Here is an overview of the options you have for dashboards, cockpits and scorecards using Web Application Designer, Visual Composer, Java SDK, 3rd Party, SEM- CPM, Portal iViews.. As well as best practices for developing Cockpits by Deepu Sasidharan & Dr. Bjarne Berg called "SAP BI Cockpits & Dashboards best practice: Evaluate and choose the right BI tool to build management cockpits".
Like always, we provide PowerPoints, so that everyone can take the slides they like: http://csc-studentweb.lrc.edu/swp/Berg/articles/Reporting_Analytics_2006_Cockpits_v10.ppt