Management Reporting – “SparkLines” and “Tweets” to Deliver Concise Information (in one cell & in one hundred and forty characters or less).

Senior management want relevant information quickly, clearly and concisely. Graphics are a great way. A picture can paint a thousand words.

A dashboard with graphs can convey so much. But a single screen view? Aren’t a few words needed to explain the “why” to go with the “what”?

“SparkLines” are a great way to get certain information across. These are tiny graphs that sit in a single cell. There’s a range of styles.

There are basic Sparklines in Office 2007, with a better set in 2010. You can also get Excel add-ins that work in 2003, if you use that.

This comparison between standard Excel and add-ins gives a good idea of what can be achieved. The danger then is using too many of them!

There’s also “Gauges”. These are ideal for a clear idea of a specific KPI target, such as sales conversion rate, versus a target or range.

But no matter how many graphs and graphics you use, sometimes a few words of explanation are needed. Hence maximum 140 character “Tweets”.

The idea here is to express the commentary so concisely, each point fits into a single cell. That is quite an art. Practice makes perfect.

If you’re wondering what that looks like, count the characters in the headline and paragraphs above (or copy into Word and use “Word Count”!)