Start with the decision you need to make
A sales manager may need to find opportunities without a next action. Finance may need to understand overdue balances by customer. A delivery lead may need to see projects waiting on a decision. Specify the audience, date range and records included before choosing a layout. Useful filters let a reviewer move from an overall picture to the cases that need attention.
Make the figures explainable
Document what a status or measure means and where the underlying information comes from. Distinguish recorded, forecast and completed activity. Check whether a figure reflects real-time data or a scheduled update, and reconcile important totals with the appropriate source. Exports should follow permissions and a clear purpose because a downloaded file can outlive the access controls of the application. A reporting review should finish with an owner and a next action.