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What a CFO Dashboard Should Show, and What to Leave Out
What belongs on a CFO dashboard: cash, runway, revenue, gross margin, DSO, DPO, AP aging and budget vs actual, laid out on one screen with clear drill paths.
MYGrowth Solutions5 min read
Most finance dashboards show too much. Thirty tiles compete for attention, and the one number that matters gets lost. A good CFO dashboard does the opposite. It answers a few questions fast, on one screen.
This post covers what to show, how to lay it out and how to let readers drill into detail.
Start with the questions
A CFO dashboard should answer four questions in under a minute:
- Do we have enough cash?
- Are we growing profitably?
- Is working capital under control?
- Are we on plan?
Every tile should help answer one of these. If a metric does not, move it to a detail page.
The one-screen principle
Fit the main view on one screen without scrolling. This forces you to choose. It also means the owner or board sees the same picture every time.
A simple layout works well:
| Row | Question | Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Do we have enough cash? | Cash balance, runway, 13-week cash low point |
| Second | Are we growing profitably? | Revenue, gross margin % |
| Third | Is working capital under control? | DSO, DPO, AR aging, AP aging |
| Bottom | Are we on plan? | Budget vs actual for revenue, margin and operating costs |
Keep the same positions every month. Readers learn where to look, and changes stand out.
If a number does not lead to a decision, it does not belong on the main screen.
The core metrics
Cash and runway
Show total cash across all bank accounts as of the last business day. Compare it to your minimum cash buffer.
Runway is how many months your cash lasts at the current burn. Calculate it as cash divided by average monthly net cash outflow. Use a three-month average to smooth out lumpy months.
For example, assume cash of $900,000 and average net burn of $150,000 a month. Runway is six months. If the business is cash-positive, show the lowest projected cash balance from your 13-week forecast instead.
Revenue
Show the month and year to date. Compare both to budget and to the same period last year. Add a 13-month trend line, so seasonality is visible.
Gross margin
Gross margin percentage is revenue minus cost of goods sold, divided by revenue. It shows how much each sales dollar leaves to cover overhead. Show the percentage and the trend. A falling margin with rising revenue is an early warning.
DSO and AR aging
Days sales outstanding (DSO) is the average number of days customers take to pay. Calculate it as accounts receivable divided by revenue, times the days in the period.
For example, assume AR of $1.2M and quarterly revenue of $3.6M. DSO is $1.2M ÷ $3.6M × 90 days, which equals 30 days.
Pair DSO with an AR aging bar. Use standard buckets: current, 1 to 30 days late, 31 to 60, 61 to 90, and over 90.
DPO and AP aging
Days payable outstanding (DPO) is the average number of days you take to pay suppliers. Calculate it as accounts payable divided by cost of goods sold, times the days in the period.
Show AP aging in the same buckets as AR. A growing past-due balance can signal cash stress before the bank balance does.
Budget vs actual
Show variance in dollars and percent for revenue, gross margin and total operating expenses. Highlight only variances above a set threshold, such as 5% and $10,000. Everything else stays neutral.
Design rules that keep it readable
- Always add a comparison. A number alone means little. Show it against budget, prior period or a target.
- Show trends, not just snapshots. A small line under each headline number shows direction.
- Use color sparingly. Reserve red for items that need action. If everything is red, nothing is.
- Fix your definitions. Write down how each metric is calculated and keep it stable.
- State the data date. Show “as of” on every page, so no one mistakes stale data for current.
- Limit the tiles. Aim for eight to twelve on the main screen.
Drill paths
The main screen tells you what changed. Drill paths tell you why. Plan them before you build.
| Start from | Drill to | Then to |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | 13-week forecast by week | Receipts and payments by line |
| Revenue | Customer, product or region | Invoice |
| Gross margin | Product line | Customer |
| DSO and AR aging | Customer | Open invoices |
| AP aging | Vendor | Open bills |
| Budget vs actual | Department | GL account, then transactions |
Each drill should take one or two clicks. A reader who sees a revenue miss should find the customers behind it in seconds.
Refresh cadence
Match the refresh rate to the decision it supports. Cash updates daily or weekly. Revenue, margin and budget vs actual update after each monthly close. Working capital metrics update monthly. Refresh AR aging weekly if collections are a concern.
What to leave out
- Metrics nobody acts on, however easy they are to calculate.
- Daily figures for numbers you review monthly.
- Decorative charts, such as gauges for metrics without a target.
- Operational detail that belongs on a sales or operations dashboard.
- Anything you cannot reconcile back to the general ledger.
The foundation underneath
A dashboard is only as good as the books behind it. Before you invest in design, make sure of three things:
- The monthly close is complete and reconciled on a fixed schedule.
- Every account maps to a reporting line, such as revenue, cost of sales or operating expense.
- Each metric has one owner who answers questions about it.
Without these, the dashboard looks polished but answers the wrong questions with confidence.
Where to start
- Write down the four questions your dashboard must answer and the one metric that best answers each.
- Sketch the one-screen layout on paper, with a comparison for every number.
- Pick the three drill paths your leadership asks about most and confirm the data exists to support them.
If you want a second view on your reporting setup, MYGrowth offers a free 30-minute finance health check.
