What is Review Dashboard?
Definition
Review Dashboard is a finance reporting view that brings review items, approvals, exceptions, metrics, commentary, and ownership into one place. It helps finance leaders monitor whether reports, reconciliations, journals, controls, budgets, forecasts, or operational reviews are complete, accurate, and ready for decision-making.
How It Works
A Review Dashboard collects status and performance data from ERP records, close trackers, reconciliation files, approval logs, planning models, and reporting packs. It then presents the information by owner, entity, account, due date, status, variance, risk level, and review outcome.
For example, during month-end close, a controller may use a dashboard to see pending account reconciliation reviews, open journal approvals, unresolved exceptions, and commentary gaps before signing off the trial balance.
Core Components
Review status by owner, entity, account, or department.
Open items, completed reviews, overdue items, and escalations.
Variance explanations linked to Analytical Review (Journal Entries).
Financial metrics tied to Monthly Business Review (MBR) and Quarterly Business Review (QBR).
Evidence, comments, attachments, and approval history.
Role in Financial Management
A Review Dashboard improves visibility by showing which financial areas need attention before reporting deadlines. It supports Cash Flow Statement Review, balance sheet review, income statement review, forecast review, budget review, and control review by turning scattered review tasks into a clear management view.
It is also useful for Working Capital Performance Review because leaders can monitor receivables, payables, inventory movement, cash position, and unresolved operating items together.
Key Metrics
Important metrics include review completion rate, overdue review count, open exception count, average review turnaround time, unresolved variance value, rejected item count, and review aging by owner. These metrics help finance teams understand whether review activity is progressing on time and whether material items remain unresolved.
For example, if 240 review tasks are assigned and 216 are completed before the reporting deadline, the completion rate is 90%. If the remaining 24 include material cash and revenue items, leadership may prioritize those before final financial reporting sign-off.
Business Use Cases
Review Dashboards are used in close management, FP&A, procurement, transformation programs, audit preparation, and executive reporting. A CFO may use an Executive Operations Dashboard to monitor performance indicators, while a finance transformation leader may use a Finance Transformation Dashboard to review milestones, value delivery, and adoption progress.
In procurement, dashboards can support Procurement Performance Review by showing purchase cycle performance, supplier issues, open approvals, savings progress, and policy compliance.
Best Practices
Define review categories clearly, such as completed, pending, overdue, escalated, and approved.
Show metrics by owner, entity, materiality, and due date.
Link each review item to evidence, comments, and final decision.
Separate operational metrics from financial reporting controls.
Use dashboard insights in Executive Transformation Dashboard discussions and performance reviews.
Summary
A Review Dashboard gives finance teams a structured view of review progress, open issues, approvals, and key metrics. It improves accountability, operational efficiency, financial reporting quality, and decision-making by showing what has been reviewed, what remains open, and where leadership attention is needed.
