Setting Up Dashboards
Dashboards in Factor work automatically once the underlying data is in place — there is no separate dashboard configuration page. Setting up dashboards means ensuring the supporting data and settings are properly configured.
PULSE Dashboards (Budget, Hours, Forecast, Profit)
For the PULSE dashboards to show meaningful data, the following needs to be in place:
Projects with budget phases — Phases should have planned hours or amounts configured on the Budget tab.
Time entries logged — Team members need to have logged time against project phases.
Team cost configured — The Profit dashboard calculates labor cost by multiplying each employee's logged hours by their hourly and overhead cost rates. Without team cost configured, labor costs will show as zero and profit data will be meaningless.
Team Cost Configuration
Team cost is the most critical setup step for the Profit dashboard. For each employee you set:
Hourly cost — Derived from the employee's base salary divided by their annual working hours.
Overhead cost — Additional costs such as benefits, insurance, and office expenses, expressed as an hourly rate.
These values are effective from a specific start date and carry forward until changed. This means if you're analyzing a past period before any cost values were entered, costs will show as zero for that period.
Team cost is configured under SETTINGS > Your Team. See the "Set Up Team Cost for Project Profitability" article under Getting Started for detailed instructions on calculating these values.
Firm Dashboard / KPI Dashboard
For the Firm Dashboard to show target comparisons alongside KPI values, you need to configure KPI goals under Settings > Goals. Without goals set up, KPIs will still display their current values but will not show target comparisons or indicate whether performance is on track.
Permissions
Access to dashboards is controlled by user permissions. Contact your administrator if you don't have access to PULSE or the Firm Dashboard.
Troubleshooting Dashboards
PULSE Shows No Data or Zero Values
Check your date range. Dashboard data is filtered by date range. If the selected range doesn't overlap with when work was performed or invoices were created, the dashboard will appear empty. Try expanding the date range.
Check your project filters. If you've filtered to a specific project, ensure that project has the relevant data (budget phases, time entries, invoices) within the selected date range.
Budget phase dates may not overlap. The Budget dashboard calculates expected amounts based on budget phase start and end dates. If your selected date range falls outside a phase's dates, no budget data will appear for that phase.
Profit Dashboard Shows $0 for Costs
Team cost is not configured. The Profit dashboard calculates labor cost by multiplying each employee's logged hours by their hourly and overhead cost rates. If these values haven't been entered under Settings > Your Team, labor costs will show as zero.
Cost effective dates. Team cost values apply from the date they were entered. If you're analyzing a period before any cost values were set, costs will show as zero for that period.
Profit Numbers Don't Match Expectations
Check whether date ranges are linked or unlinked. By default, the invoice date range and cost date range are linked. If you invoiced hours that were worked in prior months, the costs for those hours may fall outside your invoice date range. Unlink the date ranges to set a cost period that covers when the work was actually performed.
Invoice adjustments affect profit. Applied adjustments (like Credits, or any other adjustment type your firm has created) reduce the Adjusted Profit figure — Gross Profit does not reflect adjustments. Only "Credit" exists as a built-in adjustment type; deposits and prepayments aren't separate built-in types unless your firm creates them. Review the adjustments section of the dashboard to see if any applied adjustments are impacting the totals.
Cannot Access a Dashboard
Dashboard access is controlled by user permissions. Contact your administrator if you cannot see PULSE or the Firm Dashboard.