Showing Trends with a Chart

Adding a bit of pizazz to charts can be difficult at times. I tend to stick to what I know works when comparing say budget to actual. What is nice is to add some trending data to the conversation. I think it adds value from a visual perspective. It is nothing the user cannot see when actual is against budget or forecast. It just adds an extra element to the chart. I prefer to add trend data as a Line chart rather than use Excel’s inbuilt trending tool. There is more flexibility in the formatting of a Line chart.

Tags Excel, Charts, Trends