Start with the business objective
Choose the primary outcome that the business needs: qualified enquiries, accepted pipeline, profitable orders, or another defined action. Add supporting metrics only when they help diagnose progress toward that outcome.
Show the funnel, not just the top
For lead generation, include enquiries, contactability, qualification, appointments, and sales progress where available. For e-commerce, compare orders with cancellations, returns, and relevant cost assumptions. Make incomplete downstream data visible.
Reconcile the definitions
Confirm the date range, time zone, attribution model, and conversion definition for each source. Platform data and CRM data often answer different questions. Explain differences rather than forcing them into a single apparently precise number.
End with a decision
Separate facts from hypotheses and proposed actions. State who owns the next step and what evidence will be reviewed. A dashboard is most useful when it changes a decision or highlights a problem the team can address.