Have you tried using the workflow button on dashboard gadgets?

Less than one minute read time.
One commonly overlooked feature of dashboard gadgets is the workflow button. Perhaps this is our fault, giving it the slightly confusing label of 'workflow anchor column' in the gadget wizard. However this feature allows users to progress leads, opportunities, cases etc, through their typical workflow, without having to leave the dashboard. Furthermore the change in stage will be reflected on any charts based upon the same data.
In the video below, I turn on the workflow for the gadget. I then change the stage of one of my open opportunities from 'Qualified' to 'Proposal Submitted' and this is reflected in real-time on the chart gadget.
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