Two dashboards for different audiences deliver tailored visibility for stakeholders and project teams

Mallory’s dashboard dilemma isn’t just about pretty charts. It’s about clarity, speed, and making sure the right people see the right stuff. When you’re juggling external stakeholders and a project team, the data needs aren’t the same. If you try to merchandise every detail into one place, you end up with noise, not insight. So what’s the smart move? Two dashboards tailored to distinct audiences.

Why a single dashboard can feel like a crowded kitchen

Let’s start with the temptation. A single dashboard seems efficient—one place, one view, fewer clicks. It’s comfy to imagine everyone agrees on what matters most. But reality has a way of throwing a curveball. External stakeholders often want big-picture progress and milestones without wiring through every task detail. The project team, meanwhile, needs granular timelines, task lists, and early warnings that require drill-downs people can act on now.

Trying to balance both groups in one dashboard risks overload. If you stuff KPIs, status updates, risk flags, budgets, milestones, and committee notes into one screen, you’ll end up with a lot of scrolling, scrolling, and more scrolling. People either skim and miss critical signals, or they feel buried under a mountain of information that isn’t relevant to them. That’s not a great experience for anyone.

Two dashboards, two clean lines of sight

The case for building two dashboards is simple in theory and surprisingly effective in practice. Separate dashboards let you tailor content and visuals for each audience. External stakeholders get high-level metrics, project status, and milestones that matter to them—without sifting through the operational weeds. The project team gets the nitty-gritty: task lists, dependencies, detailed timelines, and the data they need to keep work moving.

This separation isn’t about playing favorites; it’s about useful design. When people see information framed for their role, they trust the dashboard more. They respond faster. Decisions become sharper because the signal-to-noise ratio is higher.

A few examples of what each audience could see

• External stakeholders:

• Overall project health (green/yellow/red status)

• Major milestones and upcoming deliverables

• Budget at a glance and burn rate trend

• Key risks with high-impact potential and proposed mitigations

• High-level timeline with critical-path milestones

• Project team:

• Task lists with owners, due dates, and progress

• Detailed milestones and dependencies

• Resource workload and capacity indicators

• Issue log and change requests

• Real-time filters for what’s due this week or this sprint

Yes, filters can help, but they’re not a substitute for audience-specific dashboards

Using filters on a single dashboard might feel like a middle ground, but it rarely hits the sweet spot. Filters can help a few users focus, but they don’t eliminate information gaps for other viewers. External stakeholders still won’t want or need the same level of detail as the team, and relying on filtering to tailor content adds cognitive load. It’s more fragile, too—when filters aren’t applied consistently, confusion follows.

A detailed report isn’t the same thing as a dashboard

Another alternative some teams lean on is a detailed report. Reports are great for archival detail and sharing a thorough audit trail, but dashboards excel at quick comprehension and rapid decision-making. The story a dashboard tells at a glance is different from what a long, narrative report conveys. In fast-moving projects, leaders want to see the pulse in real time, and dashboards are built for that moment-to-moment insight.

How Mallory can implement a two-dashboard approach in Smartsheet

If you’re using Smartsheet, the transition from one crowded view to two clean dashboards can be straightforward. Here’s a practical path you can follow:

1. Start with audience inventories

• List who will view each dashboard.

• Write down what success looks like for each group.

• Note the top 3-5 metrics or signals each audience cares about.

2. Define data sources and visuals for each dashboard

• External stakeholders: big-picture metrics, gauges, milestones, red-flag risks, budget trend lines.

• Project team: a calendar-style timeline, a task board, dependency indicators, and a sprint view.

3. Build the two dashboards

• Create Dashboard A for external stakeholders with concise cards, clear status tokens, and a simple color scheme that communicates risk at a glance.

• Create Dashboard B for the project team full of detail: task lists, owner assignment, dates, dependencies, and a daily-updated progress bar.

4. Keep a shared data backbone, but separate the face

• Use the same underlying sheets or reports where it makes sense, but present them differently.

• Ensure terminology is consistent across dashboards to avoid confusion (for example, what “Milestone 3” means should be the same in both).

5. Lock down access and permissions

• External dashboard: share with stakeholders via view-only access or limited editing rights as appropriate.

• Team dashboard: share with the core project group, with editing rights for those who manage tasks or timelines.

• Consider a quick onboarding note on each dashboard so new viewers know what they’re looking at and why.

6. Design for clarity and consistency

• Use a unified color language and iconography to keep branding coherent.

• Place the most important signals up front; let the rest of the content support those signals.

• Keep layout predictable so viewers feel comfortable as they navigate.

7. Establish a governance and refresh cadence

• Define how often data is updated (real-time vs. daily refresh) and who’s responsible.

• Schedule periodic reviews with both audiences to adjust what they see based on evolving needs.

• Create a simple change log so updates don’t surprise anyone.

A few practical tips that save time later

• Start small. Build a basic external dashboard first to get buy-in, then layer in more complexity for the team dashboard.

• Use real-time widgets where it matters. A live milestone tracker or a filtered risk radar makes a big difference.

• Keep narrative quiet but meaningful. A few well-placed annotations or brief context lines help viewers interpret what they’re seeing without needing a separate memo.

• Test with a couple of users from each audience. A quick feedback session can reveal missing signals or confusing terminology.

• Plan a monthly tune-up. Dashboards evolve with the project, so a light refresh routine keeps them relevant.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Pitfall: One size fits all. Even if it feels easier, one dashboard often becomes a compromise that leaves both groups unsatisfied.

• Pitfall: Inconsistent data definitions. If “on track” means different things in each dashboard, trust erodes fast.

• Pitfall: Overloading the team dashboard. When the team sees every possible data point, it’s hard to decide what to act on first.

• Pitfall: Neglecting access controls. A dashboard leakage story isn’t ideal—protect sensitive data, even if your audience is internal.

A little analogy to keep things human

Think of two dashboards like a well-tuned duo in a jazz quartet. The external dashboard is the melodic lead—clear, memorable, and carrying the main theme so listeners (stakeholders) stay engaged. The team dashboard plays the rhythm and improvisation—inviting team members to dive into the groove, tweak the tempo, and coordinate the next steps. Together they create a harmony that’s informative without being noisy.

A quick, shareable checklist Mallory can use

• Identify audiences: external stakeholders and project team members.

• Define top metrics for each group.

• Build Dashboard A (external) with high-level status, milestones, and budget trends.

• Build Dashboard B (team) with tasks, timelines, and dependencies.

• Use the same data sources where appropriate, but tailor views.

• Set permissions so each audience sees what’s relevant.

• Establish a refresh cadence and a governance routine.

• Run a brief feedback session with representatives from both groups.

Wrapping it up: clarity over convenience

In the end, Mallory’s best move is to create two dashboards—one that speaks to external stakeholders and another that speaks to the project team. This approach doesn’t just reduce noise; it increases speed of understanding. When the right people see the right signals, decisions come faster, alignment feels natural, and trust deepens. It’s not about more work up front; it’s about smarter presentation of the same underlying data.

If you’re designing dashboards for mixed audiences yourself, keep the user in the center. Start with purpose, map the signals, and test with real viewers. The goal isn’t to impress with bells and whistles; it’s to illuminate the path forward with clarity, agility, and a touch of human insight. And when you do it right, the dashboards don’t just report on progress—they propel it.