Trigger
A Trigger is the point at which a pattern in the data is designed to change your behaviour or at least your level of attention. It marks the shift from “notice” to “respond”.
What we mean by “Trigger”
In a decision-ready dashboard, a Trigger is a defined condition that should lead to a different conversation or next step. It can be crossing a threshold, a pattern over time, or a combination of signals. Without clear triggers, dashboards only inform — they do not guide.
Why this changes how people read a dashboard
When triggers are vague or unspoken, people rely on personality and mood to decide when to act. The same data leads to different moves depending on who is in the room.
- One manager calls for a taskforce at the first sign of decline; another waits until the trend is severe.
- Teams keep re-arguing “Is this enough to act on?” instead of refining the triggers themselves.
When you will feel this term in real life
Weak Triggers show up as inconsistent, overreactive, or delayed responses.
- Inconsistent or overreactive decisions — identical changes lead to very different reactions across weeks or teams.
- Endless debate “Is this serious?” — people cannot tell when a pattern has actually crossed the line.
Triggers are not rules for every situation, but they set the default so people know when to raise their hand.
See this term in context
Triggers sit at the start of the Trigger–Cause–Action chain:
Related terms in this glossary
Triggers are designed together with:
When you can write down your triggers in one or two lines, you have already taken a large step toward decision-ready dashboards.