The Most Expensive Button in BI is "Publish"
Stop building dashboards nobody uses. Design it right the first time with validated mockups and stakeholder sign-off before writing any code.
The Rework Loop Problem
You know this pattern. Stakeholder requests dashboard. Team builds it. Stakeholder wants changes. Team rebuilds. Repeat forever.
The Real Cost
Fixing a misunderstanding costs €1 in the design phase, €10 in the build phase, €100 after launch. That is the 1:10:100 rule.
Most BI teams skip design and jump straight to building because stakeholders want results “now.” Then they spend months in endless rework cycles while the business runs on Excel files you cannot control.
The Root Problem. Requirements were never truly clear. Stakeholders described what they wanted, not what decision they need to make.
Why Design First Is Actually Faster
You have a backlog of tickets and teams under pressure. Design feels like a luxury you cannot afford.
Here is the reality: Every hour spent on this sprint saves 10 hours of recoding later.
Without Design:
- Week 1-2: Build dashboard
- Week 3: “That’s not what I meant”
- Week 4-5: Rebuild with new requirements
- Week 6: Different stakeholder, different definitions
- Week 7-8: Rebuild again
- Result: Frustrated team, unused dashboard
With Data Story Sprint:
- Week 1-2: Design and validate with mockups (cheap changes)
- Week 3-4: Stakeholder reviews, mockup revisions (still cheap)
- Week 5-6: Final sign-off with documented requirements
- Week 7-8: Build it once, correctly
- Result: Confident launch, dashboard actually gets used
The design phase is not overhead. It is the only way to ensure you build the right thing once.
What You Get
Complete PDF Mockup Pack
High-fidelity mockups of the entire data story: overview dashboard, navigation structure, deep-dive views. Refined through up to 2 revision rounds with your stakeholders.
Why mockups matter. They show the actual decision flow, not just visualizations. Each view answers specific questions that lead to specific actions.
Data Story Design Canvas
Documented output of Engage, Clarify, Illustrate: who uses this, in which meeting, what decisions they make, what questions they need answered, what metrics matter.
Reusable template. Your team can apply this approach to future data stories without hiring us again.
Implementation Brief
Clear specifications showing exactly how to build the data story in your BI tool (Power BI, Tableau, Looker).
The value. Your developers know exactly what to build. No guessing. No rework.
Knowledge Transfer
Your team participates in every design session. You learn the DECIDE methodology by doing it.
Long-term benefit. After one sprint, your team has the skills to design better dashboards independently.
The DECIDE Framework
We do not guess. We follow a 6-step framework to ensure alignment.
Discover: Identify and prioritize relevant use cases based on business impact.
Engage: Understand roles, situations, decisions, and actions. Who will use this? In which meeting? What constraints do they face?
Clarify: Precisely define decision questions and information needs. “I need sales performance” becomes “Which product lines are underperforming against plan, and which territories need intervention?”
Illustrate: Design mockups before building anything. Test whether the design answers the right questions. Get stakeholder sign-off while changes are cheap.
Develop: Implementation guidance for your team to build the data products efficiently.
Embed: Anchor usage in decision and steering routines so insights actually drive different decisions.
Why this order matters. Each step builds on the previous. Skip Clarify and you build beautiful dashboards that answer the wrong questions. Skip Engage and you do not know which questions to ask.
Investment and Terms
€7,500
What’s Included
- Complete 6-8 week co-design engagement
- PDF mockup pack of full data story
- Data Story Design Canvas documentation
- Implementation brief for your BI team
- Up to 2 revision rounds
- Knowledge transfer throughout
Payment
Upon delivery of final mockups (after revisions). One invoice.
The Guarantee
You only pay if you love the result. After 2 revision rounds, if you are not happy with the design, you do not pay. You keep all the work we created together.
100% Credit
Your entire €5,000 investment becomes a credit against any future MultiBase services for 12 months. Decide to do a €30,000 implementation? You pay €25,000 because you already invested €5,000 here.
Timeline
6-8 weeks from kickoff to final mockups
Your Time Commitment
12-15 hours across the engagement, mostly in collaborative sessions
Limited Capacity: We only take 3 Data Story Sprint projects per month due to the hands-on nature of this work.
Timeline Breakdown
Kickoff and use case framing
Data Story Design Canvas plus first draft mockups
Revision cycles with real stakeholders
Final mockups plus implementation recommendations
No data access needed to start. We design with dummy data first, which means no VPN approvals or IT security clearance required upfront. We can usually start within 5 days of approval.
Who This Is For
This sprint works best when:
- You have a specific high-value use case causing pain or offering big leverage
- Stakeholders keep changing requirements on existing dashboards
- You are planning larger BI modernization and want to validate approach first
- You need to prove ROI before committing to full implementation
- Your BI team is overwhelmed with rework and maintenance
This sprint is not right when:
- You need a quick tactical report (consider Insight Discovery instead)
- You are not willing to involve business stakeholders in design sessions
- You want us to build the final dashboard (we deliver mockups and specs, you build)
- You need completion in under 4 weeks
Critical success factor: Real collaboration required. If stakeholders will not commit 8-10 hours over 6 weeks to design sessions, the sprint cannot deliver value.
Common Questions Answered
Can't we just skip to building?
You can. Most companies do. That is why most dashboards sit unused or require constant rework.
The math: Spend 2 weeks designing and 2 weeks building (4 weeks total, done once) or spend 4 weeks building, 2 weeks rebuilding, 2 more weeks rebuilding again (8 weeks total, endless frustration).
What if our data is messy?
Perfect. Better to know that before you commit €200,000 to a full BI implementation. Part of the Clarify step is understanding your current data reality. We tell you explicitly what works, what is missing, what needs fixing.
Do you need access to our systems?
Not to start. We begin with design using dummy data. We only need data access during Illustrate phase to validate technical feasibility. You can start immediately, no IT security approvals needed.
What if we want changes after the 2 revision rounds?
The 2 rounds are structured feedback cycles with your full stakeholder group. Most teams need only 1 full revision. If you need additional changes after final delivery, we can discuss a small fixed-fee amendment.
Can we do multiple data stories?
Yes, but not in the same sprint. Each sprint focuses on one use case to ensure deep quality and alignment. After your first sprint, you can book additional sprints for other use cases.
What Happens Next
1
Step 1: Sprint Assessment (30 minutes)
We discuss:
- Which use case causes most pain or has biggest leverage?
- Who are key stakeholders that need involvement?
- What is your current data landscape?
- What does success look like?
No sales pitch. Honest assessment of whether the sprint fits your situation.
2
Step 2: Proposal and Approval
We send detailed sprint brief with confirmed use case, timeline, stakeholder requirements, and commercial terms. You get internal approval.
3
Step 3: Kickoff Within 5 Days
Once approved, we schedule kickoff workshop (90 minutes). No VPN access needed. No data security approvals required. We start with design and mockups.
Why MultiBase
35+ years of experience | 400+ clients served | 1,500+ projects delivered
We have made every BI mistake possible. We have learned from all of them. The DECIDE framework is not theory. It is distilled lessons from 1,500+ projects across manufacturing, retail, professional services, and healthcare.
What makes us different
- We start with decisions, not data
- We design with mockups, not tickets
- We validate with stakeholders, not assumptions
- We transfer knowledge, not create dependency
Our commitment: We do not just deliver a sprint. We make your team better at designing data products.
Stop the Rework Loop. Start Your Sprint.
Six to eight weeks from now, you could have validated data story design that stakeholders have already approved, clear specifications your BI team can build from, and no more guessing about requirements.
Or you could be six to eight weeks deeper into the rework loop you are in right now.