons on people management and in today’s article we have selected 5 inspiring movies that all managers should watch!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

In spite of being an eccentric film and with a lot of fantasy, we have the vision of a very effective selection process. Willy Wonka is the owner of the factory and creates a new place to take five children to meet the chocolate factory, through several challenges, which are authentic group dynamics. Willy Wonka had the entire process thought out and with all the particularities defined, just as a selective process should be. In this movie, we see that the right ad attracts the right people, with the ideal profile for the job. Anyone who went through all the challenges would have the job. This film is very good to show us that planning is essential in all phases of human resources.

Rocky

All of Rocky’s films, starring Sylvester Stalone, show us a motivational speech with the ability to make us start working immediately on all our plans and accomplish everything we always dream about. Rocky has incredible leadership skills and all human resource managers should be a bit like him! This film is also essential for the management of human resources because it shows us the difficulties that we are encountering along the way until we reach success. The main lesson is that despite the difficulties that are appearing, we must be able to stay strong to continue fighting!

The Devil Wears Prada

This is a must have movie! It has a cast full of good actors and tells the story of Miranda, an executive of Runaway Magazine, who hires an assistant and the relationship between them is very inspiring. This film shows us that our dream job may be far from perfect and that bad influences at work and over-competitiveness can interfere negatively throughout our lives. It’s an inspiring film about people management, which shows that good workplace environment is essential to the success of a business.

The Internship

This movie tells the story of two seasoned salespeople who start working as trainees on Google. To secure the place, they need to enter a competition with other candidates. In the beginning, they encounter difficulties due to the great difference of ages and knowledge between them and the new generation. However, in the end they can learn from the younger and younger learn from them. This film teaches us how important it is to value the knowledge of your team. Despite the management position it occupies, you must take into account that everyone has something to teach and that you can learn a lot from your employees. Encourage the sharing of ideas and knowledge among employees, as they will feel more motivated to evolve and work better.

The Imitation Game

This is a movie based on real facts that tells us the story Alan Turing, a mathematician with an above average intelligence, who is quite antisocial. The film takes place during World War II. At the time, the British government hired a team that had the purpose of decoding a famous code used by the Germans to convey their messages of war. The film teaches us that working as a team is fundamental and not giving up on adversity is the most important messages that you should convey to your employees as responsible for managing people.

 

Machines vs. Humans: Enemies or Good Allies?

Customer service is increasingly automated. This is due to the increasing demand of consumers, who are looking for faster and more efficient responses. The business world, over the next few years, will have a greater dependence on machines and this causes many people to look at them with mistrust and fear. But are machines and humans, enemies or can they be good allies?

Machines vs. Humans

A study by Gartner concluded that by 2020, 85% of the times that consumers will relate to business will be without any human intervention. However, we should not think that machines will dominate the world and end human interaction. In fact, what this means is that human beings will increasingly have control over technology, using it in a more intelligent way and freeing employees from bureaucratic and repetitive tasks.

What changes in the main sectors

Medicine: In the United States, 98% of prostate surgeries are done with the help of robots. We can say that computers make the work of healthcare professionals more efficient, reducing the duration of surgeries and drastically reducing the risk of error. It is estimated that in 2018 the health technology area will create 35,000 new jobs.

Education: distance learning is already a reality in many countries. Currently, there are robot teachers who are able to teach and correct tests. There are a thousand robots of this type all over the World. Students demand that education be adapted to the reality they know and this reality is technological. Thus, distance learning will increasingly be the preferred way of learning.

Banks: The influence of machines in the banking sector is mainly related to the possibility of each user being able to access their account anywhere in the World. In 2012 there was an 84% fall in job creation in the banking sector in relation to the previous year. Technology has in fact reduced the need for professionals, such as cash operators. On the other hand, increased the need for IT professionals.

Agriculture: this is one of the sectors most affected by the entry of new technologies. In this area, irrigation and harvesting machines greatly increase productivity. The replacement of men by machines in this sector is a reality. However, it is also necessary here to have good IT professionals, which proves that if on the one hand machines replace human labor, on the other they create new needs.

Marketing and sales: Easy access to the Internet and increasing use of social media has changed the way people view consumption. At the sales level, it is becoming easier to consume. People can buy products from around the world from a mobile phone. The user experience has evolved a lot in this sector, because it is now possible for people to “experience” clothing from a distance, to see if they like a piece or not. At the marketing level, automation allows promotional campaigns to be increasingly targeted to the specific needs of each citizen, which greatly improves their experience.

 

Machines and humans don’t have to be enemies. In fact, when technology is well used, who wins is Man. The World has evolved at an amazing rate and citizens need to keep up to date so they don’t risk losing their jobs!

Top Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Business

Starting a business of your own is a goal for many people, but you have to keep in mind that having a company requires dedication, planning and facing constant challenges. The temptation to start your own business is great, as it is becoming easier nowadays because of the simple tools that help entrepreneurs put their ideas on the ground. In today’s article, let’s talk about the top mistakes to avoid in setting up a company!

Not knowing the market where you want to act

Often entrepreneurs are so convinced that their idea is perfect that they don’t do an exhaustive market study to assess the competition or to see if consumers in fact need the product or service they want to sell. However, if there is not a need of your product, there is no point in starting a business. Thus, studying the market well in order to know all its particularities is essential to have a successful company in the short and long term.

To think that you can do everything by yourself

Even if you think you can do it all yourself, you are advised to surround yourself with a trusted team. Business can grow faster than you think and you will need support to respond to all requests. Likewise, if things don’t go so well, it’s better to have a team that helps you to deal with the difficulties because if you are alone you may feel discouraged and give up.

Too high investment

Even if you have studied the market and all the predictions are that your business will succeed in a short time, you shouldn’t invest more than what is strictly necessary at an early stage. The additional costs should be reduced as much as possible and investments should be made according to the commercial evolution of the product and not on the basis of future profit forecasts. Very high investments at an embryonic stage of the project are the main causes of business bankruptcy in a short period of time after starting a business.

Do not invest in communication from the first moment

Many entrepreneurs think that communication is only important from the moment the company starts to grow. However, this is an area of ​​the company that you should pay attention to from the beginning, because it is essential that the market knows that you arrived and that you are there to win. Pay particular attention to the name of your brand and the logo that illustrates it because they are the first elements that contact the public and should be coherent and differentiating. Having a good website and a strong presence on social media is imperative on these days and you should invest time in working these areas.

Lack of market segmentation

Communicating to everyone, in an undifferentiated way, is a mistake that should not be practiced, especially since the current consumer is increasingly informed and demanding. Starting a business without knowing who your target audience is and without knowing their main features and needs can be a real waste of time. As good as your business is, not everyone will need it, so you’ll be spending resources communicating with people who don’t need your product or service. So you should target your audience according to their main characteristics, so you can communicate in a personalized way with each type of person. In this way, it will be easier to reach people who really need you!

 

Extra tip: Business happens at a very fast pace and it is essential that you know what is happening in your company to make the most appropriate decisions for your business. Download our e-book and find how a BAM tool can help you!

5 Essential Tips to Make Your Business More Productive

New Year New Life! If in 2018 you want to make your company more productive, you should continue reading this article. Over the years, the way we work has changed a lot, especially due to technology. However, more and more we are “bombarded” with constant requests, which continually interrupt our work pace and diminish our productivity. In today’s article, we leave you 5 essential tips to make your business more productive in the new year!

Centralize information

One of the main problems of companies and especially of decision makers is to have the information spread through various software. This takes a long time to find the necessary data, which delays the operational decisions and undermines the good functioning of the companies. Softwares such as Multipeers allow you to centralize in a single platform all the information coming from the various systems of the company, showing it in a graphically clean and interactive way, which contributes to better decisions, since all the information can be consulted in real time.

Delegate tasks

It is not always easy for managers to be able to delegate important tasks to their team, but without realizing this is one of the main productivity problems. No one is a super hero to be able to carry the company on the back, so knowing trust in the team is fundamental to being able to dedicate to tasks that really cannot be done by anyone else. Surrounding yourself with qualified and responsible professionals will help you to know how to delegate some tasks.

Defining Daily Goals

We all have monthly and annual goals to fulfill, but if we think very generically we will not be able to perform daily the tasks that will contribute to this achievement of objectives. It is essential to set daily goals to make your business more productive. You should be realistic in setting goals for your day, otherwise you will not be able to accomplish all the tasks and this will lead you to a feeling of frustration.

Establish times to consult the email

The constant arrival of emails distracts us from the task we are currently undertaking. You should turn off incoming e-mail notifications on your Desktop and establish (and meet) e-mail query and response times. In this way, your day-to-day life will be much more organized and you will achieve higher levels of productivity.

Gather only if it is essential

Most companies live in a culture of meetings. Each and every subject is discussed around a meeting table and hardly the schedule and established plan are actually fulfilled. It has been proven that most of the issues discussed at business meetings could easily be solved by sending an email or a phone call. Therefore, you should meet only if the matter is delicate and require the input of various elements of your team. Otherwise, you can opt for quick and standing conversations so that employees realize that it will be a quick “meeting” and really focus on the matter to be resolved.

Find the main aspects of Lean IT

The software industry is constantly evolving. Being a very competitive market, it is essential that the solutions provided by companies solve problems quickly and be flexible. It is critical that this area innovates and creates a new software development culture. Lean IT adapts the original concepts of the Lean philosophy and Toyota’s IT system. The goal is to adapt to the business in order to create value for customers by changing the way companies work and improving their business culture. In today’s article, we will cover the main aspects of Lean IT.

Origin of the term

Lean IT is an extension of the industrial Lean, which had its origins in 1950 in the Toyota factory. At this point, the world was going through an economic crisis and it was essential to reduce costs and optimize performance levels. Through the Lean method, companies minimize waste and produce with high quality, which increases customer value and makes processes more efficient. This work method uses optimization processes such as Just in time and continuous improvement.

More efficient processes

Dealing with information technology environments means having to constantly update them to anticipate and avoid problems and instabilities and promote continuous improvement (according to Kaizen methodology). Managing an IT environment is a complex process and this methodology seeks to create more functional systems that are able to integrate all processes, making them more secure and reliable.

Standardization of processes

This is one of the main features of this method. Standardization is the easiest and safest way to perform a task without fail. Lean IT suggests the following processes to streamline tasks: 5S standards application checklist, clear operation instructions, process parameter definition, setup parameter pattern, and problem escalation pattern.

Faster production

One of the main focuses of this methodology is the increase of the speed of the processes, which in turn increases the productivity and the profit. Well delineated and flawless processes make the company more productive and this will make the financial results are higher.

Greater Involvement

The Lean IT methodology involves the entire organization in the production process, not applying to only one sector of the company, but to all hierarchies. This method involves all employees so that success is achieved in the end easier.