Building Advanced Contract Reporting Dashboards
Jørgen Højlund Wibe
How to Build and Use Advanced Contract Reporting Dashboards
Advanced contract reporting dashboards bring all contract data — renewals, values, compliance, obligations, and performance metrics — into one visual interface. In this guide, you’ll learn how to design and deploy a contract reporting dashboard using common tools and best practices to help legal, finance, procurement, and sales teams gain actionable insights into their contract portfolios.
What You’ll Need
- A digitized contract portfolio (PDFs converted via OCR or AI extraction)
- Access to contract data from a CLM, CRM, or ERP system
- Basic familiarity with dashboard or BI Tools
- Defined KPIs like renewal rates or contract cycle times
To centralize your data, review our Contract Management guide.
Step 1: Choose Your Dashboard Platform
Select a platform based on your team’s size, resources, and technical maturity. The right platform ensures scalability, automation, and ease of visualization.
| Option | Description | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial CLM Platform (e.g., HyperStart, Concord) | Offers AI-powered dashboards and real-time analytics | Large organizations seeking automation |
| BI Tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker) | Custom dashboards connected to contract data sources | Enterprises needing flexibility |
| Excel or Google Sheets | Pivot tables and basic charts for small datasets | Small teams or pilots |
💡 Pro Tip: For AI-driven analytics, explore the Reports feature.
Step 2: Gather and Clean Contract Data
Accurate dashboards depend on clean and structured data. Before building, ensure your contract dataset is reliable and up to date.
- Export data from your CLM or CRM into a CSV/Excel file with key fields like ID, value, start/end date, and owner.
- Normalize formats—use consistent date and vendor name conventions.
- Check completeness—verify all records have expiry and value information.
- Remove duplicates and expired records to maintain data integrity.
💡 Pro Tip: Use OCR or AI extraction tools if your contracts exist only as scanned PDFs.
Step 3: Build the Dashboard
With clean data ready, begin building your dashboard on the chosen platform. Customize visuals and automation features to suit your team’s needs.
Option 1: Commercial CLM Platform
- Upload contracts from cloud drives or CRMs.
- Use AI auto-analysis to extract KPIs and renewal data.
- Customize views per department (e.g., legal vs. sales).
- Set automatic alerts for expiry or at-risk contracts.
- Connect integrations like Salesforce or NetSuite for automated sync.
Option 2: BI Tools (Power BI, Tableau)
- Connect to your CLM API or a database export.
- Design visuals: pie charts for status, line charts for trends, bar charts for spend.
- Add filters and drill-downs by owner, department, or contract type.
- Apply conditional formatting for expiring contracts.
- Publish dashboards for secure team visibility.
RenewalRisk =
IF(
DATEDIFF([ExpiryDate], TODAY(), DAY) <= 30 && [Status] = "Active",
"High Risk",
"Low Risk"
)Flags contracts that are active but expiring within 30 days.
Option 3: Excel or Google Sheets
- Create columns for contract ID, department, status, value, and dates.
- Build pivot tables and charts summarizing totals by status or department.
- Use formatting to highlight expiring contracts.
- Insert slicers and filters for better interactivity.
- Consider VBA macros for automated data refresh.
Step 4: Verify and Deploy
Ensure accuracy and usability before full deployment to your organization.
- Test dashboards with a small pilot user group.
- Validate data accuracy against source files.
- Train users on KPI tracking and report generation.
- Roll out by department and expand gradually.
Step 5: Monitor and Optimize
After launch, evaluate performance and refine KPIs based on feedback.
- Collect user insights to improve dashboard usability.
- Automate reminders for contract renewals.
- Track KPIs such as lifecycle time and compliance rates.
- Benchmark improvements like time saved or fewer missed renewals.
Common Issues & Solutions
| Issue | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Data missing or outdated | Disconnected sources | Verify your CLM/CRM sync is active |
| Cluttered dashboards | Too many KPIs | Focus on 5–10 key metrics |
| Poor adoption | Insufficient training | Provide short role-based sessions |
| Missed renewals | Alerts not configured | Set up automated notifications via email or Slack |
Key Takeaways
- Centralize all contract data in one dashboard for visibility
- Clean and standardize data before visualization
- Use the right platform based on team size and goals
- Test dashboards thoroughly before rollout
- Continuously monitor and improve KPI relevance
Next, enhance automation by exploring Integrations and review Security for protecting sensitive contract data.
