Action
In the Trigger–Cause–Action model, Action is the stage where a dashboard supports choosing a few realistic moves, not by automating the decision, but by framing options and trade-offs clearly enough for people to act.
What we mean by “Action”
Action refers to the specific, feasible steps a team can take in response to a signal and its likely causes. Decision-ready dashboards are designed with these actions in mind; they highlight the levers humans can actually pull, not just the ones that look clean in a model.
Why this changes how people read a dashboard
When dashboards ignore Action, meetings stop at “interesting”. People leave with more understanding but no change in behaviour.
- Reviews end with “let’s monitor this” by default, even when a clear response would be reasonable.
- Teams choose dramatic actions that do not match the size of the signal, because the dashboard did not frame smaller, safer moves.
When you will feel this term in real life
Problems at the Action stage are visible in familiar patterns:
- Meetings with data but no decisions — everyone understands the situation, but no one proposes concrete next steps.
- Decision fatigue — people feel that every action is a big bet, because the dashboard does not show smaller, incremental moves.
Dashboards do not need to prescribe decisions. But they should make it easier to pick a reasonable action than to do nothing.
See this term in context
Action is the final stage in:
Related terms in this glossary
Action is paired with:
When designing dashboards, it is useful to ask: “If this pattern appears, what are the three smallest actions we would want people to consider?”