S3E3 – Three Things to Kill Before You Build Another Dashboard

Three Things to Kill Before You Build Another Dashboard – how to rebuild trust by cutting sprawl, service-desk habits, and KPI overload

Most data teams hope the next dashboard will deliver clarity, but every new report often adds to the noise. In this episode of Data Matas, Aaron speaks with Phil Thirlwell (ex-Worldpay/FIS) about the three things every data leader should kill before building another dashboard: dashboard sprawl, reactive “service desk” culture, and KPI overload.

From inheriting 600 Power BI dashboards to showing how co-developing metrics builds ownership, Phil explains why the best data teams act more like product teams: focused, deliberate, and accountable. They also look ahead to why AI and automation won’t fix messy foundations, and how the future of BI is conversational, if your data is clean enough to answer the questions.

What you’ll learn

✅ Why dashboard sprawl erodes clarity and confidence
✅ How to escape the “service desk” trap and prioritise outcomes over outputs
✅ Why trimming KPIs forces better decisions and stronger alignment
✅ How co-developing metrics with the people who generate data builds trust
✅ Why AI/automation can’t rescue messy reporting foundations
✅ Why the future of BI is conversational, not static dashboards

Watch the full episode on YouTube, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

👤 Phil Thirlwell on LinkedIn
👤 Aaron Phethean on LinkedIn
🎧 Data Matas Podcast
📺 YouTube
🌐 Matatika Website