Should we build a custom operations dashboard or use Retool/Tableau?
Use Retool, Metabase, or Tableau when your data is already in one place and your team is comfortable with a generic interface. Build custom when your team is across multiple sites, you need role-based views with very different surfaces per role, or you've outgrown the BI tool's licensing costs ($30-$50 per seat per month adds up fast across an ops team). Custom dashboards also win when ops teams need to take actions inside the tool, not just view metrics.
How much does an operations dashboard cost?
A focused single-site or single-team dashboard with 3-5 data integrations starts at $14,900. A multi-site operations dashboard with role-based access, real-time data, alerts, and 8-15 integrations is a custom platform build from $24,900. Enterprise scope with custom auth, SSO, audit logging, or complex permission models starts at $30,000+. Fixed price is locked before development.
What integrations are typical for a multi-site operations dashboard?
Common pulls include scheduling systems (Deputy, When I Work, Connecteam), POS or ERP (Toast, Square, NetSuite), CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce), ticketing (Zendesk, Intercom), accounting (QuickBooks, Xero), and Google Sheets or Airtable for the data your team still tracks manually. We connect via official APIs where possible and webhooks or scheduled syncs where needed.
Can field teams or site managers use the dashboard on mobile?
Yes. Mobile-friendly views are standard. Site managers, field service teams, and on-the-floor operators typically need a different surface than the executive overview — Shipkit designs role-specific views so each user sees the data and actions relevant to their job.
What about workplace operations dashboards specifically?
Workplace operations dashboards typically combine facilities, employee scheduling, vendor management, and compliance data into one ops surface. Shipkit has built dashboards in this shape and the same fixed-price model applies — scope is mapped to your team's daily decisions and locked before development.
How long before the ops team is using it?
4-6 weeks for a Production MVP dashboard from $14,900, and 6-9 weeks for a multi-site Custom Platform build from $24,900. You see a working build every week rather than a status report, so the ops team can put the core view in front of real shifts well before launch. The variable in the range is how many data sources have to be reconciled, not how many charts are drawn.
Who keeps it running after launch?
The build includes post-launch bug support for 14 or 30 days depending on the plan, a walkthrough session, and documentation with access to hosting, domain and third-party services. Past that window, maintenance is quoted as its own engagement rather than assumed. You own the code and the infrastructure from day one, so keeping it running is not something you have to buy back from us.
