Friday, June 13th, 2008

Numbers are good. (But sometimes none are better.)

Numbers are an aspect of reports. If you don’t understand the background, however, they fall short of their purpose. For Audi and Peugeot, it’s the same story tomorrow in Le Mans.

Friday, May 30th, 2008

Traffic light charts – A black-or-white world (just in color)

Traffic lights in charts are junk. They portray the world in black or white – just using red and green instead. Because they use a bit of threshold voodoo, some people consider them to be an “intellectual” form of chart junk. That makes them even more dangerous – for report authors and consumers alike. And the worst part of it all? The alternatives are so simple.

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Sports and sparklines

Germany’s Bundesliga soccer season is officially over. Bayern Munich remains the record champion; their local rivals in Nuremberg have also won a record – as the most relegated team. Our graphical review shows the ups and downs of the 2007/2008 season.

Friday, May 9th, 2008

When making analogies, think digital

The KPIs that managers need to drive their business are nothing more than numbers. Speed is measured in numbers, too. That’s why professional pilots only use digital (and not analog) speedometers.

Friday, April 25th, 2008

BI, Robot

Automation is the key to efficient reporting. Forget control robots or Artificial Intelligence – all you need is common sense and just a bit of programming.

Friday, April 11th, 2008

Above all else, show the data

Condensed values often conceal the truth. While reading my favorite newspaper over Sunday morning breakfast, I recently witnessed how deceiving a simple average can be. It’s enough to lose your appetite!

Friday, March 28th, 2008

Do companies need a Mission Control Center?

Yet another bank in crisis. Do companies need some type of Mission Control Center to protect them from the ominous black holes of today’s global market space?

Friday, March 14th, 2008

Pimp my chart, Bill!

Graphical elements are supposed to focus your attention on what is important. What they actually show, however, is often misleading. How can you avoid embarrassing mistakes? For starters, just steer clear of Excel chart wizards.

Friday, February 29th, 2008

Why dense information makes us smarter

What else can we gain from all the extra space won through compact charts and information-dense visualizations? Insight, of course!

Friday, February 15th, 2008

Low resolution can make you blind – reporting a la iPhone

We’ve already explored a laid-back approach to management reporting. For the more athletically inclined, we have a high-performance alternative. The key? Resolution.