Meeting the criteria - A Guide

P1 explain how spreadsheets can be used to solve complex problems 

This will be covered by your description of a range of ways with examples of how tasks can be made much simpler or more efficient, accurate with spreadsheets.

P2 develop a complex spreadsheet model to meet particular needs 

The first part of the Katie's Kitchen task covers this. You should add a brief summary of the headings used and techniques in a spreadsheet that make this set-up helpful (e.g. simple month filling in, using formulae to reduce repeated entries of the same data and, if you did this, using a datasheet with links to the calculation sheet which makes future changes in common data easy)

P3 use formulae, features and functions to process information 

The Katie's Kitchen task completed up to the stage where you have a monthly cash at bank line should cover this, as long as you have used the right formulae and entered data correctly. A print out of the sheet with data and another showing some formulae is best.

P4 use appropriate tools to present data 

The chart of monthly profit or loss for Katie's Kitchen and a cash flow analysis, together, ideally with a better formatted and presented data sheet.

P5 customise the spreadsheet model to meet a given requirement

This should be covered by the same items as for preceding items - to which you can add the facility to restrict data entry that is outside a range.

P6 use automated features in the spreadsheet model to meet a given requirement 

Katie's Kitchen has several features, if completed properly, that can illustrate this: data entry messages, conditional formatting to highlight certain ranges, warnings of out of range results (overdraft, end of year profit), automatic adjustment of charts on data change, automatic adjustment of entries through use of data entry sheet, macro to create chart, etc.

You will need to explain how you have incorporated the features you illustrate in this an preceding sections.

P7 test a spreadsheet model to ensure that it is fit for purpose

There is a sample available for testing - the football table. Show how you can check results by comparison with known correct data, manual calculation checks, viewing formulae sheets when printed correctly and using test calculations, eg total draws + wins + losses should = total played. Use of conditional formatting may also highlight odd entries.

As this is a table that has to be printed, actually checking the print layout is a good idea too. Is it legible? Fits on a single page? Column alignment OK? Consistent decimals? Data types correctly set up?

P8 export the contents of the spreadsheet model to an alternative format 

A file is provided to be saved as a number of different file types. A brief explanation of why those file types might be important in some circumstances is needed too.

P9 produce user documentation for a spreadsheet model.

For Katies Kitchen (or another similarly complex workbook) set out clear instructions so a user could change various formulae to suit changing circumstances (e.g. a different maximum overdraft warning, more or less staff required for large customer numbers, changing data entry restrictions, changing conditional formatting, adjusting the colours on charts etc.)

You should also protect the sheet that a user would normally enter data in and explain how they can unprotect it to make amendments and then re-protect it.

Choosing the right chart task

Choosing the right chart

In this task you will be deciding which type of chart is most suitable to display all of parts of the various figures shown.

1. How people spent their time!

Make a chart to show how one of these people spend their time.


Make a chart to compare how much time all 5 people spend on eating.

Make a chart to compare how each person's day is spent.

2. Student results

Make a chart to compare how these 5 students did in each subject.

3. Progress with jobs

Make a chart to compare how these 5 people are progressing with the three jobs they have to do.

4. Profit and loss

[Click to enlarge this chart so you can read the data]

Make a chart to show the profit or loss for each month. Illustrate the difference between loss and profit months with a colour or effect.

Make a chart to show how the bank balance changes over the year.

Changes colours, fill effects, lines etc. to make these charts more attractive and clear. Make the final set of charts full size displays on their own sheets.

Name the sheets suitably and save the spreadsheet file.

How to make pictographs

Presenting information using pictographs 

This is a way to display numeric information in an interesting way. It is a variation of a column or bar chart.

So instead of giving someone this type of information

You can show them this



Each bundle of notes represents 100.

How to make a pictograph in Excel (2007 or later)
1 Select the data required for a chart

2 Insert a bar or column chart (simple 2-D type)

3 Use whatever colours are provided and right click on any bar

 

4 Choose Format Data series.

5 In this panel choose Picture or texture fill, and Stack and Scale.

6 You will also need to choose an image to be used. Unless you already have something suitable, use the Clip Art option and search for an image. This can be changed later if you want to replace it with a better icon or picture from the web.

7 There are then three choices: Stretch, Stack, and Stack and Scale. The first, Stretch doesn’t usually work that well as it will make your image look strange! The best option is usually Stack and Scale where you also have to set a number for how many each image will represent. For example if you have small numbers in your data, like 2, 5 6, 11 then 1 unit per picture will work fine. If you have large numbers like 20000, 50000, 60000, 110000 then a unit of 10000 per picture would be better. In this example 100 units per picture has been used.

You may need to try a few different choices and see what works best with your data.

A different symbol has been used.

A change of scale is illustrated above. Note that in this option Excel will cut the image as appropriate where there an exact number will not match the data figures.

Peter's budget tasks

Peter is a carpenter. He makes kitchen cabinets and also does general building work. He is planning to introduce a new product – oak gazebos which are like permanent wooden tents people can have in their garden.

Your task is to help him work out how his cash flow will change over the year for different numbers of jobs that he hopes to get.

You are provided with a spreadsheet that has been partially completed. Download that at this link and save it.

1. You will need headings for the other months. Add February to December. (Remember, there is an easy way!)

2. Add a formula in cells G5 to G7 which will show the profit on each type of job. (Ignore other expenses at this stage, just take the cost away from the price)

3. Add the number of jobs he expects to get each month from this table.

4. Enter a formula to show the total number of jobs each month

5. Enter a formula to enter the income for January from each type of job. This will be the job price x number of jobs

6. Show the total income figures in row 20, the sum of the three figures above

7. In the Expenditure section, the cost of the Oak timber will be the number of Oak gazebo jobs x the Oak gazebo cost. Similarly, you can enter formulae to show Kitchen cabinet materials and General building costs.

8. Wages are for someone to help with the building jobs. He pays £100 per building job

9. The other expenses, drawings to sundry expenses, can all be assumed to be the same each month. Use either a formula or other method to copy these across.

10. Show the total expenditure figures in row 38.

11. The monthly profit will be his total income – total expenditure

12. The bank balance for January is entered already. From February it will be January’s balance + February’s profit. That formula can be copied for the other months.

13. Create a chart that shows Peter’s total jobs each month

14. Create a chart that shows his profit or loss for each month. Change the colours displayed so that the months with a loss stand out (eg profit in green, loss in red)

15. Create a chart that shows how his bank balance will change over the year.

16. Create three charts which indicate the cost and profit components of each type of job, expressing each as a percentage.

17. Copy the spreadsheet and display the formulae used.

Peter now wonders what would happen if he had to take July off too and would not be able to do any jobs that month. He realises that he will have to reduce his monthly drawings (what he pays himself each month) as it is important that he does not go overdrawn in December. By changing his monthly drawings determine the most he can pay himself each month and still be in the black at the end of the year.

Keep a separate copy of the chart showing this.

Output

• Sheet with complete data entered 
• A chart of total jobs each month 
• A profit and loss chart 
• A bank balance chart 
• Job cost / profit charts 
• Formulae sheet 
• Effect of July holiday and lower drawings chart

[Word version available here] | [Download the draft spreadsheet here]

Help with the Peter spreadsheet

Ideas!

1.       Entering months

drag the little black box at the corner across and the months will just appear
2.       Add a formula in cells G5 to G7 which will show the profit

=B5-E5 will work for Oak gazebo profit. That formula can be copied down with the same little black box for the other two.

3.       Add the number of jobs he expects to get each month from this table.
Just type in the right cells

4.       Enter a formula to show the total number of jobs each month
=SUM(B11:B13) will add the right figures for January. Again, copy across for other months

5.       Enter a formula to enter the income for January ..
You need to make sure the formula always uses the same Price for Oak gazebos. So use =$B$5*B11 (with those $ signs). That can then be copied across. It’s 0 for some months.
=$B$6*B12 will work for kitchens
=$B$7*B13 will work for building

6.       Show the total income figures in row 20, the sum of the three figures above
=SUM(B16:B19) will add the income for January and can be copied across

7.       In the Expenditure section, the cost of the Oak timber will be the number of Oak gazebo jobs x the Oak gazebo cost. Similarly, you can enter formulae to show Kitchen cabinet materials and General building costs.
=$E$5*B11 (with the dollar signs) is needed for January and can then be copied
=$E$6*B12 for kitchens
=$E$7*B13 for building

8.      Wages are for someone to help with the building jobs. He pays £100 per building job
=B13*100 will work and can be copied

9.       The other expenses, drawings to sundry expenses, can all be assumed to be the same each month. Use either a formula or other method to copy these across.
10.   Show the total expenditure figures in row 38.
Another Sum formula =SUM(B23:B37) will work and can be copied

11.   The monthly profit will be his total income – total expenditure
=B20-B38 will work and can be copied

12.   The bank balance for January is entered already. From February it will be January’s balance + February’s profit. That formula can be copied for the other months.
Put =B40 in the January balance column.
=B42+C40 will then work for February and can be copied across

13.   Create a chart that shows Peter’s total jobs each month
Highlight from A9 to M9 (the months row) then hold the Ctrl key and highlight A14 to M14
Then try Insert>Chart and choose a column type

14.   Create a chart that shows his profit or loss for each month. Change the colours displayed so that the months with a loss stand out (eg profit in green, loss in red)
again, start with A9 to M9, hold Ctrl and highlight A40 to M40
Then Insert >Chart and choose a column type
To change any bar colour, click any bar once and then click again so just one is selected
You can use the Fill or Shading button on the home toolbar to pick a colour. Repeat for others to be changed.

15.   Create a chart that shows how his bank balance will change over the year.
Select A9 to M9, hold Ctrl and then select A42 to M42
Insert>Chart and select a line type

16.   Create three charts which indicate the cost and profit components of each type of job, expressing each as a percentage.
Select A5, E5 and G5 using the Ctr method to skip other cells.
Insert>Chart and choose a pie chart

17.   Copy the spreadsheet and display the formulae used.
To copy the sheet, point to its tab with the mouse and then hold the Ctrl key down while you drag the tab to the right, release the mouse, then the Ctrl key. That should make a second copy with (1) after the tab name.
To show formulae use Ctr+` (the key to left of 1 on most keyboards). Don’t worry if the sheet looks odd!

Choosing the Right Chart Notes

Choosing the Right Chart

Spreadsheets may be great for analysing data but rows and columns of figures may not tell the story very effectively. Above is some data about how confident staff at institutions surveyed, in various age groups, feel about using different applications and equipment. The ‘Benchmark’ is the level expected for their roles. It’s not terribly obvious at first glance what these results mean.

The chart below, however, makes it much clearer.

The under 25s are generally pretty confident whilst the 45-54 group would benefit from some training in finding and utilising images effectively. Similar charts could be produced for the other categories.

Not all charts would work though.

This pie chart, for instance is pretty meaningless!

The line graph looks OK at first glance. However, joining the dots imples that there are people between, say, the 35-44s and 45-54s with a level of about 2.7. There is no data for this. In fact, in this example, there couldn’t actually be anyone between 44 and 45 as only ages in years are included!

This area chart looks impressive and could, perhaps, with a bit of work, be made to make some sense but the Word Processing level data has been almost completely obscured.

A bar chart, however, could be very illustrative, especially with the use of appropriate colours and, in this example, the vertical axis has been shifted to the ‘Benchmark’ position (2.9 in this case) so some can be seen as behind and others ahead. A column chart would work well too.

In general 
Pie charts show distribution of things within a whole set of data, or the composition of something or compares the size of items making up the whole. They can be good for showing proportions – for example, an illustration of the spread of chosen colours of new cars.

Column charts compare data. They have many uses and can provide meaningful illustrations nearly all the time.

Bar charts are really the same as column charts (and often column charts are called bar charts too!). They show data horizontally which can be better for progress or time-related things.

Line graphs are excellent for showing how results change over time or where there is a continuous flow of data. It is important, though, to be careful about whether you can ‘join the dots’ – is there actually any data that could fit in between one and the other? Even if there is, can you be sure that the line doesn’t leap up or down to that intermediate value instead of the gradual flow that joining the dots implies.

If in doubt, don’t join the dots.

There are lots more but these will cover most needs. 

Presenting Information with Charts Task Sheet

Presenting Information with Charts

Spreadsheets may be great for analysing data but rows and columns of figures may not tell the story very effectively. Above is some data about how confident staff at institutions surveyed, in various age groups, feel about using different applications and equipment. The ‘Benchmark’ is the level expected for their roles. It’s not terribly obvious at first glance what these results mean.

The chart below, however, makes it much clearer.

The under 25s are generally pretty confident whilst the 45-54 group would benefit from some training in finding and utilising images effectively. Similar charts could be produced for the other categories.

Not all charts would work though.

1. Your task is to create suitable charts for each of the 9 skill categories in the data above. They do not need to be blobs like this illustration but you do need to check that the type you have used does actually show sensible and meaningful comparisons between each age group for each skill.

2. Label the chart suitably with a title ‘Using [Skill]’ and ‘Confidence level’ on whichever axis you have used for the scores. There should be clear identification of the different age groups.

3. Either add a line or use colours (or both) to show whether each age group’s score is below, at or above the ‘Benchmark’ figure.

4. Copy the charts you create to a document (as small images) or presentation (as larger images) and ensure that all your files are saved.

5. For one of the 9 skills (your choice), create an alternative type of chart to display the data. Add this to your document or slideshow together with your summary of which type you feel illustrates the data best.

Output

Data table

Charts type 1 with labels

Adjustments to include visual comparison to a Benchmark

Document or slides with charts

Chart with alternative display

Summary of reasons for display