Dashboard Project

Introduction:

You are to create a dashboard that gives the user a snapshot of key elements in your chosen dataset. Dashboards allow users to view several charts or other visual indicators on one page or screen. Dashboard examples and design resources are included on the course site. You will also want to view the video tutorial on dashboards.

Assignment:

You can use one of three provided datasets.

Dashboard Plan:

Your plan is a separately graded assignment. Please see the Dashboard Plan assignment

Dashboard Details:

You should build your dashboard on the first sheet and name it appropriately. Be creative and professional. Use charts that best represent the chosen data. Depending on how you create them, you should aim for between 6 and 8 charts for your dashboard. This can vary based on other visualizations you include, such as small tables with conditional formatting and sparklines. The data for the dashboard is located on sheet 2 of the project file.

You are given several different types of data. You should not only use the raw data that’s given to you, but you should also use the functions you learned in class to create more meaningful transformations of the data. To refresh your memory, these functions include (but are not limited to) SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, STDEV, etc. For example, you could calculate percent changes in sales for each month, then create a mini table of the results, using either conditional formatting or sparklines to help visualize the data.

Analysis:

You will also need to write a report that analyzes the output of your dashboard. This report should be between 750 and 1250 words in length. You should use your Dashboard Plan questions to guide this report. In addition, be sure that the following are also addressed:

What kinds of decisions can a manager make based on your dashboard (this should be based on the questions you developed in your dashboard plan)?

What difficulties did you have in creating the dashboard?

What are some improvements for future versions of your dashboard if you had access to more data?

You Dashboard will be graded based on:

• Meeting the minimum number of charts (6) – You most likely will use more than 6, including at least one pivot chart that uses slicers.
• The meaningfulness and appropriateness of the charts you use.
• The layout of the dashboard, including the use of headings and subheadings, and the logical organization of charts. For example, charts related to revenues and expenses should most likely be grouped together.
• The quality of your analysis paper
• See the rubric for specific details