User Interface Design

The results were presented in the monthly management meeting where the running action plan was evaluated and was updated based on the results of each month. Microsoft Excel was used for developing the dashboard. The feedback of the sales management team had guided the design and development of the dashboard. It presented KPI’s number with its description, KPI’s measurement value and target level for a specific period in monthly and year to end level. Based on the above measurement and a target value, it was calculated by the administrator of the system the performance achievement in percentage scale. Additionally the four main different kind of the action plans of the S.B.I. Framework are integrated in the dashboard for every different KPI’s

User level id, Action Plan id, KPIs data id,

KPI target id User level id,

KPIs data id User level id, Action Plan id, KPIs data id User level: administrator View S.B.I user KPIs Data KPI Targets Action Plans KPI Category Action Plan Category

Notes Data Source

Users

User level id, Action Plan id, KPIs data id,

KPI target id User level id,

KPIs data id User level id, Action Plan id, KPIs data id

User level:

administrator Add, Update

KPIs Data KPI Targets Action Plans KPI Category Action Plan Category

Notes Data Source

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with including the names of the responsible persons for executing its action plan, as shown in figure 6:13.

Figure 6:13. Dashboard example KPI’s integrated with Actions Planning

Period 1 Year 2012 _{Main Menu}

KPI No Number of Orders Actions Planning Ord ers Targ et Perfor.. Year To date Target Perfor. . 1. External Commu nication 2. Training Develop ment 3. Internal procedu res 4. Internal Commu nication Respo nsibilit y 3 76 71 107% 159 144 110%

Using this style of dashboard, the actions which derived from the results of the KPI’s could easily be followed.

The reporting analysis system database was installed on the local company server using a Microsoft Excel file for the data records and the interface for the reporting module on the Citrix server which every user had already access.

Reporting analysis tool system to function correctly is needed only Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access to be installed on Citrix server. It was integrated in the main live information system of the sales department at Mercedes-Benz Cyprus as shown in figure 6:14. This helped to make the performance information more transparent and visible, creating a linkage between the current critical problems and the action plans which was to be fulfilled.

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Figure 6:14. S.B.I. installed in the live information system for the Sale Department at Mercedes-Benz Cyprus

Users could navigate to the Login Page of the by clicking on the “S.B.I. FRAMEWORK KPIs Analysis” button on the main window screen of the live information system for the Sale Department at Mercedes-Benz Cyprus. The Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) of the reporting analysis system starts from visiting the front end content page, the different reports and interacting with the different modules of the system. All the information which the user could view on the system, based on his/her access level, was read only except from the administrator who could edit and modify any information.

When a user visited the system, the first page he/she could see was the contents page as shown in figure 6:15. This page included a navigation menu with links to various pages. When a user followed a link from the content page he/she was redirected to one of the other pages of the system.

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Figure 6:15. Reporting analysis tool, content page

Following the first link, a user could find information about the vision of the organisation. This aimed to remind to the management team and salesmen what the organisation was trying to achieve.

The second link provided guidelines about the policies, procedures and requirements for the development of this framework. Based on the literature review and the research outcomes, it provided a relevant answer to frequent asked questions regarding the steps of the S.B.I. framework.

The third link was the KPIs matrix development and it provided information about the characteristics of the KPIs regarding the name, description, data source, targets and category.

An important section of the reporting analysis tool was the training certificates. In order to follow up all training activities included in the training planning, a detailed report on training was included in the system. It could be used as a report for monitoring training performance and providing ongoing feedback to employees on their progress toward reaching their training tasks.

For every measurement period three main reports are developed, the dashboard, the analysis and the graphical report. The dashboard report included only the main and critical KPIs results for the measurement period, following the style of the BSC

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reporting approach. Additionally for every dashboard report a graphical report was developed in style of car speedometer graphs for presenting the performance for each of KPIs as shown in figure 6:5.

The development of the reporting analysis tool was under continuous review and improvement. Feedback from the users was collected through an evaluation form distributed at each monthly meeting.