Close & reporting
KPI dashboards
A small set of KPIs, agreed with you and updated every month, so a UK business tracks the numbers that actually run it, whether that is margin, cash runway, utilisation or churn, instead of hunting through several spreadsheets or waiting for a year-end figure to confirm what was already happening.
Management report
Illustrative client · August 2026
GBP
| Line | Aug | Jul | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 142,380 | 131,904 | +10,476 |
| Cost of sales | (51,260) | (48,115) | (3,145) |
| Gross profit | 91,120 | 83,789 | +7,331 |
| Payroll | (46,300) | (45,900) | (400) |
| SoftwareNoted | (6,480) | (5,490) | (990) |
| Rent | (8,000) | (8,000) | 0 |
| Other operating | (9,215) | (9,870) | +655 |
| Net income | 21,125 | 14,529 | +6,596 |
Reviewer's note
Software is up on last month after two seats were added mid-month. Revenue includes one milestone invoice that will not repeat next month.
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
Metrics that run the business, not vanity numbers
Most businesses get more value from five to eight KPIs tracked consistently than twenty tracked whenever someone remembers. We agree the list with you first: revenue, gross margin, cash runway, utilisation, churn, or whatever is specific to how your business actually makes money, and we resist the urge to add metrics just because a template includes them.
What gets built
- A KPI list agreed with you and revisited as the business changes
- A monthly-updated dashboard pulling from your accounting and operating systems
- Trend lines against the prior twelve months
- Plain-English commentary on any metric that has moved outside its normal range
- A short note on any metric that is becoming less useful as the business changes
Tools you already have
Dashboards usually live in a spreadsheet or a reporting add-on connected to the Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage file you already use, so there is nothing new to log into and nothing that breaks if a third-party subscription lapses. We avoid adding a separate business intelligence tool unless the business specifically wants one.
Why this matters between statutory filings
Statutory accounts and the Company Tax Return look backward once a year. A KPI dashboard is the thing that tells a director whether this month is on track well before those year-end numbers confirm it either way, and it is often the first document a lender or investor asks to see in a first meeting.
Delivery
Built each month from the same closed books used for your management accounts, with a senior reviewer reviewing the dashboard and its commentary before it reaches you, working to the Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage file your business already keeps.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: KPI dashboards
Do we have to build the dashboard in a new tool?
No. Most dashboards live in a spreadsheet or a reporting add-on connected to your existing Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage file, so there is nothing new to learn.
Can a KPI depend on data outside our accounting system?
Yes. Where a metric depends on an operating figure like footfall or a production count, we build a simple manual update into month end.
Can the KPI list change as we grow?
Yes. We revisit the list with you as the business changes, so it keeps tracking what actually matters rather than what mattered a year ago.
Can a dashboard combine accounting data with a non-financial metric, like website traffic or headcount?
Yes, where that data is available in a structured export or via an integration, it can sit alongside your financial KPIs on the same dashboard, since a metric like customer count or utilisation often means more next to revenue and margin than viewed on its own.
How often is the dashboard refreshed?
Most dashboards refresh monthly alongside the close, since that is when the underlying figures are final. A dashboard built for a metric that changes daily, such as cash position, can refresh more often if the source data supports it without waiting for the full monthly close.
Do you build the dashboard in a new tool I have to learn?
No. Most dashboards live in a spreadsheet or a reporting add-on connected to your existing accounting software, so there is nothing new to log into.
How many KPIs should we actually track?
Most businesses get more value from five to eight metrics tracked consistently than twenty tracked occasionally.
What software works with kPI dashboards?
KPI dashboards runs inside Google Sheets or Excel, whichever you already use. If you are not yet set up in either, we can configure a file in your name so you keep ownership of it once the engagement is under way.
How do we get started with kPI dashboards?
Getting started with kPI dashboards begins with a short review of your current records and software access. Once that is done we confirm scope and timing in writing, and ongoing work begins on the schedule agreed with you.
Related services
- Close & reportingBoard packsA board-ready package built from the same numbers as your monthly close, delivered on a schedule that leaves you time to read it before the meeting.
- Close & reportingManagement reportsMonthly profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow packaged with a plain-English narrative so the numbers explain themselves before anyone has to ask a question.
Industries
- Startups and VC-backed companiesBookkeeping and reporting for early-stage, venture-backed companies watching burn, runway and investor reporting closely.
- SaaSBookkeeping and reporting for subscription software businesses tracking recurring revenue, deferred revenue and burn.
- Agencies and consultanciesBookkeeping for marketing agencies, design studios and consulting firms billing clients on retainers and project fees.
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.