What is a KPI dashboard?

KPI is an acronym for "key performance indicator." KPIs are used for performance measurement in a business. They help to measure the success of the organization in a particular area. Typical areas that KPIs cover include: revenue, new customers, geographical area covered, market share, and customers retained.

How often should I monitor and update my KPI dashboard?

Depending on your business operations, you could monitor your KPIs daily, weekly, or monthly. Just remember to update your KPI dashboard when new KPI data becomes available.

Which KPIs should I track on my dashboard?

Your main KPIs will depend on your business and its goals. KPIs can be financially motivated, customer-oriented, or outcome-focused. For example, you may want to boost revenue, retain customers, or gain a competitive advantage.

Can I create a KPI dashboard without a template?

Yes, but without good design skills, your dashboard may not be as effective or visually appealing.

Is this template free?

All of our templates are freebies! Once you’ve entered your contact information, you can instantly download this template (along with all the other templates in this collection!). That’s it.

Resources
Templates
KPI Dashboard

KPI Dashboard - Excel, PDF

A KPI dashboard visualizes your most important business metrics in one place, helping you track performance, spot trends, and make data-driven decisions at a glance. Use this free template to learn which KPIs matter before automating with real-time dashboard software.

Set up in 20 minutes - choose metrics, input data, customize visuals
Works well for 3-6 months tracking 5-15 KPIs manually
Learn dashboard design fundamentals before investing in software
Easy upgrade path - import to HubSpot when manual updates take 2+ hours weekly

Template Highlights

Track your most important KPIs in one visual dashboard. See all critical metrics at a glance - no digging through multiple spreadsheets

Learn dashboard design before investing in software. Understand data visualization fundamentals with 3-6 months of hands-on practice

Professional charts update automatically: input your data once, graphs and gauges refresh instantly

Easy to customize for any department: works for sales, marketing, executive, or financial KPIs

HubSpot’s KPI template can be opened with either Excel or a PDF viewer, all you have to do is download it in your preferred format.

Here’s how to use and edit your KPI dashboard in Excel:

Download the KPI template for Excel and click Enable Editing.
Review the visual elements in tabs 1–4 before adding your own data.
In the Instructions tab, you’ll find instructions on how to use the KPI dashboard. Follow these carefully to ensure your dashboard looks and functions as expected.
Change the values in the Instructions tab to your company’s KPI results. The changes will automatically be applied to your dashboard’s visual elements, such as graphs and charts.
Print the KPI dashboard, send it to colleagues via email, or add it to meeting slides.

Many businesses start with this Excel dashboard to learn KPI fundamentals, then transition to automated software within 3-6 months. Here's the difference:

	Excel KPI Dashboard Template	HubSpot Automated Dashboards
Capacity	5-15 KPIs, weekly/monthly updates	20+ KPIs, real-time monitoring
Data entry	Copy/paste from multiple sources manually	Automatic from connected systems
Update frequency	Weekly or monthly (1-2 hours)	Real-time (automatic)
Time investment	1-2 hours/week updating data	10 minutes/week reviewing
Historical data	Limited to what you manually save	Automatically stored forever
Team access	Email file or cloud storage	Live dashboards for entire team
Data accuracy	Depends on manual updates	Always current from sources
Cost	Free	Marketing/Sales Hub ($15-45/mo)

5-10 KPIs maximum! It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data that might be relevant to your business goals. To ensure you maintain focus on the most important performance metrics, choose only a limited number of KPIs. Before adding any KPI, ask yourself: "If this number changes, what action would we take?". If you can't answer clearly, remove it from your dashboard.

Next, you’ll want to add the relevant data to a KPI dashboard and review its visual elements, such as graphs and bar charts. A visually appealing KPI dashboard lets you get to the heart of KPI data quickly to start putting it to work.

What makes an effective KPI dashboard?

A KPI dashboard isn't just pretty charts - it's a decision-making tool. An effective dashboard must have:

5-10 focused metrics: Too many metrics create confusion instead of clarity. Choose metrics that drive specific actions when they change.
Visual clarity for 30-second scanning: Use charts, gauges, and color coding (red/yellow/green) so you understand status instantly without reading tables of numbers.
Current value + target + trend: Show where you are now, where you want to be, and whether you're improving. All three pieces together drive action.
Regular updates (weekly or monthly): A dashboard with month-old data is useless. Set a schedule and stick to it - consistency matters more than perfection.
Metrics you can actually influence: If a number goes down and you can't do anything about it, it doesn't belong on your dashboard. Every KPI should be actionable.

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_{These are templates provided for your convenience and use. Nothing on this page creates an attorney client relationship and is not legal advice. If you want professional information, please consult your own attorney.}