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Business Insights for Employee Evaluations or: Why No One Cares What You Think, KAREN!

When people think of Business Insights—specifically Microsoft Power BI—they typically associate it with financial or sales analysis. And why not? Money makes or breaks a business. But let’s not forget that people drive sales, control costs, and manage customer satisfaction.

So, how do you track people? Informally, you get vague, off-the-cuff comments (“Karen’s just not great at her job. Also, I think she may be keeping a cat in her file cabinet.”). Formally, you have lengthy peer and self-evaluations—great for self-reflection, but also a fantastic way to create anxiety as coworkers try to figure out who gave them a bad review (I’m on to you, Karen). While subjective reviews provide valuable insights, anyone who has managed a team will tell you: numbers add credibility. That’s where Power BI steps in—transforming raw data into meaningful, reportable, and actionable insights.

From Spreadsheets to Smart Analytics

I used to keep massive spreadsheets filled with daily order-entry counts, quotation follow-up reports, and order-expediting calls. Manually updating formulas and charts was a time-consuming headache, especially when sensitive data had to be shared selectively. I also watched others attempt similar tracking methods, only for the system to fall apart once a supervisor became too busy to maintain it.

Enter Microsoft Power BI. Instead of manually updating reports and wasting time on formatting, Power BI automates data pulls, updates dashboards in real time, and distributes reports efficiently. It’s faster, more accurate, and far less frustrating than maintaining endless Excel sheets.

Power BI: Connecting the Dots

Power BI can pull data from just about anywhere. Call logs? Pulled from a VOIP system. Quotes and follow-ups? Imported from your CRM or SQL database. Daily billing records? Integrated and matched against Accounts Receivable error reports. The data you need is probably already stored somewhere in your organization—Power BI simply connects to it and keeps it up to date with scheduled refreshes.

Beyond pulling data, Power BI turns it into something useful. Instead of confronting an employee with vague complaints about billing errors, you can use Power BI to pinpoint exactly where they’re struggling and identify patterns over time. It also balances the data by highlighting areas where an employee is excelling, creating a well-rounded view of performance. With real-time dashboards, employees can track their own progress, giving them visibility into how they’re doing.

From Metrics to Motivation

Power BI isn’t just about tracking performance—it’s a tool for motivation. Setting up sales or shipping contests using weekly ratios? Done. Aligning performance data with pre-established goals? Easy. When positioned correctly, these numbers tell a much bigger story, helping employees understand where they stand and how they can improve.

Managing people and evaluating performance is tough, but a good manager combines hard data with subjective feedback to help employees grow. A tool like Power BI transforms cold, abstract metrics into a visual, comprehensive representation of performance—and, in some cases, the suspiciously high cat-to-file cabinet ratio.

About the Author

Matthew Newcomb is an experienced and certified Microsoft Dynamics AX & 365 Trade & Logistics Functional Senior Consultant who knows that when it comes to ERP implementations—and employee performance—data makes all the difference. As a functional solution architect, business analyst, and project wrangler, he helps companies move beyond gut feelings and guesswork, using Microsoft Dynamics and Power BI to turn raw numbers into meaningful insights. Whether it’s optimizing operations or tracking the mysterious disappearance of office supplies (looking at you, Karen), Matthew ensures businesses get the most out of their Microsoft solutions—without the headaches.

Author: Matthew Newcomb

Senior Solution Consultant

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Business Insights for Employee Evaluations or: Why No One Cares What You Think, KAREN!

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