How To Use Excel To Construct A Productivity Dashboard?

To create a dashboard in Excel, follow these steps:

  1. Create a layout and draft your data.
  2. Get your data into Excel and choose the right data sources.
  3. Clean raw data in Excel.
  4. Use an Excel table and filter data.
  5. Choose the right chart type.
  6. Select data and build your chart.
  7. Format charts.
  8. Add a KPI widget.

An Excel dashboard is a high-level summary of key metrics used in monitoring and decision-making. It often has visuals such as pie charts. Learn how to create amazing Excel dashboards by following best practices, useful tools, and do’s and don’ts (with examples and templates).

To create a dynamic dashboard in Tableau using real-world datasets, follow these steps:

  1. Plan your Excel Dashboard.
  2. Import the necessary data into Excel.
  3. Set up your workbook.
  4. Add raw data to a table.
  5. Data analysis.
  6. Click on the “Dashboard” tab of your worksheet.
  7. Select the type of chart you want from the menu.

To create an Excel dashboard in 8 simple steps, start with a clean dataset, format data as a table, create the first Pivot table and Pivot charts, create multiple Pivot tables, and apply your preferred table style.

Keep it simple by choosing simple charts and design elements for your dashboard. Don’t overcrowd the dashboard and don’t try to fill up every row.

In this course, you will learn how to build robust dashboards for analyzing key metrics in Excel. The course begins with some dashboard design guidelines, such as using a clean dataset, creating a Pivot table, and selecting the right chart type.


📹 Make an Awesome Excel Dashboard in Just 15 Minutes

In this video we’ll build a dynamic Excel dashboard from scratch in just 15 minutes. This will be a sales dashboard for McDonald’s …


How dashboard is built in MS Excel?

In order to create a dashboard comprising three distinct charts, it is necessary to construct a pivot table for each chart in a new worksheet, designated as Sheet 1.

How to make KPI dashboard in Excel?

A KPI dashboard is a single-page or single-screen view of multiple charts that tell the story of a subject matter. It can be a safety dashboard, a quality dashboard, or a strategy dashboard. The basic steps to building a KPI dashboard include gathering data, highlighting it, selecting a relevant chart, copying and pasting it into a separate worksheet, and resizing the charts based on their importance. A KPI dashboard can be used to highlight the safety, quality, or strategy aspects of an organization, or to provide a comprehensive overview of the company’s performance.

Can we create interactive dashboard in Excel?

To create an interactive Excel dashboard, follow these steps: 1) Organize your source data by ensuring accuracy and proper organization of rows and columns with clear headers. 2) Design a layout by placing dashboard components in a way that enhances the presentation by considering the information to be displayed and the ease of navigation for end users. This will help you create a dynamic dashboard that presents key metrics and valuable insights.

Can I create dynamic dashboards using Excel?
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Can I create dynamic dashboards using Excel?

An interactive dashboard in Excel allows business teams to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics in real-time, allowing them to make changes as KPIs fluctuate. To create an interactive dashboard, data must be converted into a Pivot table, which is then used to create interactive charts. However, creating an interactive dashboard in Excel is challenging due to its limitations such as scalability, limited data visualization, and lack of security.

To overcome these issues, Datapad was developed as a dashboarding solution that allows users to create interactive dashboards, track KPIs from anywhere, and track them from their mobile devices. Datapad combines charts, figures, and tables to provide a comprehensive view of complex data in an easy-to-read format.

How do I create an Okr dashboard in Excel?
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How do I create an Okr dashboard in Excel?

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a goal setting framework used by organizations, teams, and individuals to define measurable goals and track their outcomes. They are used to interlink sub-goals of each department or team, improving performance and employee satisfaction. OKRs also foster teamwork, with each team member contributing to the achievement of goals while improving their leadership skills as Directly Responsible Individuals (DRIs).

To create an OKR Excel Template, download the template, connect Supermetrics with your Excel account, set objectives and key results, fetch data, link results to targets, and automate weekly refresh. Kemb, for example, has been using OKRs since 2014 and has implemented an automated and effective framework to track quarterly-defined OKRs using Supermetrics queries.

Is Excel good for dashboards?
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Is Excel good for dashboards?

Excel is a widely used and versatile tool that offers numerous benefits, including ease of use, flexibility, cost-efficiency, and seamless integration with other Microsoft Office applications. Its familiarity with data, its ability to handle large datasets, its ability to handle complex data sources, and its ability to collaborate with multiple users make it a popular choice for dashboard creation.

However, Excel also has limitations, such as its ability to handle large datasets, its difficulty in handling complex or unstructured data sources, its limited collaboration capabilities, and its limited visual variety compared to specialized dashboard tools. Despite these limitations, Excel’s versatility and ease of use make it a valuable tool for those looking for a cost-effective and user-friendly data management solution.

What is meant by dashboard in Excel?
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What is meant by dashboard in Excel?

A dashboard is a visual representation of key metrics that allows users to quickly view and analyze data in one place. It provides consolidated data views and self-service business intelligence opportunities, allowing users to filter the data to display what’s important to them. In this topic, we will discuss how to use multiple PivotTables, PivotCharts, and PivotTable tools to create a dynamic dashboard.

Users can filter data using Slicers and a Timeline, which allow PivotTables and charts to automatically expand and contract to display only the information they want. Additionally, dashboards can be refreshed when adding or updating data, making it convenient to create a report once.

How do I create a free KPI dashboard?
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How do I create a free KPI dashboard?

Create a comprehensive KPI dashboard in Excel by identifying your KPIs, selecting the right data, choosing visualizations, and laying out the dashboard. A KPI dashboard is similar to a car dashboard, providing vital information in an easily understandable format. It assists in decision-making and alerts the driver to potential issues. In Excel, KPI dashboards provide cold, hard data served up in a way that’s easy to digest.

This post explains what KPI dashboards are, how to build one in Excel, and shares templates to jumpstart performance tracking for your business. The goal is to provide the right information to the right people, making it easier for decision-makers to make informed decisions.

How do I create a functional dashboard in Excel?
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How do I create a functional dashboard in Excel?

To create a dashboard in Excel, follow these steps: 1) Import the necessary data into Excel, 2) Set up your workbook, 3) Add raw data to a table, 4) Data analyze, 5) Determine the visuals, 6) Create your Excel dashboard, and 7) Customize your dashboard. Excel is a powerful tool used by professionals worldwide to transform complex data into user-friendly visuals. By following these steps, you can simplify data interpretation and improve workflow efficiency.

An Excel dashboard is an interactive tool that consolidates and displays data summaries, metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs) from various sources. It provides a visual overview of critical business data in a format that is easy to read and interpret. By following these steps, you can create a dashboard that drives decision-making in today’s data-driven world.

What is a dynamic dashboard?
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What is a dynamic dashboard?

Dynamic dashboards offer a flexible and customizable way to display business analytics and real-time management information. They have complete access to the underlying data, allowing users to experiment with different display methods until they find the most meaningful and informative one. Users can save their preferences for future use and maintain a consistent view of the project, allowing quick and efficient comparisons of different projects.

Drawing down into the underlying data is a significant advantage of dynamic dashboards over static dashboards, spreadsheets, or presentation-based dashboards. Users can drill down to the project or task within the project to identify issues. This provides clarity and confidence when presenting information to executives, as it allows for immediate answers to queries about data anomalies. In contrast, static dashboards may take time to find the answer, making it easier to identify and address problems.

In summary, dynamic dashboards offer a flexible and customizable way to display business data, allowing users to adapt and change their preferences for future use.

What makes a good Excel dashboard?
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What makes a good Excel dashboard?

To create a successful dashboard, it’s crucial to define your objectives, keep it simple, choose the right visualization, ensure data accuracy, and regularly update and review your dashboard. Avoid overcomplicating the design by using too many elements or complex visualizations, ignoring the target audience, not testing for mobile compatibility, and using inconsistent formatting.

Define your objectives clearly, keep it simple, and focus on highlighting the most important information. Choose the appropriate chart or graph type to effectively represent your data, considering the message you want to convey. Double-check your data sources and formulas to avoid errors. Regularly refresh and review your dashboard to ensure its relevance and relevance.

In summary, creating a successful dashboard requires clear objectives, simplicity, and a focus on user experience. Avoid common mistakes and ensure your dashboard is mobile-friendly and visually appealing.


📹 📊 How to Build Excel Interactive Dashboards

In this step-by-step tutorial, learn how to create dynamic and interactive Excel dashboards. With a dashboard, you can showcase …


How To Use Excel To Construct A Productivity Dashboard
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Rae Fairbanks Mosher

I’m a mother, teacher, and writer who has found immense joy in the journey of motherhood. Through my blog, I share my experiences, lessons, and reflections on balancing life as a parent and a professional. My passion for teaching extends beyond the classroom as I write about the challenges and blessings of raising children. Join me as I explore the beautiful chaos of motherhood and share insights that inspire and uplift.

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35 comments

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  • I have an problem that is driving me CRAZY (because I’n not good at excel)… I need to make a dynamic monthly budget for myself which calculates how much money i have for each week after all bills etc. I need it show me i have for example money for this week to use 150e… and how much for each day also… And i kinda created this very well BUT only to realise that each month doesn’t have exactly 4 weeks and 28days. So now i don’t have money left for the rest of the days each month and in the long run it’s ruining this whole thing. And I really would it like to show me seperately each months budget like how i spent my salary and where

  • Hi Kenji, i have seen ur multiple articles and would like to appreciate your work and the major part that i like about you is very clean work You Present, as i have visited ur website too, for downloading excel file, it was super easy to download it and unlike other youtubers with their messy websites

  • Hi Kenji, love your articles, u create awesome content. I got 2 questions. If i receive new figures into my data table, will the pivot tables automatically update, or do i have to refresh manually? Do u think its a good idea to keep all my pivot tables on the same sheet, or each one on a separate. Thank you in advance!

  • Hi Kenji, your articles are great! I am trying to get a formula for the following. I have two columns, one with dates, and one with customer names. I would like to know for any one customer if they purchased something in the last 12 months. If they did, great! If they didn’t I would like to know so I can contact them. Thank you for all your articles.

  • My “problem” with all these examples is that a) they all kinda look same (copy paste some PPT as a template and here you go – connect with few pivots in the background) and b) they are not saying anything at all in any business context – or just try to go to any decent manager / decider with something like this and the question will immediately be “as opposed or compared to WHAT” (just few actual numbers are NOT a good decision-making-report) – cause you either need to compare your figures to PY or some BUD(get) … and then all these “fancy” “one box one number” solutions “fall apart” 🙂 …

  • Kenji, Thanks for the article! I used an older tutorial of yours to build a dashboard but now I have ran into a problem in that my week slicer displays week 1, week 10, week 2! I know why it does this due to the a-z but can’t find a way to combat it so it is weekly 1,2,3 etc. Any suggestions or tutorials to help?

  • I would like to include data in a dashboard I am creating, but I’m not sure how to do what I envision. Imagine a sheet named “DATA”. In col A, each cell contains either “Open” or “closed”. In Col B are names that correspond to the data in Col A. The info in col B does not change once it is entered. However the status of the cells in Col A change regularly. Plus new inventory is added regularly, so the total number of items in A and B increases over time. I would like a dashboard that shows just Open names without any line spaces between them. The only solution I can think of is to simply mirror the info from the DATA sheet. However that could leave large numbers of lines between them. I don’t know if I conveyed the problem I am having. I hope you can offer suggestions.

  • Great article as always and well explained. I love excel and been looking at learning dashboards. How do you decide what visualisationsd to use…i mean deciding if something looks better in a bar chart and not a column chart. I am thinking of doing a dashboard on info of countries of the world but not sure what visualisations to use to make it look good

  • Before sharing the file with team members, I recommend locking all items on the dashboard – only slicers should be interactive. I once created a dashboard and people messed it up. A tutorial on the recommended settings for “Format Cells>Protection”, “Review tab>Protect”, and object “Size and Properties” would be nice. These are under the hood settings but are important things to learn. Thank you!

  • Always keep in mind that ppl who see his tutorials might be new or their first time. Every movement of curser showing how every options work. So much detail. U r always a saviour. And do ur company really sell in India . I want to place order if it is yes. Thank u once again. Our great professor Kevin .

  • Hello, one issue I have is that sheets won’t look exactly the same on various screens. For example you craft a very nice cell, you set width manually to look good on your computer, but when it’s opened on another computer, the text does not fit the cell anymore. Any tips on how to keep things looking good ?

  • Great article. Your delivery is nice, smooth, and to the point. Thank you for not being one of those “teachers” that rambles on forever about absolutely nothing. One thing that would be amazing in your dashboards is a single command button that would clear all the slicers/timeline filters in the dashboard with a single click. Do you think that is possible? Also, I do agree with Jimcarl S. that certain elements of the dashboard should be locked.

  • Thanks Kevin! Simply great! I got everything I needed to know about making dashboard for analyzing in my case: all possibile public financing and grants programs for innovation projects in my region. Every detail of your presentation is just perfect (clarity & structuring of content, duration of presentation ………. everything!!!)

  • Hey Kevin. This is awesome tutorial you have here. I recently subscribed to your website because I find your website a lot more easier to understand compared to others. Introductions aside, I have created dashboards like this. However, upon uploading them on google and being converted to google sheets, the slicers disappears. You know of a way to have it uploaded on google drive and still maintain that formatting? Thanks.

  • Hi Kevin, this is great! My son is studying Business Analytics as part of his double degree Commerce & Property, & is in his second year… I use excel extensively in my role as CFO, & so I help.. But its good to have an independent view for him.. A question if I may; how do we show two data sets in one pie chart? For example, totals rentals of two products on the one pie chart? Grazie in advance

  • Thank you Kevin for sharing easy to follow articles! I need help please or if any gurus see this..halp! 🙏 I tried creating the date splicer from @ 6:11 in the article but it doesn’t work quite correctly, when I press into the months the Profit by Country & Cookie type chart becomes haywire and doesn’t show anything at all. How do I fix this? 🙏

  • Much thank you for your great Youtube help. I am new to Excel and Chatbot. How can I migrate the Excel database, export it from Microsoft Azure WebApp, and import it into AWS Chabot? Keep having errors missing QID and others on the AWS Chabot console. Please help show me the fastest way to convert the Excel and make it compatible with AWS Chatbot?

  • Hi Kevin, {on another note} Would you be able to tell me WHO we can contact at Microsoft to ADD the Auto Summary command back into the command ribbon in WORD? Do you know why it was taken out in the first place? AND if MS will not add it back would someone be able to add it as an ADD-IN? Please, let me know as I am not the only one who really NEEDS this command back in MS. Thank you!!

  • Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. May I ask, is there a possibility to make the slicer still be interactive and unable to be deleted by hitting the “delete” key or by right clicking the mouse then remove while the whole sheet is locked? Below is the guide that I followed. Right click on the slicer > go to Size & Properties, under Position and Layout click Lock Aspect Ratio In the same window “Properties” click Don’t move or size with cells > unclick Locked. Go to Review > protect sheet option check “Select locked cells, Select unlocked cells, Use PivotTable and Pivot chart When I tried the abovementioned pathway, when I hit the delete key the slicer can’t be deleted, which is good, however, when I right clicked, the slicer can still be deleted or removed. Do you have any recommendation please? I am using excel 2019. Not sure if it matters. Thank you in advance.

  • Hey, your articles and you’re TT’s are amazing! Great advice and simple walkthroughs. My issue is I deal with not so many numbers. I have the normal fields (first and last name, email address etc etc) however, I most of my data is true and false and funky dates 2022-12-09 12:15:08 UTC. Do you have any articles for this kind of data for pivot tables?

  • 6:43 I am using Excel 365. Not sure if it is a different version than this article. However, only one chart will be created, and if you want to make changes ( chart elements or chart type), then you have to clock the “DESIGN” and select the various options there. On the far right is “Chart Type”. Edit… this might be because I am using Mac and you are using PC?

  • 6:16 I do not understand, whereas you previously clicked a total for profits column, but now you click the total for ONE column ( the Choc Chip column) but this procedure sorts all the cookie types? It seems like someone would want to click on the Total Profits cell and select vertical or horizontal ( if that was even possible which it is probably not judging by what you show).

  • Kevin I am trying to build a Dashboard for a volunteer organisation to show a couple of things. 1 Which roles are occupied and which are filled across 6 different sites, 12 Different Roles at each site and 10 Central roles. There are 158 people a number with multiple roles. I know I have to start with a table, but I have no idea how to start?

  • Question… im looking to create a sports dashboard comparing teams in the english premier league (football)… i want to compare data metrics between particular teams and then show the league average as a reference point! im just struggling to work how i can do tht and put it into the chart for the dashboard… can this be done and could anyone help??

  • Question: I have a Pivot Chart that is pulling the data in number format but the Pivot Table has it listed in percentage format. I know each column has a cell format and within the Pivot Table I have overwritten the cell format to have percentage rather than number. Does anyone know a workaround to have the chart pull the data listed within the cell and not the format of the column? Thanks!

  • Can you please do a article, or have explanation at start of every article, what different versions exist and major differences ? Something is not right. My Excel does not always look the same as this article and many other Youtube articles. It makes it very confusing if I can not follow and along and duplicate the work. I understand if that is not possible given the many varieties of Excel and changes over time. But maybe specify what version you are using in the article description or at the article beginning?

  • You instruct students in the use of Excel and other software. You deserve a like and a follow-up because I watched the whole article. I went to all of your social media sites and read the descriptions… I really enjoyed it, and I’m eager to learn from you and power BI. I’m overjoyed to have located a resource for data analysis and charting software. Your explanation is lovely, but what I find most lovely is how straightforwardly you presented the information. Accept my greetings, please. From the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nasser.

  • great work. my question can you make a screen shot for this dashboard and make it dynamic. in other words, it moves between country sales every 10 seconds for example. becuase when I send to my boss a dashbaord exl sheet he may have not an exl app. but when I send it on whatsapp as a a dynamic piture will fine. plz think aboyt

  • Kevin your content is amazing. We use excel for a small business tool inventory and location of those tools, each tool has a tool number and each job has a job number. Which we use for all sorts of conditions most important is if that tool is damaged or lost in that event that job would be charged for its repair or replacement. My question is there a formula that will help when the cell we use for tool locations when ever we enter the word SHOP OR WAREHOUSE that will move that last job number to a different cell on the same tool numbers row in a different column with the job number and date returned for when and if that tool is returned and replaced into inventory we out being detected of damage or needing repair so when sent to different job the second job is incurred the cost of the tool cause by the first job thanks for any help

  • Is possible to build a dashboard that changes its charts? For example, The dashboard that i’m working on has many style charts that doesn’t fit into a single page. I wonder if i put category buttons that changes spreadsheet’s content to show only the charts related to the category could be possible. Thanks

  • Hi Kevin, fantastic articles, I have used your tutorials numerous times, I would like to display the dashboard I’ve created on our shop floor, we have a smart TV which we would like to display the live dashboard on. I am not to sure how best to achieve this would we require a pc or firestick or could the smart tv functions be utilized to display the dashboard live? Thanks in advance

  • Thank you for this very educative article. I was able to create my very first interactive dashboard in Excel. However, I’m having troubles saving it as it is. When I try to save as a pdf file, the A4 nature of a pdf document cuts the dashboard into 2. Any ideas on how I can save the dashboard to come out in sort of a landscape mode instead of portrait? Thank you.

  • Is there a way to change the logo on the dashboard? I’m looking to create a dashboard for a selection of customers and i your tutorial is amazing, thank you. Would there be a way the logo on top (and colour scheme if possible) could change to the individual custimer logos based on the slicer selection?

  • So, I have one roadblock with this. My data is kept horizontally, as it is easier to see and enter at a glance, but I want to transpose it first. Is there a way to transpose the data from a horizontal format to a vertical format, then make the table and pivot? I cannot seem to find a work around to making an interactive live dashboard, while also maintaining the data horizontally. I have already tried the transpose function to turn the data into an array that would update automatically.

  • Hi Kevin, Great articles! I have a large data set by individual. I want to identify unique individuals who received, say large red shirts and medium redshirts in the mail. I can sort each size shirt with a Y by eliminating the blanks in each of the two columns, but I don’t want to miss anyone who received one of the other size shirt and not both. I’m sure there must be an easy solution. Can you please assist?

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