12 Rules to Clean Up Your Dashboards and Drive Better Decisions

Smarter HubSpot Reporting

HubSpot makes it easy to build reports—but that doesn’t mean they’ll be useful.

If you’ve ever opened a cluttered dashboard filled with outdated metrics, confusing charts, or missing data—you’re not alone. I’ve seen it all: reports that look pretty but say nothing, dashboards that get ignored, and metrics that lead teams in the wrong direction.

Here are the top 12 things to know.

1. Start with the Why

Every good report starts with a question.
What are you trying to learn? What decision will this support? What conversation will this report guide?

If you can’t answer that, don’t build the report. Dashboards aren’t decoration—they’re tools for clarity.

2. Audit the Data You Have (and the Data You Don’t)

Before you build anything, take a close look at your data.

• Are all the properties you need being populated?

• Do you have gaps in contact or deal records?

• Are important systems (like Stripe, Salesforce, or your billing tools) integrated?

Fixing this now saves massive reporting frustration later.

3. Less Noise, More Signal

Every report should earn its place.
Don’t fill dashboards with “just in case” metrics. Focus on reports tied to business priorities:

• Revenue growth

• Churn

• Campaign performance

• Pipeline movement

• Customer engagement

Fewer, better reports = smarter decisions.

4. Build Reports That Tell a Story

Reports without context are just charts.
Use naming conventions, filters, and dashboard groupings to create a flow. Think of your dashboards as a visual narrative:
➡ What’s working?
➡ What’s changing?
➡ What needs action?

5. Data Quality is Non-Negotiable

Reporting issues are often data issues in disguise.
Common culprits:

• Duplicate contacts or companies

• Incomplete fields

• Broken lifecycle workflows

• Conflicting pipeline stages

Regular audits and data hygiene practices are essential. I recommend quarterly at minimum.

6. Start Simple with Pre-Built Reports

Don’t overcomplicate things from the start.
HubSpot’s library of pre-built reports is often enough for what you need—and they’re easy to customize. Master the built-ins before jumping into Datasets or the Custom Report Builder.

7. Visualize with Purpose

Use the right chart type for the right job.

• Bar = comparisons

• Line = trends over time

• Pie = limited use cases (small, simple breakdowns only)

Don’t forget to double-check filters—wrong date ranges and segment logic can completely distort the story.

8. Make Dashboards Work for the Team

Dashboards should be team-specific and actionable.
Organize by function:

• Marketing dashboard

• Sales dashboard

• Customer success dashboard

• Executive summary

Use clear titles and include summary notes to make each dashboard self-explanatory.

9. Know Your Tools (Especially for Enterprise Users)

If you’re on Marketing or Sales Hub Enterprise, you have some powerful features:

• Customer Journey Analytics

• Attribution Reporting

• Datasets

But these tools require setup and strategy. If they’re not configured correctly, they’re just expensive paperweights.

10. Reporting is a Team Sport

No single department owns reporting.
Sales, marketing, operations, and customer success all have different needs—and different definitions of success. Involve stakeholders in report creation and ask:

“What does success look like for you?”
Then build around that.

11. Lifecycle Stage Mastery

Your entire funnel depends on clean lifecycle tracking.
Clearly define each stage (Lead, MQL, SQL, Opportunity, Customer, etc.) and make sure contacts are moving through stages appropriately—either via automation or a clear manual process.

Lifecycle stages drive attribution, conversion reporting, and pipeline insights.

12. Need a Second Set of Eyes?

Even the most seasoned teams sometimes need help pulling clarity from chaos.

If your reports feel off—or worse, no one’s using them—I offer audits, rebuilds, and coaching to help you clean up the mess and build dashboards your team will actually use.

Want a Copy of the Quickstart Guide?

I turned all 12 rules into a clean, downloadable PDF. Use it to train your team, clean up your dashboards, or just keep your next reporting build focused.

Click here to download the PDF

If you’re ready to simplify your HubSpot reporting—or need help untangling your data—I’m here for that.

Let’s make your dashboards something people want to open.