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2026-03-18

RAG Dashboards Explained: Red, Amber, Green Status at a Glance

How RAG dashboards help businesses monitor compliance, deadlines and performance instantly.

A RAG dashboard uses traffic light colours to show status at a glance. Red means problem. Amber means attention needed soon. Green means fine.

Why RAG Works

A spreadsheet with 200 rows of dates requires manual scanning to find problems. A RAG dashboard shows you instantly: 3 red items need immediate attention, 7 amber items need action this month, everything else is green.

Real Applications

  • Staff compliance: DBS expired (red), first aid expires in 2 weeks (amber), safeguarding up to date (green).
  • Equipment maintenance: PAT test overdue (red), service due next month (amber), recently serviced (green).
  • Project deadlines: Task overdue (red), due this week (amber), on track (green).
  • Inventory: Stock below minimum (red), approaching reorder level (amber), well-stocked (green).

When an inspector walks in, a RAG dashboard demonstrates that you have a system in place and you’re actively monitoring compliance.


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