Who This Helps
This is for founders and operators who see a key number drop and need to know why—now. It uses the core idea from the Metrics & Dashboards Basics program: your dashboard is a conversation starter, not just a report.
Mini Case
Your weekly active user growth rate just fell from 8% to 3%. Panic mode is optional. Instead of asking your team for a dozen reports, you open your main growth dashboard. In 20 minutes, you spot the issue: a key onboarding step completion rate dropped 40% for users from a specific ad campaign last week. You've just saved a 3-hour meeting.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Pick one KPI. Just one. Revenue, sign-ups, activation rate—choose the one that dropped and matters most right now.
- Open your main dashboard for that area. Don't get distracted by other tabs or tools.
- Look one level deeper. If revenue dropped, check average order value and transaction count separately.
- Check for changes in inputs. Did traffic source mix shift? Did a feature launch change user flow?
- Form your one-sentence hypothesis. For example: "Revenue dropped because our top traffic source sent fewer high-intent visitors."
Avoid These Traps
- Chasing ghosts. Don't jump to a second KPI before you finish diagnosing the first. Stay focused.
- Analysis paralysis. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Your goal is a good enough answer to act on, not a PhD thesis.
- Blaming the dashboard. If your dashboard can't answer basic "why" questions, it's time for a dashboard tune-up. (That's a hint for the full course!)
- Skipping the comparison. Always ask "compared to when?" A drop from last week is different from a drop from last month.
- Ignoring the calendar. Check for holidays, long weekends, or industry events that might have changed user behavior.
- Forgetting seasonality. Is this dip normal for this time of year? Your past data can tell you.
- Mixing correlation with cause. Just because two things changed doesn't mean one caused the other. Look for the logical link.
- Trying to fix it before you understand it. Diagnosis first, prescription second. Don't rush to a solution.
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you'll have turned one confusing KPI drop into a clear, actionable insight. You'll know the probable root cause and can assign one clear next step to your team. No more week-long investigations. You'll get your time back and make a decision that moves the needle. That's the power of a focused dashboard session.