Operating Dashboards That Matter: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Metrics for Owners

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Operating Dashboards That Matter: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Metrics for Owners is my plain-English guide to the few numbers that actually run a company.
I’ll show you the one-page layout I use, the cadence that keeps it honest, and the metric definitions I won’t argue about.
I’ll give you copy-paste templates, weekly email scripts, and cohort views that reveal truth.
Every sentence is short.
Every section is practical.

The One-Page Owner Dashboard (What I Want to See at a Glance)

I want one page that fits on a laptop without scrolling.
I split it into Cash, Growth, Quality, and People.
I add green/yellow/red dots and one line of plain-English commentary.
For writing your commentary without fluff, see our blog post: I Don’t Respond to Long Emails.

Cadence Beats Volume: Weekly → Monthly → Quarterly

Weekly is execution.
Monthly is financial truth.
Quarterly is strategy and scope.
I run a single operating loop and keep the dashboard as the agenda.
For the loop that compounds, read: 02: Journaling With AI.

Cash First: Cash Bridge and Burn Multiple

I start with Beginning Cash → Operating Cash → Investing → Financing → Ending Cash.
I show Burn Multiple = Net Burn / Net New ARR or GP if relevant.
If the cash bridge is messy, nothing else matters.
For capital-allocation taste, skim: A $3,600 Keyboard and a $66 Million Dollar Investment.

Revenue Mix and Momentum

I split revenue by product, channel, and cohort.
I show TTM and MTD/QTD pacing against goal.
I flag price increases or promo dependencies in one line.

Pipeline Quality and Forecast Accuracy

I track coverage, stage aging, win rate, and slip rate.
I compare last-quarter commit vs actual and publish the miss reasons.
Forecast quality is a management grade, not a vibes metric.

Retention That Tells the Truth: GRR, NRR, Cohorts

I show GRR, NRR, and 12–36 month cohorts.
I annotate dips with what changed and when.
If NRR ≥ 100% while price rises, I lean in.
For simple storytelling with proof over adjectives, read: Never Tell, Always Storytell.

Unit Economics and Contribution Margin

I define CM = Revenue − true variable costs.
I include payment fees, shipping, support, refunds, and chargebacks.
I track CM/Order, CM/User, and CM/Tx depending on model.

CAC, Payback, and LTV Without the Fairy Dust

I report CAC by channel, Payback in months, and LTV with the exact retention curve used.
I ban “implied LTV” that assumes perfect world churn.
If Payback > 12 months in a small business, I throttle.

Working Capital and the Peg Tracker

I show DSO, DPO, DIO and Net Working Capital vs a 12-month average peg.
I explain inclusions and exclusions in one sentence.
Quiet peg math moves six figures at closing, so I keep it visible.
For the mindset that keeps signal high, read: I Committed Email Suicide.

Inventory and Returns (Brands Only)

I track turns, weeks of supply, obsolescence reserve, and return rate.
I show lower of cost or NRV for valuation.
I label A/B/C SKUs so attention flows to what pays back.

Marketplace Liquidity and Take Rate (Marketplaces Only)

I measure time-to-match, fill rate, repeat matches, take rate, and leakage.
I split by geo × category so density pockets show up.
If leakage rises, I invest in on-platform payments and warranty/escrow.

SaaS Activation and Time-to-Value (SaaS Only)

I report activation %, TTV, and DAU/WAU/MAU ratios.
I show feature adoption for sticky workflows.
I connect activation to NRR so product changes aren’t theater.

Product and Engineering Flow

I show deployment frequency, lead time for change, incident count, and MTTR.
I track error budgets and on-call load.
If stability wobbles, I slow roadmap and fix the machine.

Support and Customer Voice

I show Time-to-First-Response, First-Contact Resolution, and top 5 reasons for contact.
I publish CSAT/NPS trends with a 4-week smoothing window.
I share three customer quotes unedited.

People: Spans, Layers, Hiring, Attrition

I report headcount, % managers, median span, layers CEO→IC, hiring pipeline, and attrition.
I add one line about single points of failure.
Healthy spans and layers keep speed.
For org hygiene, read: Org Design for Small Companies and then explore related posts.

Vendor, Cost, and Savings

I publish top 25 vendors, run-rate savings, and contract renewal calendar.
I mark term/prepay/volume trades and SLA risk.
I keep a savings bridge that reconciles to cash.

Security and Risk You Can Audit

I show SSO coverage, backup success + restore tests, open critical vulns, and security incidents.
I keep RTO/RPO promises in writing.
Security is a multiple expander when it’s boring and measured.

Guardrails Against Dashboard Bloat

Every tile needs a decision attached.
If a number doesn’t drive a weekly or monthly decision, I cut it.
I keep definitions under the chart, not in a mystery wiki.

Copy-Paste Layout and Metric Dictionary

Layout.
Top row: Cash, Runway/Burn Multiple, Revenue Pacing.
Second row: GRR/NRR/Cohorts, CM/Unit Economics, CAC/Payback.
Third row: People Spans/Layers, Support/Incidents, Vendor Savings.

Metric Dictionary (example).
GRR. Existing revenue retained, net of churn and downgrades, excluding expansion.
NRR. Existing revenue retained including expansion, excluding new.
Payback. Months until cumulative CM covers CAC for a given cohort.
CM. Revenue minus variable costs (fees, shipping, support, refunds).

Weekly Email and Meeting Scripts

Subject: Ops dashboard — Week of {DATE} — 3 decisions up top
Line 1: Cash bridge variance vs plan.
Line 2: Retention or CM exception with owner and date.
Line 3: One blocker, one ask.
Decide in the meeting or delete.
For brevity that gets replies, read: I Don’t Respond to Long Emails.

How I Keep the Dashboard Honest

I map every chart to a data source and owner.
I add a tiny change log so definitions don’t drift quietly.
I review the whole thing monthly like a financial statement.

Rolling Up to the Board Pack

I copy the one-page owner view as the board cover page.
I add a cash note, risk register, and 3 prioritized decisions.
The rest goes to the appendix, not the meeting.

What I Remove to Go Faster

I remove vanity metrics.
I remove GMV bragging without take rate and CM/Tx.
I remove LTV that assumes perfect retention.
I remove 20 tabs nobody opens.

Example Tiles You Can Steal This Week

Cash Bridge (TTM).
Revenue Pacing vs Goal (QTD).
GRR/NRR by Cohort.
CM/User and CM/Order.
CAC and Payback by Channel.
TTFR and FCR.
Incidents and MTTR.
Spans/Layers Snapshot.
Top 25 Vendors + Savings.

FAQs

What makes an owner dashboard different from a team dashboard.
Owner dashboards show cash, quality, and risk at a glance, not task detail.

How many metrics should be on the page.
Nine to twelve tiles with clear definitions and owners.

How often should I change the metrics.
Quarterly at most, unless your model changes.
Stability beats novelty.

Do I need real-time data.
Daily for ops, weekly for owners, monthly for finance.
Latency is fine if truth is high.

How do I keep definitions consistent.
Print them under each chart and keep a change log.
Argue once, then lock.

What if I’m a marketplace.
Add time-to-match, fill rate, repeat, take rate, and leakage.
Hold GMV theater until CM is positive.

What if I’m SaaS.
Add activation, TTV, feature adoption, and NRR.
Tie product moves to retention.

How do I show pricing power.
Add a tile with last two price changes vs churn/NRR and a plain-English note.

Which people metrics matter most.
% managers, median span, layers, and attrition.
Healthy spans keep speed.

What’s the fastest way to start.
Ship the one-page with cash, GRR/NRR, CM, CAC/Payback, and Support/Incidents.
Add tiles only when a real decision needs them.

How do I write the weekly note.
Three numbered decisions on top, one ask, owners and dates.
For tone, see: I Don’t Respond to Long Emails.

Where can I learn the weekly rhythm.
Start here and then read: 02: Journaling With AI.

Conclusion

Operating Dashboards That Matter: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Metrics for Owners is about cash first, retention truth, unit economics without fairy dust, and a cadence that forces decisions every week.
Use the one-page layout, lock definitions under each tile, and run the weekly note so your dashboard drives action, not screenshots.
Get Your Copy of Never Enough at https://www.neverenough.com/

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