Understand Dashboards and Key Metrics

Overview #

AssetIQ dashboards provide a visual summary of asset and operational information.

Depending on your organisation’s configuration, a dashboard may present:

• Summary cards
• Key performance indicators
• Charts
• Status distributions
• Trend information
• Lists of records requiring attention
• Links to detailed reports

Use dashboards to identify patterns and exceptions, then review the supporting records before making an important decision.

Important: A dashboard value is influenced by its definition, date range, filters, user permissions and data-refresh timing. Two users may see different values if they have different access or filters.

What is a dashboard? #

A dashboard brings together selected metrics and visualisations on one screen.

It is designed to answer high-level questions such as:

• How many assets are active?
• Which assets require attention?
• How much maintenance is overdue?
• How many inspections failed?
• Which rentals are currently active?
• Are operational backlogs increasing?
• Where are assets located?
• How effectively are resources being used?

The exact questions supported depend on the widgets and metrics available in your AssetIQ environment.

What is a key metric? #

A key metric is a number, percentage, duration or value summarizing a defined set of records.

Examples may include:

• Total assets
• Active assets
• Assets under maintenance
• Overdue maintenance
• Open work orders
• Completed inspections
• Failed inspections
• Active rentals
• Overdue rentals
• Asset utilization
• Average work-order duration

These are examples only. Use the metric names displayed in the current AssetIQ dashboard.

Dashboard components #

A dashboard may include the following components.

Component	Purpose
Summary card	Shows one key value
Bar chart	Compares values across categories
Line chart	Shows change over time
Pie or donut chart	Shows composition or distribution
Table	Displays supporting records
Trend indicator	Shows movement compared with another period
Alert list	Highlights records requiring attention
Filter	Limits the displayed data
Drill-down link	Opens the records contributing to a value

Open a dashboard #

1. Sign in to AssetIQ.
2. Open Dashboard, Reports, Analytics or the corresponding module.
3. Select the required dashboard, where several dashboards are available.
4. Review the displayed organization and date range.
5. Check active filters.
6. Confirm when the data was last updated, where shown.

The default dashboard may depend on your role.

Review the dashboard scope #

Before interpreting the figures, confirm whether the dashboard covers:

• Entire organization
• Selected business unit
• Selected location
• Selected asset category
• Current user’s assigned records
• A selected reporting period
• Active records only
• Another configured scope

The dashboard title alone may not describe every applied restriction.

Understand summary cards #

A summary card normally shows one metric, such as:

• Total Assets
• Open Work Orders
• Overdue Maintenance
• Failed Inspections
• Active Rentals

The card may also include:

• Comparison with a previous period
• Percentage change
• Status color
• Icon
• Drill-down action
• Additional explanatory label

Select the card where available to review the supporting records.

Understand counts #

A count represents the number of records matching defined conditions.

Before relying on a count, determine:

• What record type is counted
• Which statuses are included
• Which date is used
• Whether archived records are excluded
• Whether cancelled records are included
• Whether each asset or transaction is counted once
• Whether filters are active

For example, Open Work Orders may include several configured statuses rather than only records labelled “Open.”

Understand percentages #

A percentage compares one value with a defined total.

For example:$$\text{Inspection pass rate} = \frac{\text{Passed inspections}}{\text{Completed inspections}} \times 100$$

Before interpreting a percentage, confirm:

• Numerator
• Denominator
• Date range
• Included statuses
• Treatment of incomplete records
• Treatment of cancelled records
• Whether records with missing data are excluded

A high percentage may be misleading if the number of completed records is very small.

Understand trends #

A trend shows whether a metric increased, decreased or remained stable.

The comparison may be against:

• Previous day
• Previous week
• Previous month
• Previous quarter
• Previous year
• Previous equivalent period
• Another configured baseline

An increase is not always favorable.

For example:

• Increase in completed inspections may be positive
• Increase in overdue maintenance may be negative
• Decrease in open work orders may be positive
• Decrease in asset utilization may require investigation

Interpret the direction according to the metric’s meaning.

Understand status colors #

Colors may indicate:

• Normal condition
• Warning
• Critical condition
• Positive trend
• Negative trend
• Activity type
• Status category
• Another configured meaning

Check the dashboard legend or metric definition.

Do not assume that green, amber and red always use the same thresholds across dashboards.

Understand charts #

Bar charts #

Use bar charts to compare categories such as:

• Assets by location
• Work orders by status
• Inspections by result
• Rentals by business unit

Review:

• Axis labels
• Units
• Category order
• Active filters
• Whether values are counts or percentages

Line charts #

Use line charts to understand changes over time.

Review:

• Date interval
• Measurement
• Trend direction
• Missing periods
• Unusual increases or decreases

Do not assume that two points are directly comparable if the underlying reporting periods differ.

Pie and donut charts #

Use these charts to understand how a total is distributed.

Check:

• Total number of records
• Category definitions
• Whether very small categories are grouped
• Whether records can belong to more than one segment
• Whether percentages add to 100%

Tables #

Tables provide more exact information than charts.

Use tables to:

• Review identifiers
• Sort records
• Examine status and dates
• Open supporting details
• Export data where available

Drill down into a metric #

Where drill-down is supported:

1. Select the summary card, chart section or table row.
2. Review the detailed records.
3. Confirm the inherited filters.
4. Check the record count.
5. Open individual records where necessary.
6. Return to the dashboard after completing the review.

The detailed list should help explain how the metric was calculated.

Example: Total assets #

A Total Assets metric might include:

• Active assets
• Assets under maintenance
• Stored assets
• Unavailable assets

It might exclude:

• Draft records
• Archived assets
• Disposed assets
• Deleted records
• Assets outside your permitted organization

Confirm the configured definition before comparing it with an asset-list count.

Example: Overdue maintenance #

An Overdue Maintenance metric may count maintenance records where:

• Due date has passed
• Work is not completed
• Work is not cancelled
• Asset and record fall within the user’s permitted scope

The value may appear incorrect when:

• Completion was not recorded
• Due date is wrong
• Status is outdated
• Filters differ
• The dashboard has not refreshed

Example: Failed inspections #

A Failed Inspections metric may represent:

• Inspections with an overall failed result
• Individual failed checklist questions
• Open inspection findings
• Another configured calculation

These definitions can produce very different numbers.

Confirm whether the metric counts inspections or findings.

Example: Active rentals #

An Active Rentals metric may include:

• Dispatched rentals
• Active rentals
• Partially returned rentals
• Overdue rentals

It may count rental jobs or individual rented assets.

Review the metric definition before comparing it with the Rental Management list.

Example: Asset utilization #

Asset utilization may be calculated using:$$\text{Utilisation} = \frac{\text{Time in defined productive use}} {\text{Time available in the reporting period}} \times 100$$

However, the exact definition may use:

• Rental days
• Scheduled days
• Operating hours
• Productive hours
• Calendar time
• Available working time

Confirm:

• Calculation method
• Reporting period
• Treatment of maintenance
• Treatment of unavailability
• Treatment of partial days
• Asset scope

Do not compare utilization figures calculated using different methods.

Date basis #

A dashboard metric may use:

• Created date
• Planned date
• Due date
• Actual start date
• Completion date
• Return date
• Current status as of today

For example, “Inspections completed this month” should normally use completion date, while “Inspections due this month” uses due date.

Confirm the date basis when comparing figures.

Active filters #

Dashboard filters may include:

• Date range
• Organization
• Business unit
• Location
• Asset category
• Asset status
• Activity status
• Responsible user
• Priority

Active filters can affect every widget or only selected widgets, depending on the design.

Review filter indicators before interpreting the dashboard.

Role-based data visibility #

Users may see different figures because they have access to different:

• Organizations
• Business units
• Locations
• Assets
• Modules
• Reports

If two users see different totals, compare their access scope and filters before treating the difference as an error.

Data-refresh timing #

Dashboard data may update:

• Immediately after a record is saved
• After the page is refreshed
• At scheduled intervals
• After background processing
• According to another configured method

Where available, check the Last Updated value.

If data appears outdated:

1. Confirm the underlying record was saved.
2. Refresh the dashboard.
3. Check the date and filters.
4. Wait for the configured refresh process where appropriate.
5. Contact the administrator if the issue remains.

Validate an unexpected metric #

If a value appears incorrect:

1. Confirm the dashboard and widget.
2. Review its definition.
3. Check the date range.
4. Review active filters.
5. Check your permission scope.
6. Drill into the supporting records.
7. Review relevant statuses.
8. Verify a sample against source records.
9. Confirm the refresh time.
10. Report the issue with evidence if it remains unexplained.

Do not change operational records merely to make a dashboard value match an expectation.

Compare reporting periods #

When comparing periods, use:

• The same metric definition
• The same date basis
• The same filter scope
• Comparable period lengths
• Consistent status treatment
• Similar data completeness

For example, do not compare a complete previous month with a partially completed current month without noting the difference.

Use metrics for action #

A useful dashboard should lead users toward appropriate action.

Examples include:

Metric	Possible next action
Overdue maintenance	Review overdue records and assign follow-up
Failed inspections	Review findings and operational restrictions
Overdue rentals	Contact responsible coordinators
Unassigned assets	Review custody and location
Low utilization	Review demand, availability or asset need
High open-work backlog	Review priorities and available resources

The metric indicates where to investigate; it does not by itself explain the cause.

Exporting dashboard information #

Where available, a dashboard may allow you to:

• Export chart data
• Download a detailed table
• Print the dashboard
• Save an image or PDF
• Open a report for export

Confirm whether the export includes:

• Current filters
• All records
• Visible records only
• Summary data
• Detailed data

See Export Report Data.

Common issues #

A summary card differs from the detailed list #

Check metric definitions, statuses, filters, permissions and refresh timing.

A chart shows no information #

Confirm the date range, filters, data scope and whether matching records exist.

The percentage exceeds expectations #

Review the numerator, denominator, duplicate records and calculation method.

Two users see different dashboard totals #

Compare their organizational access, roles and active filters.

A completed record remains in an overdue metric #

Confirm that its status and completion date were saved and refresh the dashboard.

The dashboard does not show recent changes #

Review the refresh process and last-updated time.

Clicking a metric opens fewer records than expected #

The drill-down may apply additional criteria. Review the inherited filters.

A dashboard widget is unavailable #

The widget may depend on your role, subscription, configuration or available data.

Recommended practices #

When using dashboards and metrics:

• Confirm the dashboard scope
• Review date ranges and filters
• Understand each metric’s definition
• Distinguish counts from percentages
• Interpret trends in context
• Check chart units and labels
• Use drill-downs
• Validate unexpected figures
• Compare like-for-like periods
• Consider permission differences
• Check data freshness
• Correct source-data issues
• Treat metrics as investigation signals
• Document assumptions in management reports

Next steps #

Continue with:

• Filter and Analyze Report Data
• View Asset Management Reports
• View Maintenance and Inspection Reports
• View Rental and Utilization Reports
• Export Report Data
• Troubleshoot Report and Dashboard Data

For a general introduction, see Introduction to Reports and Analytics.