Welcome to Lesson 3, which involves setting up a performance dashboard. The slogan shown here, “What Gets Measured Gets Done” is a reminder that by selecting the appropriate measurements, by periodically gathering the necessary data for those measurements, and by displaying the information in an easy-to-understand format, we can take corrective action when needed and greatly improve our chances for success.

The term “dashboard” has come into use recently in business, and it’s a good one. Think of driving a car or flying an airplane. Without a dashboard or control panel, you’d be lost, you’d run out of gas, and get pulled over for speeding. Let’s think about driving our Lean process improvement initiative, then, with an appropriate dashboard or control panel to keep us on track.