A “Dashboard” takes stock of different factors that might influence the creation of a collaborative process. It’s a visual and oral metaphor that can help start a group, calibrate progress, and track collective impacts.

For a group just coming together, a visual depiction of the Dashboard provides a means of grappling with the different organizing elements of a process:

• Clock: How much time is there to do the work?
• Fuel: Is there enough money and support?
• Speedometer: How fast should (or can) the process go?
• Internal passengers: Are the right people and groups at the table?
• External stakeholders: Are there others who need to be involved, kept informed, or found a role for?
• Concerns and construction zones: Are there big dangers out there that could trip up the process?