This document provides guidance on choosing the right type of strategy chart for presenting information to senior management. It outlines three main chart types - categorization charts, trend charts, and change charts - and drills down with examples of how to use specific chart formats like stacked bar charts, pie charts, line charts, and bubble charts for different scenarios. Key tips are provided, such as using color to highlight important segments, grouping smaller categories together, and adding elements like growth lines or axis breaks to draw attention to important insights. A table at the end summarizes useful chart types and examples for different types of categorization, trend tracking, and change analysis use cases.
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Choosing the Right Charts for Your Boss, Board or Senior Management
1. David Goldstein, President Mekko Graphics
June 10, 2014
david@mekkographics.com
CHOOSING THE RIGHT
STRATEGY CHART
FOR THE BOSS, THE BOARD OR THE SENIOR
MANAGEMENT TEAM
2. Agenda
• Three types of charts
• Drill down into each chart type
• The best charts for each
• Tips to make your charts deliver your message
• A handy table
• Questions
2
3. 3 Chart Types
• Categorization charts
• Questions answered
• How much does each product line contribute to revenue?
• How much cost can be attributed to each region and country?
• How many hours were billed for each service offering in each office?
• Measure by dimension(s)
• Measure
• Number, quantity
• Examples—revenue, cost, profit margin, units sold, horsepower
• Dimension
• Category for the measure
• Examples—Product line, geography, competitor, cost category, plant
• Trend charts
• Use different charts when one dimension is time
• Track growth or mix changes in the other dimension(s) along one or
more measures over time
• Change charts
• Show the impact of actual or proposed changes over one or more time
periods 3
4. Simplest Categorization Chart:
1 Dimension and 1 Measure
4
80% of revenue comes from the 5
largest verticals.
• What are the key verticals in
which I compete? (revenue by
segment)
• How can I best break down
division costs? (cost by division)
• Use 100% stacked bar or pie
chart to show a measure along
a relevant dimension
• Tips:
• Make sure the dimension categories are
“MECE”—Mutually Exclusive and
Collectively Exhaustive.
• If there are more than 10 categories,
group the smaller ones in “Other.”
5. Add an ‘Explosion’ to Drill Down
5
Our software sells into 6 major verticals. The manufacturing vertical can be
dived into 4 key segments, with high tech as a small but significant segment.
Tip: add an action title and a tagline to each
slide.
6. Use a Cascade to Build a Category
6
If you have a mix of positive values use a cascade chart. Stacked bar charts
and pie charts require all values to be positive.
7. Use a Marimekko to Add a 2nd Dimension
7
Our market is highly fragmented. Most large players do not compete across
multiple segments.
Tip: use color to highlight specific segments or series.
8. Other Marimekko Chart Uses
Measure Dimension
1
Dimension
2
Example
Revenue Region Product
Line
Opportunities to expand a specific
product line into new regions
Cost Plants Product
Line
Identify high cost plants for specific
products
Sales Region Country Break down sales into regions and major
markets in each region
Sales Pipeline
Stage
Opportunity Sales pipeline summary for senior
management
Hours
Billed
Service
Offering
Office Professional services firm summary of work
done in the previous week
Revenue Channel Competitor Analysis of channel effectiveness
Purchase
s
Product
Line
Supplier Supply chain rationalization analysis
Number
of Servers
Operating
System
Departmen
t
Computer hardware consolidation analysis
8
9. Use a Bar Mekko When 1 Measure is
Absolute and the Other is a Percentage
9
While manufacturing is our largest vertical, it also has the lowest growth.
Tips: add a data row to highlight segment size and an average line to
contrast market segment growth with overall growth.
10. Categorize 1 Dimension Along 3
Measures with a Bubble Chart
10
Lower horsepower vehicles sell much better than higher horsepower, even at a
similar price point.
Tips: Change the size of the reference bubble to increase/reduce
bubble sizes. Use a log scale to bring in outlier data.
11. Trend Charts: Track Growth in 1 Measure
and 1 Dimension Over Time
11
Overall market growth was 4.7% with the medical segment having the highest
growth.
Tips: add a growth line and a CAGR column to quantify changes over
time.
12. Track Mix Changes in One Measure
Across 1 Dimension Over Time
12
Switching the previous chart to a 100% stacked bar and adding linking lines
between the series shows changes in mix of sales by vertical over time.
13. Skipping Years Highlights Mix Changes
13
The three major segments have shown above average growth over the last 10
years with medical leading auto and industrial machinery.
14. Track Trends Across Many Time Periods
14
Area and 100% area charts work best with 12+ time periods.
15. Show the Impact of Changes with a
Cascade Chart
15
The proposed financial services campaign in year 2 and marketing campaign in
year 3 will add $33M to company profits.
Tip: Use an axis break to focus attention on changes.
16. ‘Which Chart to Use’ Summary Sheet
Chart Type Use Case Examples Best
Charts
Tips
Categorizati
on
Categorize one
measure and
dimension
Revenue by business unit or by
product line
Costs by business unit or by plant
Profit by division
100%
stacked
bar (1 bar)
Pie,
Cascade
Add 2nd bar to 100% stacked
to explode a key segment
Use cascade if some values
are negative
Categorize one
measure along 2
dimensions
Revenue by product line and region
Cost by plant and product line
Hours billed by service line and
region
Marimekk
o
Use color to highlight key
segment
Group smaller segments into
‘other’ category
Categorize one
dimension along two
measures
Market size versus market growth by
product
Bar Mekko
Scatter
Use Bar Mekko if one measure
is percentage
Categorize one
measure along 3
dimensions
Price versus product performance
and revenue
Bubble Use revenue or cost as
bubble size
Use log scale(s) to bring in
outlier data
Trend Track growth trends in
one measure and
dimension
Revenue or cost by business unit by
year
Stacked
bar or
area
Use area for 12+ time periods
Add a growth line or CAGR
column
Track mix trends in
one measure and
dimension
Revenue by product line by year 100%
stacked
bar or
100% area
Use comparison lines to
highlight mix shifts
Track trends in
multiple measures
Revenue and costs by year Line Use dashed lines for
projected years 16