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Excel dashboards are some form of visual reporting mechanism. Excel dashboards are completely different from your default spreadsheet report that is usually created in excel.

Most organisations will have aims and objectives or a balanced scorecard with their performance indicators. Developing an excel dashboard creates an opportunity for managers to have all their most important success factors that are relevant to be shown on an executive dashboard. You can also have more detailed operational dashboards that focus on a certain aspect of performance.

A single page

Don’t clutter your excel dashboard with unnecessary visual elements and data. If it looks too busy, then it will fail to communicate the data effectively. We are trying to communicate a message about the data. Don’t include every bit of data in a dashboard. The information should show progress towards key objectives and priorities. The other point here is that if something is out with your line of sight, then it can’t be viewed quickly or possibly missed altogether. When you print your dashboard, it should also fit to a single page.

Not complicated

An excel dashboard should help to visually identify trends and patterns quickly without confusion. This means that there should not be any visual competition or chart junk present. Fancy formatting distracts users from the key messages. This includes fancy 3D charts, logos, pictures and gauges, which don’t communicate key messages well and take up too much space. Visual reports should help managers decide if any further action or drilling down is required. The use of visual attributes should be used to aid visual perception.

Use visual attributes

The position of your excel dashboard components will vary in importance to your reader. Usually, the upper-left and middle-left of a page generally gathers more attention than the bottom right. It is a bit like a web page.

Find out about the latest guide and examples about developing your own excel dashboard. Read more about creating an executive dashboard.

There are many types of cell phone plans available to those that want them. Many cell phone services have a variety of plans to chose from, each different than the next. Some plans are made especially for those that like to surf the web, even when they are on the go. In today’s hard economic times, it is possible to find a quality discount cell phone service plan that fits in a tight budget.

To keep from phone charges going through the roof, an option is to use the prepaid version of the cell phone. These are available at just about any retail and department store. These plans require the phone owner to fill up the phone by purchasing minutes on a phone card. This is a really good idea for those with young children who want a phone, or those that do not use the phone much and would like to have one for emergencies.

A couple of things should be considered when using a prepaid phone. Check to see if the company charges a daily amount, usually around a dollar or less, to keep the phone activated. They will charge this amount whether the phone is being used or not. This is not a good plan for those that do not use the phone because their time will expire very quickly. The amount charged per minute should also be known before purchasing the phone. Prices differ from phone to phone.

Many families can save money by using the family plan. This plan allows everyone in the family to have a phone and share the minutes. Many people save when they buy these phones because the first one is usually free, the rest are used for the others in the family.

A way to save money on buying one of the many popular styles of phones is by signing a contract for a couple of years. Companies will offer free phones to sell the service. Many times people try to get out of their contract and it ends up costing around $200 to do. It is a good idea to really think about your budget before buying a contracted phone service.

There are many other deals that can be found on the internet. Just about every cell phone service company will find a package and phone that will suit your needs.

I have purchased several cell phones and plans with many companies in the past 15 years but this one beats them all in my opinion. No taxes, no contracts and unlimited talk. Global Mobile 1