Use Widgets for Structured Workflows

Use Widgets for Structured Workflows

Widgets help your team start common manufacturing analyses without having to phrase the perfect prompt from scratch.

What Widgets Are

Widgets are guided starting points for repeatable workflows.

They ask for a small set of useful inputs, then turn that into a stronger DashboardGenius request in chat.

Widgets do not replace normal chat. After the first answer, you can keep asking follow-up questions in the same thread.

Where to Find Widgets

When you start a conversation, DashboardGenius can show a Start with a widget section.

Use a widget when:

• The question is repeated often
• The team wants more consistent framing
• You know the job to be done, but not the best wording

Use plain chat when the question is exploratory, unusual, or crosses multiple workflows at once.

Current Widget Catalog

DashboardGenius currently includes these widget workflows:

Capacity Planning

Use this when you need to estimate:

• shifts required
• production hours required
• capacity risk for a target output

Typical inputs:

• item or product scope
• target quantity and unit
• facility or line context
• assumed efficiency
• packaging included or not

Production vs Demand

Use this when you need to compare output against:

• sales
• forecast
• demand signals

Typical inputs:

• scope or item group
• time range
• facility
• preferred output style such as chart, summary, or gap table

Downtime Pareto

Use this when you need to find the biggest downtime drivers across:

• causes
• lines
• assets
• areas

Typical inputs:

• facility
• line or asset focus
• time range
• planned vs unplanned scope
• output style

Yield / Reject Review

Use this when you want to review quality performance through:

• reject rate
• reject count
• yield percent
• scrap loss

Typical inputs:

• product, machine, or line scope
• facility
• time range
• breakout choice
• comparison mode

Shift / Period Summary

Use this when you need a fast summary for:

• the last shift
• yesterday
• last week
• this week so far
• a custom period

Typical inputs:

• facility
• period preset or custom range
• focus area such as production, downtime, quality, or demand
• preferred output style

Schedule Risk Check

Use this when you need to judge whether the current plan is at risk of:

• shortages
• missed demand
• service issues
• hidden schedule weak points

Typical inputs:

• item or run scope
• facility
• review window
• demand baseline
• known constraints

Best Practices

Widgets work best when you still give them business context.

Include:

• exact time range when possible
• facility, line, area, or SKU scope
• any known operating constraint
• whether you want a chart, table, or summary

Short notes can materially improve the first answer.

What to Do After the First Result

Treat the first widget result as a launch point.

Good follow-ups include:

• "Break this down by shift."
• "Filter to Plant 2 only."
• "Compare to the prior period."
• "Show only the top 5 drivers."
• "Turn this into a chart."

Widgets vs Better Prompts

Widgets and strong prompting work together.

• Use a widget when the workflow is known and repeated
• Use freeform prompting when the question is open-ended
• Use follow-up chat to refine either one

Your team does not need to standardize on one entry style. Most organizations use both.

Common Mistakes

• Choosing a widget for a one-off question that needs broader exploration
• Leaving the time range vague
• Skipping facility or line context when it matters
• Treating the first answer as final without a follow-up question

Next Guide

Continue with Impact Queue Guide.