# A Single KPI Dashboard for Cascades

**Prepared for:** Ashley Jensen, Cascades of Tucson
**Prepared by:** Arizona Computer Guru
**Date:** June 17, 2026

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## What you asked for

One place to see the numbers that matter — pulling from the systems your team already reports out of (ALIS, QuickBooks, Bill.com, Relias, You've Got Leads, TELS, Focus HR, Helpany, your POS) instead of logging into each one and assembling the picture by hand.

That's absolutely doable. Here's the honest version of how it works and the most cost-effective way to get there.

## The one thing to know up front

There is no single button or connector that "talks to" all of these systems at once — each one is a separate vendor with its own way of handing data out. So a unified dashboard is really two jobs: **(1)** get the right numbers out of each system, and **(2)** bring them together in one view that refreshes on a schedule.

The good news: **you already own the right tool for the dashboard itself.** Your Microsoft 365 plan includes the pieces we need (Power BI and SharePoint), so we can build this on what you're already paying for rather than buying a new platform.

## Our recommended approach — start simple, automate as we go

### Phase 1 — A working dashboard, fast (days, not months)

We pick the **3–5 numbers that actually drive your decisions** (for example: current census from ALIS, cash position and outstanding bills from QuickBooks/Bill.com, training compliance from Relias) and build the dashboard around those first.

For Phase 1, each source is exported on a schedule — a report from each system dropped into a shared, secure folder — and the dashboard reads from there. It's straightforward, it proves the value immediately, and it costs almost nothing beyond the time to set it up. Many organizations run exactly this way long-term and are perfectly happy with it.

**You get:** a real, shareable KPI dashboard, updated on a regular cadence (daily or weekly), with very little new cost.

### Phase 2 — Automate the systems that allow it

Some of your systems (Bill.com and QuickBooks Online in particular) can hand their data over automatically. In Phase 2 we connect those directly so their numbers flow into the dashboard on their own — no one has to run an export. We expand the automation system by system, wherever the vendor supports it.

A few of your more specialized programs (the senior-living-specific tools) may not offer automatic connections. Those simply stay on the Phase 1 scheduled-export method — which works perfectly well — so nothing is left out either way.

**You get:** less manual work over time, fresher numbers, and the same single dashboard growing more "hands-off" as we go.

## What this means for you

- **Right tool, no big new purchase.** Built on your existing Microsoft 365 investment.
- **Value in days, not a long project.** Phase 1 stands on its own; Phase 2 is optional and incremental.
- **Nothing gets left out.** Even systems that can't be automated still appear on the dashboard.
- **Patient and resident data stays protected.** Anything touching clinical/health information (ALIS) is handled under the proper HIPAA agreements before a single number moves.

## What it costs

- **Software:** essentially nothing new. The dashboard runs on **Power BI Pro — about $10 per month per person** who builds or views it (often just a handful of people), and it's included if you already have certain Microsoft 365 add-ons. SharePoint storage is part of your existing plan.
- **Setup:** a one-time, time-based effort at your standard rate. **Phase 1 (the first working dashboard) is the small one** — a few hours to set up exports and build the initial KPIs. **Phase 2 automation is billed per system, only as you choose to add it**, so you control the pace and the spend.
- **Ongoing:** near-zero in Phase 1 (whoever runs the scheduled exports); it drops further as Phase 2 automates those steps away.

The point: this is a low-commitment start. You can get a real dashboard in front of your team for very little, then decide how much further to invest based on what it's worth to you.

## What we'd need from you to begin

1. **The numbers that matter most** — the handful of KPIs you'd want to see first. This decides where we start.
2. **How current they need to be** — live, daily, or weekly. (Weekly is far simpler and cheaper; we'll be honest about the trade-off.)
3. **A quick confirm on two systems** — which **POS** you use and which **Focus HR** plan, so we know their reporting options.

## Suggested next step

A short working session to lock in your Phase 1 KPIs. From there we can stand up the first dashboard quickly and you'll have something real to react to — then decide together how far to take the automation.
