Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1521713
30 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024 At Ascentron, we used Excel to develop a spreadsheet model with three sections or sheets to accomplish the design step: • Section 1: Data • Section 2: Analysis and formatting • Section 3: A collection of charts and graphs that make the dashboard Design: Keep it Simple Designing the charts and graphs for the dash- board takes much planning and upfront work. ere are several ways to design a dashboard; some even mimic the dashboard of a car, with lots of dials and gauges. Remember, you've defeated the purpose if your dashboards are hard to read or understand. Here are the "keep it simple" guidelines we follow. • Don't try to use too much data at one time • Stick to simple formatting › Avoid using background color › De-emphasize borders › Avoid fancy effects such as shadows, glows, so edges, and others › It doesn't have to look like the dashboard of a car • Limit each dashboard to one printable page › Forces you to decide what data is most important • Format numbers effectively › Always use commas › Only use decimal places if that precision is required › Format very large numbers to the thousands or millions • Use titles and labels effectively Figure 2: This is the first section with the raw data related to the KPIs.