What Every CFO Dashboard Should Show and What It Should Not
Dashboards should create clarity and decisions. Many do the opposite. Here is what to include, what to avoid, and how to make a CFO dashboard useful for management.
By Oakhill Financial Services • December 19, 2025 • 8 to 10 min read
What is a CFO dashboard?
A CFO dashboard is a decision-focused view of the company’s financial health. It brings the few metrics that matter into one place so management can steer the business. A strong CFO dashboard helps you answer three questions fast: Are we performing, are we liquid, and where do we need to intervene?
Why most CFO dashboards fail
Most CFO dashboards fail because they are built as reporting tools instead of management tools. They show many numbers but do not make it clear what action is needed.
- Too much accounting detail, not enough structure
- No clear ownership, so definitions drift over time
- KPIs that are interesting but not actionable
- No link between numbers and decisions
A good CFO dashboard does not only answer “what happened.” It answers “what do we do next.”
What should a CFO dashboard include?
A CFO dashboard should include five decision areas: profitability, cash, costs, working capital, and forecast versus actual. If you get these five right, management can steer the business without drowning in detail.
1) Profit and loss with a clear structure
What to show
- Revenue split into logical categories
- Gross margin and margin development
- Operating expenses grouped by controllable buckets
- Operating result and EBITDA
- Comparison versus budget and prior year
What to avoid
- A raw export of accounts and cost lines
- Account-level noise on the first screen
- Charts without a clear decision outcome
2) Cash position and short-term liquidity outlook
Profit is not liquidity. Fast-growing companies fail on cash, not on EBITDA. Your dashboard should make cash risk visible early.
What to show
- Current cash balance and trend
- Short-term cash outlook for 8 to 13 weeks
- Expected inflows and outflows with top drivers
- Cash runway and simple risk signals
What to avoid
- Cash graphs without driver explanation
- Optimistic projections without assumptions
- Unreconciled refreshes presented as truth
3) Cost structure and burn rate
What to show
- COGS and gross margin drivers
- Operating expense buckets with trend lines
- Burn rate for scale-ups
- Personnel cost ratio versus revenue
4) Working capital that connects finance and operations
- Accounts receivable and DSO
- Accounts payable and DPO
- Inventory levels and inventory turnover
- Cash conversion cycle and trend
5) Forecast versus actual, updated monthly
- Actuals versus forecast for revenue and key cost drivers
- Updated outlook for the remainder of the year
- Variance explanations for top deviations
Connect this to your finance routines
A dashboard creates value when it is tied to a reporting rhythm, clear ownership, and concrete decisions. If you want to strengthen your monthly cycle, see our Financial Reporting service. If you want CFO-level steering without hiring full-time, see CFO as a Service.
One external reference
For a neutral overview of what dashboards are in general, see this dashboard explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions about CFO Dashboards
What is a CFO dashboard?
A CFO dashboard is a real-time, visual tool that consolidates key financial metrics into one interface. It helps finance leaders monitor financial health, spot trends, and make faster, data-driven decisions by replacing static reports and complex spreadsheets with actionable insights.
How does a CFO dashboard differ from traditional financial reports?
Traditional financial reports are static and backward-looking, usually prepared monthly or quarterly. A CFO dashboard is interactive, frequently updated, and focused on steering the business by highlighting trends, risks, and deviations that require action.
Which financial metrics are most important in a CFO dashboard?
The most important metrics are the ones that influence decisions. These typically include profitability, cash flow, revenue performance, cost structure, liquidity, and working capital indicators.
Which profitability KPIs should a CFO dashboard include?
Common profitability KPIs include gross profit, gross margin, net profit margin, EBITDA, and profitability by product or service. These metrics show whether growth is sustainable and where value is created or lost.
Which cash flow metrics belong in a CFO dashboard?
A CFO dashboard should show operating cash flow, current cash balance, expected inflows and outflows, and the cash conversion cycle. These metrics help management anticipate liquidity issues before they become critical.
How should revenue be presented in a CFO dashboard?
Revenue should be shown as total revenue, revenue growth rate, and revenue versus forecast or budget. Where relevant, revenue should also be split by product, service, customer group, or geography to explain performance drivers.
Which expense and cost KPIs are relevant for CFO dashboards?
Relevant expense KPIs include operating expenses, overhead costs, burn rate, and personnel costs as a percentage of revenue. The focus should be on trends and controllable cost categories, not individual invoice detail.
What liquidity metrics should a CFO dashboard show?
Liquidity metrics typically include the quick ratio, current ratio, debt levels, interest coverage, and days sales outstanding (DSO). These metrics show whether the company can meet its short-term obligations.
How are accounts receivable and payable used in a CFO dashboard?
A CFO dashboard should show accounts receivable and payable balances, DSO, and days payable outstanding (DPO). These metrics connect finance with operations and directly impact cash flow.
What are the main benefits of using a CFO dashboard?
The main benefits are real-time visibility into financial performance, faster identification of risks and opportunities, improved decision-making, better alignment between finance and operations, and reduced reliance on manual Excel-based reporting.
Does a CFO dashboard provide real-time financial data?
Many CFO dashboards provide near real-time or frequent updates, depending on data availability. However, real-time data only adds value if it is reliable and interpreted correctly. For many companies, a strong monthly close combined with a frequently updated cash forecast is more effective.
How does a CFO dashboard support strategic decision-making?
By showing trends, variances, and forward-looking indicators, a CFO dashboard supports proactive interventions, forecasting, and scenario planning. It helps management focus on what will happen next rather than only what happened in the past.
How does a CFO dashboard improve efficiency?
CFO dashboards automate data consolidation from accounting and ERP systems, reducing time spent on manual reporting. This often replaces complex Excel files and allows finance teams to focus on analysis instead of data preparation.
Which systems are typically connected to a CFO dashboard?
CFO dashboards typically integrate data from accounting software, ERP systems, banking platforms, and sometimes CRM or operational systems. This ensures a single source of truth for financial performance.
What does drill-down functionality mean in a CFO dashboard?
Drill-down functionality allows users to click on high-level numbers to see underlying details. For example, if revenue drops, management can drill down to identify which product, customer, or period caused the change.
Can a CFO dashboard replace Excel reporting?
In many cases, yes. A well-designed CFO dashboard reduces or eliminates the need for complex Excel-based reporting by providing structured, automated, and consistent insights directly from source systems.
Who should use a CFO dashboard?
CFO dashboards are primarily used by CFOs, finance managers, founders, and management teams. They are especially valuable for growing companies that need better financial control without increasing complexity.
Can small and mid-sized companies benefit from a CFO dashboard?
Yes. CFO dashboards are particularly valuable for small and mid-sized companies that have outgrown basic bookkeeping and need better insight into cash flow, profitability, and financial risks.
Does a CFO dashboard replace the role of a CFO?
No. A dashboard provides visibility, but financial leadership provides interpretation, prioritization, and decision support. The strongest results come from combining a CFO dashboard with experienced CFO guidance.
© Oakhill Financial Services B.V.