Working with Excel: Dashboards
One of the greatest (and lesser known) aspects of Microsoft Excel is its ability to generate dashboards.
What are dashboards? Think of them as tools in which you can call up any data you want; that is, your relevant KPIs (key performance indicators) from your Excel spreadsheet, and have it presented in any form you want. It’s similar to an automobile dashboard (which is where it got its name) in that it gives you the relevant info to your particular goal, objective or process. But one thing to remember: Dashboards are not automatic. They have to be set up to show whatever aspect of your business you need (and if you have the data for it). But they’re extremely valuable for the following reasons: 1. You will always know what’s going on with your business. Need to see growth projections for the coming fiscal year? There’s a dashboard for that. Need the data presented as a pie chart, graph or bar chart? No problem. What color do you want to show it? That’s not a problem, either. Any aspect of your business can be turned into a dashboard where with just a few keystrokes, the information pops right onto your screen. And, if there are trends or issues you need to see, dashboards can help spot them. 2. You will save time and money. Everybody who uses Excel knows that the best thing going for it is its ability to turn long, arduous tasks in which the risk of human error is great, into a program that takes seconds with no human error. With the dashboard, the report you want can be updated at any time you’d like: hourly, daily, weekly, monthly. When things are running well and you’re making money hand over fist, you know it, because you know what’s working. When parts of the business are lacking, for example, if it’s the workers themselves, the dashboard can show that, too giving you the insight and info you need to fix it. 3. Everyone will be on the same page. The dashboard(s) can be shown to anyone in the company that needs to see the information. Everyone will be working in Excel, so there’s no problem showing the data to whoever needs it. That also means there are no costs to convert the data from some other program into Excel – another money – and time-saving aspect. You already have Microsoft Excel as part of your Office suite. Using dashboards will only simplify your business and keep everybody involved and profitable. Become Excel-lent and see the great many things Excel can do for you. For more information on how to find the right MicroSoft Excel Developer contact Warren Schultz at Email : warren@tapsolutions.net or call him at 818-281-7628. Website : www.tapsolutions.net #TAPSolutions #TAPSolutions.net #ExcelConsulting #ExcelSupport #ExcelDashboards #ExcelVisulation #ScvDevelopment #ExcelSupport #ExcelApplications #tappublish |