Chapter 8/10 • 15 min read
Reporting
Build dashboards that drive decisions. The right metrics for the right audience.
⏱️ TL;DR: Create dashboards by audience (exec, manager, rep). Focus on actionable metrics. Automate distribution. Review and iterate based on usage.
Dashboard Hierarchy
Different audiences need different views:
Executive Dashboard
- Revenue vs target (MTD, QTD, YTD)
- Pipeline coverage
- Forecast accuracy
- Win rate trend
- CAC and LTV
Manager Dashboard
- Team pipeline by rep
- Activity metrics
- Conversion rates by stage
- Deals at risk
- Rep quota attainment
Rep Dashboard
- My pipeline by stage
- Activities today/week
- Deals closing this month
- My performance vs quota
- Next actions
💡 Less is More
A dashboard with 5 metrics beats one with 50. Focus on what drives action.
Essential RevOps Reports
1. Pipeline Health
- Total pipeline value
- Pipeline by stage (waterfall)
- Pipeline created vs needed
- Aging deals (deals without activity)
2. Funnel Conversion
- Stage-to-stage conversion rates
- Conversion by source
- Conversion by segment
- Time in stage
3. Performance
- Win rate over time
- Average deal size trend
- Sales cycle length
- Rep leaderboard
4. Activity
- Activities per rep
- Activity-to-meeting ratio
- Response time (speed to lead)
- Meeting-to-opportunity ratio
5. Forecast
- Forecast by category
- Forecast vs actual (historical)
- Close date accuracy
- Slipped deals
Report Design Principles
1. Start with the Question
Every report should answer a specific question:
- "Are we on track to hit quota?"
- "Where are deals getting stuck?"
- "Which source produces best customers?"
2. Make It Actionable
If you can't take action based on the data, it doesn't belong.
3. Show Trend, Not Just Snapshot
Month-over-month and quarter-over-quarter context matters.
4. Enable Drill-Down
From summary → detail → individual records.
Reporting Cadence
| Frequency | Audience | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Reps | My activities, my deals |
| Weekly | Managers | Team performance, pipeline review |
| Monthly | Leadership | Results, trends, insights |
| Quarterly | Executive/Board | Strategic metrics, forecasts |
Automate Distribution
Don't make people hunt for reports:
- Scheduled email digests
- Slack/Teams notifications
- Embedded dashboards in CRM
- Mobile-friendly views
⚠️ Report Decay
Reports that nobody uses are waste. Audit usage quarterly and retire unused reports.
Reporting Checklist
- ☑️ Executive dashboard built
- ☑️ Manager dashboards by team
- ☑️ Rep self-serve dashboards
- ☑️ Key questions answered
- ☑️ Automated distribution
- ☑️ Usage tracking in place