A Category Management Dashboard, is a data-driven management information process, that supports Category Management and provides real time sourcing information on the number suppliers, spend in period, type of spend and spend purchasing patterns. Dashboards that inform the category manager by monitoring spend, assessing performance and taking corrective sourcing actions to deliver business commitments.

Category Management Dashboards, provide real time information, help shape policy and strategy, provide progress on strategic and tactical sourcing decisions. At its core category management is the management of spend groups aligned by supplier, types of goods and services, the aim of the category manager is to put in place sourcing contracts and policies that provide the company with vetted, approved or preferred supplier lists.

Category Management Dashboards, provide a 360 view for that category, normally focused in two areas, preferred suppliers with agreed contracts in place and the review of maverick or long tail supplier information. To create a functional Category Dashboard for procurement, the following spend analysis process is used.

Spend Analytics Dashboards are data visualization tools that display the current status of the company spend metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). Spend Analytics Dashboards are the most efficient way to track multiple data sources, a spend analysis dashboards are a management information tool that visually tracks, analyses, and displays key performance indicator metrics.

On the surface, the dashboard is a collection of charts, graphs, and tables that provide a 360 view of procurement spend, behind the scenes, a full assessment of each data source is conducted, to aid in the creation of supplier spend analysis, opportunity assessment, and sourcing cost savings.