Articles in this section

FastDraft reporting, dashboards and analytics

Tom Levitt
  • Updated
Follow

This article provides answers to frequently asked questions in relation to the FastDraft reporting, dashboards and analytics. 

This articles contains the following:

Does FastDraft provide a suite of operational reports to support the management of contracts and team performance (including against KPIs or SLAs, with trends) with managers having clear visibility of contract status and project progress for assigned team members.

FastDraft provides many operational reports supporting management of individual contracts and wider team performance across programmes, projects, frameworks, lots, areas, hubs and/or supplier(s), including static operational reports and interactive analytic reports, with drilldowns to explore individual issues and dashboards/scorecards with KPIs/SLAs and trends.

Reporting has three tiers for different user needs, avoiding information overload and giving managers and project teams clear visibility of contract status and project progress:

  1. Contract or project team reports include: Contract Health Check, Live Contract Dashboard (with drilldowns) and RAG notification panel and reports. This level focusses on tactical project delivery and what needs doing next. These tools work out of the box without configuration and are easily customisable. Data is filtered, sorted and analysed in FastDraft and Excel through powerful export functions.
  2. Programme reporting (through aggregated reporting) provides framework managers, category managers, regional leads and division heads, a snapshot of 25+ datasets across a portfolio of contracts, or a large project with multiple packages. Data is filtered by variables like frameworks, lots, areas, hubs and/or supplier(s), and custom fields supporting the data dictionary. Like tier 1, this is “low-tech” exporting raw data in Excel/CSV format. These same datasets are available on our third tier through our PowerBI app.
  3. Portfolio/executive reporting is accomplished through our analytics suite with operational and interactive analytical reports, dashboards, scorecards and other visualisations through our embedded PowerBI reporting. These help managers and the team make better data driven decisions and support a wider toolkit for integration with 3rd party reporting tools and designated users and can push reports to managers.

Contract reporting for teams:

The in-built live contract dashboards highlight key information including total of the prices, completion date, outstanding actions, payment certified vs applied etc. All dashboard data is exportable as PDF/CSV documents or via our API with drilldown from the dashboard to RAG reporting and workflow registers.

All 34+ workflows are exportable (PDF or Excel format).

These reports display contractual due dates and RAG status and support search, filtering, sorting and export.

The reports and registers provide all requested features, notably:

  • “Tasks or events managed (overdue, efficiency of responses etc.)”
  • “Communications dealt with on time (and aged communications)”
  • “Programme status, programme acceptances”
  • “Project value, agreed compensation events, change in planned completion and other project milestones”
  • “Early Warning status”
  • “Contract health-check reports”
  • “Contract financial information”
  • “Where relevant, reports are able to be filtered by contract, supplier, programme or site (location).”

Tracking Total of the Prices and Completion date:

All key contract data is automatically updated on FastDraft’s Dashboard on completion of a task. The Contract dashboard highlights the contract price and completion date, automatically adjusting these upon acceptance of a quote, assessment by the PM or any other provision adjusting price or time.

The Dashboard highlights outstanding actions which also automatically update.

The RAG reminder panel is accessible anywhere and provides real time transparency of required actions on a contract.

From any page within a contract, the user can click the notification icon to open the outstanding action list:

All overdue communications are highlighted in red, actions required within 7 days in amber, and anything over 7 days in green. All actions, as well as the response date, are displayed in appropriate registers and reports and exportable in various formats or via the API.

Team or Portfolio reporting:

The BI Analytics suite integrates into the PowerBI app with 120+ prebuilt reports, dashboards and scorecards, this includes:

  • Complete toolkit with modular parts to use/recycle only what you need aligning with both individual company’s and the wider estates needs across a group of organisations
  • Dedicated reporting API with 25+ datasets and 60+ KPIs. Data models adapted with custom fields are populated into relevant datasets
  • Data warehousing, for end-to-end data protection and resilience
  • Data connectors for PowerBI to push/blend your data for better data driven decision making
  • Embedded prebuilt and configurable PowerBI App with prebuilt Reports, Dashboard and Scorecards based on your datasets to help you get started
  • Resources and detailed KPI guidance making complex topics compelling, accessible, and actionable

Screenshots show the PowerBI app and how it meets reporting requirements:

PowerBI dashboard for CEs and EWNs showing trends, with drilldown key metrics and volume of outstanding actions by party.

PowerBI Dashboards

A. This report has a series of pages (or tabs) and you're currently viewing the Change report.

B. On this page are eight different visuals.

C. The Filters pane shows us one filter applied to all report pages. To collapse the Filters pane, select the back button.

D. Back button allows us to navigate back from a report or page instead of using the main navigation.

E. The action bar contains actions you can take on this report or visualisation. For example, you can export data from the report. Select More options (...) to reveal a list of additional report functionality.

F. The banner provides links to support articles and additional learning resources and an info icon visual provides a tooltip of what the visual is showing.

 


A. This report has a series of registers (or tabs) and you're currently viewing the All Communications Register.

B. In this Register we can sort the table by any of the columns, its currently sorted by Contract name.

C. A Link is provided in the Register back to individual notices, so you can drilldown to individual issues.

D. Registers can be filtered (F) or sorted (B) or searched (E) and the reset button resets the register content back to its default settings.

E. The search icon allows the Register to be searched by a column, to easily track down an individual issues or a collection of issues with a common theme.

F. The Filters pane shows us the filters that can be applied to all registers. To collapse the Filters pane, select the back button.

G. Back button allows navigation back from a report or page instead of using the main navigation.
The action bar in the top right of the register also contains other actions you can take on this report or visualisation. For example, you can export data from the report. Select More options (...) to reveal a list of additional register functionality.


EWN trends data: 

Interactive analytic report with “Drilldown to lowest level i.e. individual communications dealt with on time”. Example is based on EWN; similar reports are available for other workflows like CE, Submissions, Defects, Payments, Programme, etc. Example also shows “Early Warning status including detail on Risk Reduction proposals”, “Communications dealt with on time” and “aged bands of communications”


Data splicer for drilldown where individual reports can be filtered by contract, contractor, programme or site (location) etc. Users are authenticated with the PowerBI app so can only see contracts accessible through FastDraft.

Separate CE reports showing “events statuses”, “efficiency of responses”, filtering for “extensions of time”

Programme status/acceptances: 

Contract health-check reports and Contract financial information are available via our PowerBI App and Datasets and is customisable.

Our PowerBI app is complemented by extensive support articles and resources to support user adoption and drive best practice, such as our Contract Maturity Model, Competency Framework and a KPI glossary and contract dictionary explaining each KPI and its usefulness.

Does FastDraft provide a suite of reports to manage the governance of the system?

FastDraft provides admin reports and controls to support Admins governing FastDraft, including reports for managing:

  • Users at system or contract level including logged on date, their employer, the contracts they are attached to and their contract role
  • Suppliers and companies (with sub reports for managing users across companies or hubs/areas)
  • Contracts
  • Projects
  • Master contract and workflow templates.

Our “system users report” shows last log on, employer, system user role and other data to manage users at a system level (see screenshot).

Our “Contract User Report” shows each contract role, the party they represent under each contract, their employer, and other associated data. This secondary report helps manage permissions across contracts rather than across FastDraft.

Reports support exporting, searching, filtering and sorting and are customisable with a drag and drop column selector. Custom fields added for the data dictionary are displayed in the relevant admin reports.

Financial thresholds per user, per contract are not currently shown in the contract users report, but is straightforward to add to existing reports.

Screenshot of contract user register with financial thresholds, last logged on, their employer, the contracts they are attached to and their user role

Does FastDraft provide overall reporting/dashboards for senior management monitoring, including the functionality to create charts?

FastDraft’s portfolio reporting and PowerBI app provide a flexible framework supporting overall reporting/dashboards for senior management, leveraging our PowerBI app and PowerBI report/charts editing features . Senior managers can immediately use our prebuilt reporting from data sets, documented KPIs and prebuilt reports, scorecards and dashboards.

KPIs are represented in multiple visualisations (e.g. charts, tiles, etc.) providing almost limitless combinations which can be customised or copied in PowerBI or directly from FastDraft from embedded PowerBI reports.

Our PowerBI app has 120+ charts in pre-grouped reports, dashboards and scorecards providing a solid foundation without overwhelming the user.

Furthermore, our contract maturity model provides senior management with a blueprint for assessing and advancing your organisation’s contract management practices.

The data available to users for reporting through our user-interface, and API when using third party reporting tools such as PowerBI, is controlled through the user credentials and our secure API, restricting the data in accordance with their user role/access profile.

Several different profiles facilitate its management. Admins can manage the settings in bulk or individually per user, per contract or framework.


New reports, charts and dashboard can be created by report designers with PowerBI.

Can designated users create or modify reports across the system relying on existing data and fields, in response to developing business needs, without the need to use development time with the Supplier? Reports must be able to be automatically published to groups of users as required.

Our reporting toolkit allows designated users to create and modify reports, dashboards, scorecards and other visualisations of data quickly and easily, adaptable as the business evolves.

Designated admin users and report designers will have enhanced rights in our PowerBI app to customise the embedded prebuilt Reports, Dashboard and Scorecards. Our PowerBI app supports splicing data by user group and authenticates it with FastDraft roles and contract permissions so reports are automatically published back to the relevant users.

All users can customise, save, bookmark, export and share customised reports and dashboards within PowerBI.

All users have access to create or modify contract workflow registers across FastDraft, relying on existing data and fields. Our drag and drop column selector allows adaption of all contract and workflow registers, without our input. Custom fields added to expand existing workflows/data models (to support the organisational specific data models) also appear in reports. These reports/registers are accessible based on system and contract level roles, without our input.

We have allowed for mapping reporting periods into our PowerBI App such that they are configurable to accounting periods.

Can users download raw data and reports in a range of formats, including but not limited to .csv and .xls/.xlsx formats, for use elsewhere?

Yes, we provide a diverse set of download options, striking a sensible balance between data protection and ease of use.

For every contract, users have access to raw data that can be downloaded in bulk from any of the 34+ workflow registers in .xlsx format and all communications in PDF format including any associated attachments in original file format.

A further 25+ aggregated reports for admins and superusers to download all raw data across the entire system or workflow or in bulk or across a specific framework or workflow is provided. Admins have an archive function producing a zipped file with both the PDF notices, CSV registers and all attachments in the original file formats.

Our PowerBI reporting also allows displayed data and the underlying raw data down to individual notices to be exported by users, subject to them having the appropriate security permissions.

Our API supports downloading all data in raw JSON, .csv, text and XML formats. We support automated and scheduled downloading to products like SharePoint or FTP addresses through distribution lists. All raw data can be downloaded via our API.

Can users download raw data and reports in a range of formats, including but not limited to .csv and .xls/.xlsx formats, for use elsewhere?

User, company and contract data can be imported in bulk via Excel templates through our API. We have standard templates for this.

This can be used by any designated user, at no cost, and is documented in our FastDraft handbook.

We support the full export/import of your data to and from FastDraft in either raw JSON, XML or CSV files.

 

Related articles

Comments

0 comments

Article is closed for comments.