1. Start with geographic definitions, not assumptions
A dashboard is only useful when its labels match the firm’s decisions. Waihee-Waiehu CDP is recorded in Maui County, but a Waihee-Waiehu service area is not automatically the same as Maui County, all of Hawaii, or a metropolitan area. The dashboard copy describes tracking for service-and-city targets and says city data can inform budget decisions. Ask how your firm would distinguish a Waihee-Waiehu target from a Maui County target and from a broader Hawaii target. Do not treat the CDP’s population estimate as evidence that a particular practice area has demand.
Recommended approach
Before reviewing a screen, write down the exact geographic units you want to compare. During the consultation, ask which labels appear in rankings, calls, forms, case-type reports and attribution. Approve only definitions that your partners and intake staff would interpret the same way.
