How to Create a Google Sheets Dashboard (with 5+ Templates)

Looking to present your team’s data in a visual dashboard?

Google Sheets dashboards make it easy to keep track of the progress and status of a project. You can quickly compare the progress between different tasks, prioritize the most important ones, and see which tasks are behind so you can take action.

Plus, with automated updates from sources like Google Analytics, Salesforce, and Github, it’s easy to stay on top of everything happening as it happens.

In this article we’ll show you how to create a dashboard in Google Sheets, provide you with pre-built templates, and dive into an even better alternative for your dashboard needs!

What Is a Google Sheets Dashboard?

A Google Sheets Dashboard is a great way to visualize and track data from multiple sources.

With the click of a button, you can pull in information from different spreadsheets and quickly create charts, tables, and graphs to gain insights into your project or business. You can also set up automated alerts to stay up-to-date with changes in the data, allowing you to identify trends and take corrective action as needed.

How to Create a Dashboard in Google Sheets

Use this Google Sheets dashboard tutorial to store your team’s data:

1. Create a database

You need to determine your data source for your dashboard database. 

If you’ve created a Google Form to collect data, it’ll automatically create a spreadsheet with the results. Alternatively, you can download the data as a CSV file from your analytics tool. 

However, there are very few ways to automate data generation in Google Sheets. 

So you’d most likely have to create a database manually. 

This article will use ‘monthly marketing expenses’ as an example database. We’ve added a column for ‘Budget’ to reveal a spending trend. 

Dealing with very complex data sets like Google Analytics data on your campaign’s performance? 

Make sure you use these GSheet functions to do some quick data analysis:

• Conditional formatting: format your cells with ‘IF’ conditions
• Vlookup: lookup data vertically
• Hlookup: lookup data horizontally
• Pivot table: sort and isolate data easily

2. Generate a chart

Now, select all your spreadsheet data, go to Insert, and select Chart.

You can change the default line graph to a pie chart, bar graph, or anything else in the Chart editor on the right. 

This is also where you can edit other details of the graph or chart like titles for the axis, height of the chart, and the color theme. 

3. Format the chart for readability and usability

Time to turn your garden-variety graph into a full-scale dashboard! 

Close the Chart editor and select the chart area. 

Then, drag and move it beside the raw data table.

Now, click on the ‘three dots’ symbol on the top right corner of the chart area.

This reveals two options: 

• Publish it 
• Move to own sheet 

If you select ‘Publish,’ Google Sheets generates a link that you can share with other users. Update permissions to allow or restrict certain users at this stage.

However, we’re not going to lie, the published chart is a little slow. 

Try editing your raw data and see how long it takes to update the chart area. 🙄

The Move to own sheet option, on the other hand, is quick to refresh its data. 

However, you’d have to keep toggling between the tabs to edit raw data and see it reflected on the chart. 

Repeat the above steps, and you can create multiple charts and move them to a separate tab. 

Such data visualization lets you compare various metrics at the same time. 

Now, that’s a dashboard Google Sheets can be proud of!

Dynamic Google Sheets Dashboard Templates

1. Google Sheets PPC dashboard template by Power My Analytics

2. Google Sheets Facebook Ads dashboard template by Power My Analytics

3. Google Sheets Amazon MWS dashboard by Power My Analytics

Limitations of Creating a Dashboard in Google Sheets

• Limited automation ability
• Limited integrations
• Not a universal project management tool
• Large datasets can cause performance issues
• Not suitable for complex data analysis
• Security and data privacy concerns

The Best Google Sheets Dashboard Alternative: ClickUp

Meet ClickUp’s interactive Dashboards!

To create your Dashboard, enable the Dashboards ClickApp for your Workspace.

Then, add one by following these steps:

• Click on the Dashboards icon that you’ll find in your sidebar
• Click on ‘+’ to add a Dashboard
• Click ‘+ Add Widgets’ to pull in your data

That’s because your custom Dashboard is full of Widgets. 

A Widget in ClickUp collects data about your tasks completed, budgets spent, or anything else you need from your Workspace. Then, they automatically generate helpful, dynamic charts of these key metrics. 

No more wasting time on complex charts in Google Sheets!

Here are the types of Widgets you can add to your dynamic Dashboard:

• Status Widgets: track your task statuses and workload 
• Table Widgets: get reports on completed tasks, tasks worked on, and overdue tasks
• Embed Widgets: access other apps and websites right from your dashboard
• Time Tracking Widgets: view time reports such as billable reports, timesheets, time tracked, etc.
• Priority Widgets: access tasks based on their Priority levels
• Custom Widgets: create a custom chart from any data in the Workspace

That’s a pretty exhaustive list, but even the sky isn’t a limit for ClickUp’s excellence!

ClickUp’s Dashboards are vital to building business intelligence for Agile and Scrum projects. And just wait until you use our pre-made task templates in your agile and scrum projects!

Check out these Sprint Widgets on your ClickUp Dashboard:

• Burnup charts: see the scope of work done against work remaining 
• Burndown charts: view the completed work against targets
• Velocity charts: know the rate of work completion 
• Cumulative Flow charts: see the task progress over time

Just like the stars in the sky, the list of ClickUp’s features is endless.

Here’s a peek into our favorites:

• Multiple Assignees: assign tasks to more than one person or even an entire Team
• Goals: organize Goals into easy to achieve targets
• Views: organize tasks in Calendar, List, Board, Box, Timeline, or Table views
• Pulse: monitor your team’s activity throughout the day
• Automation: choose from over 50+ automations to save time
• Integrations: import data from your favorite apps, including Slack, Google Drive, and Salesforce to your Workspace
• Email ClickApp: check and send email from the ClickUp Workspace
• Offline Mode: be unstoppable with the power of internet-free work
• App: stay connected to the ClickUp workspace via apps on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux devices, and a web app

Case Study: How Teams Use ClickUp Dashboards to Track Key Metrics

ClickUp Dashboards are designed to bring all of your most important metrics into one place. Check out this case study from Wake Forest University to see how they improved reporting and alignment with ClickUp Dashboards:

Wake Forest uses ClickUp Dashboards to work together as a cohesive team

Whatever you need to measure, ClickUp Dashboards are the perfect way to get a real-time overview of your team’s performance.

Related Resources:

• How to Make a Calendar on Google Sheets
• How to Make a Schedule on Google Sheets
• How to Make a Kanban Board on Google Sheets
• How to Make a Gantt Chart on Google Sheets
• Create a KPI dashboard in Excel

Ditch Google Sheets Dashboards & Try ClickUp Today!

Is Google Sheets enough for some quick data visualization? Probably. 

But for all your project management needs? Definitely not. 

As long-time explorers in the world of project management, we should know. That’s why ClickUp can take on every challenge and beat every odd in the way of your productivity. ClickUp Dashboards help you to make sense of the data that matters most so you can plan, adjust, and conquer every project.

Join ClickUp for free today!