diff --git a/dashboard/plugin.jelly b/dashboard/plugin.jelly
index 520d0f95..807ecdf3 100644
--- a/dashboard/plugin.jelly
+++ b/dashboard/plugin.jelly
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
  -->
 
 <project
+  xmlns:multiproject="multiproject"
   xmlns:j="jelly:core"
   xmlns:m="jelly:maven"
   xmlns:x="jelly:xml"
@@ -34,26 +35,39 @@
   <goal name="dashboard" prereqs="dashboard:report"
     description="Generate a dashboard report"/>
 
+  <!--
+     ========================================================================
+       Initialize Dashboard plugin data.
+     ========================================================================
+  -->
+  <goal name="dashboard:init">
+
+    <!-- Default reactor properties from the Multiproject plug-in -->
+    
+    <!-- Make sure the multiproject plugin is loaded -->
+    <multiproject:dependency-handle />
+    
+    <m:get var="mBasedir" property="maven.multiproject.basedir" plugin="maven-multiproject-plugin"/>
+    <m:property var="dBasedir" name="maven.dashboard.basedir" defaultValue="${mBasedir}"/>
+      
+    <m:get var="mIncludes" property="maven.multiproject.includes" plugin="maven-multiproject-plugin"/>
+    <m:property var="dIncludes" name="maven.dashboard.includes" defaultValue="${mIncludes}"/>
+
+    <m:get var="mExcludes" property="maven.multiproject.excludes" plugin="maven-multiproject-plugin"/>
+    <m:property var="dExcludes" name="maven.dashboard.excludes" defaultValue="${mExcludes}"/>
+
+    <m:get var="mIgnoreFailures" property="maven.multiproject.ignoreFailures" plugin="maven-multiproject-plugin"/>
+    <m:property var="dIgnoreFailures" name="maven.dashboard.ignoreFailures" defaultValue="${mIgnoreFailures}"/>
+        
+  </goal>
+  
   <!--
      ========================================================================
        Generate a dashboard report.
      ========================================================================
   -->
-  <goal name="dashboard:report" description="Generate a dashboard report">
-
-    <!-- Default reactor properties from the Multiproject plug-in -->
-
-    <m:get var="mBasedir" property="maven.multiproject.basedir" plugin="maven-multiproject-plugin"/>
-    <m:property var="dBasedir" name="mBaseDir" defaultValue="${basedir}"/>
-      
-    <m:get var="mIncludes" property="maven.multiproject.includes" plugin="maven-multiproject-plugin"/>
-    <m:property var="dIncludes" name="mIncludes" defaultValue="*/project.xml"/>
-
-    <m:get var="mExcludes" property="maven.multiproject.excludes" plugin="maven-multiproject-plugin"/>
-    <m:property var="dExcludes" name="mExcludes" defaultValue=""/>
-
-    <m:get var="mIgnoreFailures" property="maven.multiproject.ignoreFailures" plugin="maven-multiproject-plugin"/>
-    <m:property var="dIgnoreFailures" name="mIgnoreFailures" defaultValue="false"/>
+  <goal name="dashboard:report" prereqs="dashboard:init"
+      description="Generate a dashboard report">
 
     <!-- Generate dashboard data for all sub-projects if it is required -->
     <j:set var="runreactor" value="${maven.dashboard.runreactor}"/>
diff --git a/dashboard/xdocs/changes.xml b/dashboard/xdocs/changes.xml
index 8b39b1f9..040ad289 100644
--- a/dashboard/xdocs/changes.xml
+++ b/dashboard/xdocs/changes.xml
@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@
   </properties>
   <body>
     <release version="1.9-SNAPSHOT" date="in svn">
+      <action dev="vmassol" type="fix" issue="MPDASHBOARD-27">
+        Properties <code>maven.dashboard.basedir</code>,
+        <code>maven.dashboard.includes</code>, <code>maven.dashboard.excludes</code>
+        and <code>maven.dashboard.ignoreFailures</code> were ignored and were always
+        defaulting to their multiproject plugin counterpart.
+      </action>
       <action dev="vmassol" type="fix" issue="MPDASHBOARD-26" due-to="Wim Deblauwe">
         The JUnit pass rate aggregator was no longer showing values in the dashboard.
       </action>
