Getting better December 18, 2020

Creating a cash flow bridge

Tags: Grunt Intermediary PowerPoint Charts Waterfall Cash flow

This video will explain how you can build a cash flow visualization in Grunt. We're starting with a waterfall chart that is pre-populated with data.

I want to highlight cash deviation between two periods - with an opening and closing balance. I've therefore decided to add two series two to my chart. The first series contains the opening and closing balance, while the second series contains all the deltas. This structure will make it convenient to format my series separately.

I can use the floater menus to adjust my colors.

I want to highlight the negative and positive values differently. I could select the negative segments and color them manually in red. The problem with this solution is that I would have to remember to update this formatting as my data changes. Based on experience, it is too easy for this to come out of sync!

Instead, I'll use Grunt's powerful rules to handle this formatting automatically. With my segments selected, I add a fill rule. This rule changes the fill color of all the segments. Then, I'll tell Grunt only to apply this rule to negative values. Grunt will now ensure that my negative values are red. And best of all – this even works when my data changes.

I also want to add an axis break to focus on the deltas rather than the totals. I can select my axis to open the floater menu and apply the axis-break. Now I can right-click my axis and delete the axis altogether.

My final step is to add a value jump from the main floater menu. I click the value jump label and change the display value into percentages.