cleanup-dashboards

Cleanup Dashboards

Audit HubSpot dashboards to remove clutter and consolidate reporting. Too many dashboards means nobody uses any of them effectively.

Important Limitation

HubSpot does not provide a Dashboard API. This entire process must be performed manually in the HubSpot UI under Reports > Dashboards.

Prerequisites

• HubSpot portal access with dashboard management permissions
• Input from team members on which dashboards they actively use

Step-by-Step Instructions

Stage 1: Before — Inventory All Dashboards

1. Navigate to Reports > Dashboards in HubSpot.
2. Create a spreadsheet listing every dashboard:
   • Name, owner/creator, number of reports, last viewed date (if visible), purpose

Stage 2: Execute — Identify Candidates for Removal

Flag dashboards matching any of these criteria:

1. Not viewed in 90+ days (check with the owner first)
2. Duplicate dashboards covering the same metrics
3. Test dashboards (names containing "test", "draft", "copy of")
4. Personal dashboards belonging to departed employees
5. Default dashboards that were never customized

Consolidation targets:

• Merge dashboards with overlapping report widgets into a single comprehensive dashboard.
• Aim for 5-10 core dashboards maximum (e.g., Marketing Overview, Sales Pipeline, Email Health, Data Quality, Executive Summary).

Stage 3: After — Clean Up and Reorganize

1. Delete confirmed unused dashboards.
2. Rename remaining dashboards with a clear naming convention (e.g., [Team] - Purpose).
3. Set appropriate sharing/visibility for each dashboard.
4. Communicate changes to the team — share links to the consolidated dashboards.

Stage 4: Rollback

• Deleted dashboards cannot be restored.
• Before deleting, screenshot each dashboard or note which reports it contained.
• Individual reports within a dashboard are not deleted when the dashboard is removed — they remain available for re-use.

Tips

• Assign a dashboard owner for each core dashboard — someone responsible for keeping it current.
• Review dashboards quarterly as part of the database cleanup routine.
• If a report on a dashboard shows stale or broken data, fix the underlying report rather than creating a new dashboard.