How to Create a Dashboard for a Multi-Project Program

Building a dashboard for a single project is challenging enough—but when it comes to a full program that includes multiple projects, the complexity increases significantly. Still, at the very least, your report must start with a well-organized first page that gives an overview of the entire program.

So how do you build a full report that reflects the progress of several projects within one program?

There’s no single answer. Every program has different reporting needs depending on its structure, timeline, and stakeholders. Some programs are run under a single contractor, others involve multiple contractors—but they all fall under one PMO, and that requires unified reporting.

This is where planning becomes a strategic task. You must decide what to include and what to omit. You can’t show every detail—but you must show the overall progress in a way that connects everything clearly.

So what should the first page include?

Ideally, it should present high-level progress information that allows the reader to understand two things:

1. The current status of the full program

2. The performance of each individual project within that program

More importantly, the layout should make it easy to compare each project’s progress against the program as a whole.

To achieve that, your dashboard should include the following:

• A performance chart and S-curve for the program

• A bar chart for the current month showing Planned vs. Earned Value

• A clean project calendar overview

• A comparison between Planned % vs. Earned % for each project

When presented clearly and consistently, even simple data can deliver a powerful message. With the right structure, this type of report becomes not just informative—but impressive.