Exception review keeps a dashboard from becoming a passive display. The goal is to identify changes that need a decision, then assign the smallest useful follow-up.
Find meaningful changes
Compare current results with an agreed baseline and inspect large shifts in volume, rate, or source mix. Do not treat every fluctuation as a problem. Prioritize changes that affect an active decision or suggest broken data.
Classify the cause
Use a short set of causes: real demand change, campaign change, tracking change, data delay, or unknown. Check campaign logs and CRM updates before writing a conclusion. The lead source attribution cleanup guide is useful when source mix shifts unexpectedly.
Assign the correction
Name the owner, action, evidence needed, and due date. If the data is not repairable, label the limitation clearly and prevent the same issue in the next reporting cycle.
Keep the record
Store the exception, decision, and outcome with the reporting period. Over time, the log reveals recurring system and process weaknesses that deserve a dedicated improvement project.
