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Getting Started

Getting Started with DashboardGenius

End-to-end onboarding for new teams, from first login to first trusted insight.

Getting Started with DashboardGenius

Use this guide to go from account invite to a reliable daily workflow.

DashboardGenius now supports multiple ways to work with the same connected data:

  • Explore for fast scoping before a full analysis
  • fast exploratory chat
  • guided widgets for repeat analyses
  • Apps for more stateful workflows such as Demand Planning
  • reminders for future follow-up
  • Gallery for keeping strong visuals easy to revisit

Before You Begin

Have these ready:

  • Your DashboardGenius invite
  • Access to at least one data source (Snowflake, Power BI, Google Sheets, or files)
  • One high-value question you already discuss in ops or quality meetings
  • A rough idea of whether the first answer should stay private or live in a shared Workspace

Example first question:

"Show downtime by line for the last 7 days and rank highest to lowest."

1. Sign In and Confirm Your Organization

After login, confirm you are in the correct organization.

If your company runs multiple plants or teams, verify the org before connecting data so reports, Workspaces, and shared recipients stay in the right place.

2. Connect Your First Data Source

Open Connect Data Source and choose one source:

  • Snowflake
  • Power BI
  • Google Sheets
  • Upload Files

Start with the source your operations team already trusts for daily KPI reviews.

3. Run a Connection Quality Check

After connecting, ask three validation questions before broader rollout:

  • "What date range is available in this source?"
  • "Show row counts by table, dataset, or tab."
  • "List available dimensions and metrics for downtime and quality."

If these results look wrong, fix connection setup first rather than trying to work around it with prompts.

4. Clean Up Names and Routing Early

Before broader rollout, make sure the source catalog is easy to understand.

Do this now if you have more than one source:

  • rename vague sources
  • make plant, function, or workflow purpose obvious
  • review Routing Map for the sources most people will use

This prevents avoidable source confusion later.

5. Choose the Right Starting Workflow

Most teams have three strong entry points:

  • Explore first when the question is broad, ambiguous, or source selection is unclear
  • Widget first for repeated workflows such as downtime review, production vs demand, shift summaries, or schedule risk checks
  • Freeform chat for exploratory questions, unexpected issues, or cross-functional follow-ups
  • Apps when the workflow needs versioning, review steps, or a formal handoff surface

If the question is something your team asks every week, start with a widget. If you are still figuring out what matters, use Explore or freeform chat. If the work is a structured operating process such as demand-plan review, use the relevant app.

6. Ask Your First High-Quality Question

Use this structure:

  • Metric: OEE, downtime, rejects, yield, throughput
  • Time window: explicit range (yesterday, last shift, last 30 days)
  • Scope: line, area, SKU family, plant
  • Output: trend, ranking, comparison, or summary

Example:

"Compare quality rejects by product family for the last 30 days and highlight the biggest week-over-week change."

If you are on mobile or moving between meetings, voice input can be a fast way to ask the same structured question without typing.

7. Put Useful Work in the Right Place

When an answer is useful:

  • Keep it private if the work is still rough or sensitive
  • Move it into a Workspace if other people should reopen or continue it
  • Ask for a chart if the answer needs faster inspection
  • Keep strong visuals visible in Gallery
  • Share the result by email when leaders or stakeholders only need the outcome
  • Set a reminder when you personally need to check a future condition or date
  • Convert repeat questions into Scheduled Reports
  • Move recurring structured work into Apps when available

This turns one-off analysis into repeatable team workflows.

8. Establish Week-1 Team Habits

For fastest adoption, run this cadence in your first week:

  • Daily: one operations question and one quality question
  • Daily: one Inbox review if Ops Watch is enabled
  • Daily: use Explore before any broad question where the source, timeframe, or grain is unclear
  • Weekly: one Workspace review to keep shared threads organized
  • Weekly: one Scheduled Report audit to confirm the right people are getting the right summaries
  • Weekly: one Reminders review to cancel stale follow-ups or convert repeated checks into reports
  • Weekly: one Impact Queue review to confirm or dismiss proposed opportunities

What "Good Setup" Looks Like

You are in a strong state when:

  • At least one data source is connected and validated
  • Connected sources have clear names and basic routing hygiene
  • Users know when to use Explore before Analyze
  • At least one repeated workflow has a widget, canonical prompt, or saved reporting pattern
  • Teams know when to use chat, widgets, or Apps
  • Team members can find shared analysis in Workspaces
  • Strong visuals remain easy to revisit in Gallery
  • At least one Scheduled Report is active
  • Personal follow-ups live in Reminders instead of getting lost in chat
  • People & Team is set up for recipients and access ownership
  • Impact Queue is being reviewed consistently

Next Guide

Continue with Connect Data Sources.