Business Intelligence Dashboards for Timely Decision Support in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Abstract

Business intelligence dashboards give small and medium-sized enterprises rapid
access to operational and strategic indicators, but visibility alone does not improve
decisions. This integrative review synthesizes 289 publications across business
intelligence, data governance, visualization, performance measurement, decision
support, and organizational learning. The evidence is organized around data
integration, metric governance, visual cognition, decision timeliness, self-service
analytics, and organizational learning. The synthesis shows that dashboard value
depends on stable definitions, traceable data, appropriate visual encoding, clear
decision ownership, and routines that connect signals to action. Self-service analytics
expands access but also increases the risk of inconsistent measures and unsupported
interpretation. The paper contributes a dashboard-to-decision framework, diagnostic
indicators, and propositions that distinguish information delivery from decision
improvement. The framework supports staged dashboard design, governance,
evaluation, and learning in resource-constrained firms.