Building a daily production-and-financial analytics system
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50+
key production, operational, and financial metrics
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Daily
updates of all key indicators
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2years
of historical data in a single system
Context
Initial state
At a large industrial enterprise in Ukraine, we developed and implemented a single management-analytics system on Power BI that provides daily monitoring of the key indicators of production, as well as financial and economic activity. The system works as an operational analytical tool and a centralized base of historical data — it allows the enterprise’s activity to be analyzed for any period and across different parameters.
Before the system, each unit collected its own data and produced separate reports with different sources and calculation methods. Most key production reports were produced only monthly — management made decisions on information that was 3–4 weeks old.
Project details
- Industry
- Industrial enterprise
- Area
- Business analytics / BI
- Tool
- Power BI
- Metrics in the system
- 50+
- Update frequency
- Daily
- Reporting frequency before implementation
- Once a month
The problem
The absence of single management analytics and decisions based on stale data
Before the system, the enterprise effectively had no consolidated management-reporting system. Management made operational decisions on month-old information — which, for a production enterprise with a continuous cycle, meant a systematic loss of optimization opportunities and a delayed response to problems.
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Scattered data with no single standard
Each unit collected its own data sets with different sources and calculation methods — the same indicators could have different values depending on who calculated them
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Largely manual data collection
A significant share of data was collected by hand — report preparation was slow, the risk of error high, and the information's timeliness low
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A monthly cycle for key reporting
Most key production and financial reports were produced once a month — management decisions were made with a 3–4-week lag
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No prompt plan-versus-actual analysis
Without a daily comparison of plan and actual, deviations surfaced late — when correcting them already cost far more
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No single base of historical data
Analysis of dynamics and trends was practically impossible — data for different periods was stored in different formats and systems
How the problem was identified
The need to transform the reporting system was identified through an analysis of how management information was produced at the enterprise. It was established that large volumes of production and financial data did not flow into a single analytical system, which made it impossible to obtain consistent information promptly for decision-making. Leadership’s growing need for fast, reliable analytics required a centralized management-reporting tool.
The solution
Steps in implementing the system
To solve the problem, we decided to build a consolidated management-analytics system in the form of interactive dashboards on Power BI. The key goal was to give leadership prompt, consistent information on the key production, operational, and financial indicators, produced to a single methodology.
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Defining stakeholder needs
We interviewed the key users — leadership and function managers — and compiled a complete list of management indicators critical for decision-making.
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Identifying data sources
We identified all of the enterprise's data sources and information flows — production systems, financial accounting systems, operational databases.
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Optimizing data-collection processes
We optimized the processes for collecting and preparing data, removing the bottlenecks and excessive manual operations that slowed and distorted the information.
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Creating a single data model
We developed a single data model with a unified calculation methodology for all indicators and set up processes for its regular daily update.
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Automating data collection and processing
We automated the collection and processing of a significant share of the information — removing manual operations as a source of delay and error.
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Developing interactive dashboards
We developed a set of interactive Power BI dashboards able to analyze 50+ indicators in different breakdowns — by unit, product, and time period.
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Testing and adaptation
We tested the system with real users, gathered feedback, and adapted the tool to management's actual needs.
Results
Measurable achievements after implementation
The project gave the enterprise a single production-and-financial analytics system that became the main source of management information for leadership.
Before the system
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A 3–4-week information lag
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Data scattered across units
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Different calculation methods
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Largely manual data collection
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No plan-versus-actual analysis
After the system
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Daily updates of all key indicators
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50+ key metrics in a single system
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A single methodology and data source
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Automated data collection and processing
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Daily plan-versus-actual across all parameters
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