Most analytics teams do not struggle because they lack Tableau skills. They struggle because they produce dashboards that are technically correct but operationally useless. The dashboard loads.The filters work.The colors look professional. And nobody changes a decision because of it. That is the real gap between an average analyst and a high-performing one: Average analysts build reports. High-performing analysts create clarity for decision-makers. If you lead an analytics team, review every...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, 3 years ago Eva and I had our first child together. Then something crazy happened. I suddenly felt I had less time! Crazy, I know. You’d think I’d be ready since Annika is my 5th child. I have learned lots of tips to help maximize my time learning Tableau, but the reality is how I saw my time needed to change. Here are some thoughts on time: 1. The 20-minute viz session is real. You don’t always need a long chunk of time to build that cool dashboard or catch up on that class. A...
16 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, When someone asks what you do, avoid saying: “I build Tableau dashboards.” That describes the tool. It doesn’t describe your value. Try this instead: “I help [team or business] make better decisions about [important business problem] by turning data into clear, actionable insights.” Compare the difference: Weak: “I built a sales dashboard.” Stronger: “I helped the sales team identify which regions were falling behind target and focus their attention where it mattered most.” The...
22 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, Strong Tableau analysis usually moves through three levels. Level 1: Overview Start with the big picture. What is the overall result? Is performance up or down? Are we above or below target? Which metric needs attention? Level 2: Diagnosis Next, investigate what caused the result. Break the metric down by useful dimensions: Region Product Customer segment Sales channel Time period The goal is to find the areas driving the movement. Level 3: Detail Only then should you show the...
29 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, Your dashboard should guide the user’s eyes in the same order they should think. A simple layout usually works best: 1. Start with the headline Put your most important KPI or conclusion at the top. Examples: Revenue is 12% below target Customer churn increased this month The West region drove most of the growth 2. Show the trend Next, show how that number changed over time. This gives context. A number by itself rarely tells the full story. 3. Explain the movement Use a breakdown...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, A dashboard can be accurate, attractive, and completely useless. I see this pattern often: An analyst spends days building a report, sends the link to stakeholders, and waits for people to use it. Nothing happens. Then someone asks for the same information in an email. The problem usually isn’t the dashboard itself. It’s that nobody knows: Why it matters What decision it supports Where to start What they’re supposed to do next Before you send your next dashboard, write a...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, “Any feedback?” is a terrible question. You get “Looks good” or a random color opinion. Next time you share a dashboard, ask these instead: “What decision will you make with this each week or month?”If they can’t answer, the dashboard isn’t specific enough. “What’s missing that would stop you using this?”This surfaces the one or two critical gaps to fix. “If you had to remove one view, what would it be?”This forces prioritization and helps you simplify. Use these three questions...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, You don’t need 20 projects to stand out. You need three: Business performance dashboard Revenue, volume, or engagement over time Clear question in the title One highlight about what changed Deep‑dive diagnostic Break one metric down by segment (region, product, channel) Show where things are winning / losing Before/after redesign Take an ugly existing report Redesign it and explain why your version is better Give each project: A 2–3 sentence problem statement 1 screenshot or short...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Most dashboards die in inboxes. Not because the work is bad, but because it’s hard to access and doesn’t answer a felt need. Try these three tweaks on your next release: Lead with the decision, not the data.In your email / Slack message, start with:“This will help you decide: [specific decision].” Give one “do this now” action.Add a single line:“If you only look at one thing, check [view] and see whether [metric] is above or below [threshold].” Make access frictionless. Direct...
2 months ago • 2 min read