Gauge charts

1. Gauge charts

In this video, we'll learn about another chart type, called the Gauge chart.

2. Help Oakmark track progress toward a goal

For this example, let's imagine that an Oakmark Bank executive is tracking the number of calls received by the call center this year. Crucially, they're concerned with not just how many calls have been received, but also how close the team is to meeting a goal of 300 thousand calls serviced.

3. KPI charts aren't great at tracking progress...

We could simply display the call count as a KPI chart and the executive could then ask themselves how close this number is to the desired target of 300 thousand,

4. ...but Sigma gauge charts are a perfect solution!

but when stakeholders need a visual to track progress toward a goal, Sigma gives us a better way - the gauge chart.

5. DEMO

Gauge charts look like an odometer or fuel gauge in a vehicle. An arched shape represents the spectrum of possible values, and the needle indicates the current value. An additional line can be added indicating the target value.

6. DEMO

For example, this gauge chart's needle shows us that we're a bit over halfway to our target of 300 thousand calls. The target is often the same as the maximum value of the gauge, but it doesn't have to be.

7. DEMO

It's important to remember that gauge charts track progress toward a target value. This is different from KPI charts, which don't rely on a defined target.

8. DEMO

Let's try another example - this time a gauge chart tracking the average calls taken by a call center agent each day. We'll imagine that Oakmark Bank has determined that agents should handle, on average, 30-40 calls per day. If agents are handling too many calls, Oakmark should consider hiring.

9. DEMO

To start, we have a grouped table counting calls handled by each agent each day. Let's create a child chart element set to a Gauge chart type. Gauge charts require a VALUE, MINIMUM, MAXIMUM and optional TARGET field.

10. DEMO

We'll set the VALUE to an average of the column [Calls]. Our minimum and maximum could reference values in our table, but let's set manual limits, like 0 and 70. We'll use the plus signs to add calculated columns, and type the minimum and maximum values in the formula bar. We'll double-click the column names to rename them to "Min" and "Max" for clarity.

11. DEMO

The Target section is used when you have a specific numeric target. It isn't suitable for ranges, like in our example, but I'll set a target of 35 anyway, so we can see what that looks like on the gauge chart. Right away, we can see that our agent call volumes are safely within the desired range of 30-40, but perhaps we want to make this more obvious.

12. DEMO

Under Properties, we can set the fill color for the gauge. To see more than one color on the gauge, perhaps representing specific ranges, we can add a rule to set conditional formatting. We'll add a rule that turns a section of the gauge green, corresponding to values between 30 and 40 daily calls. Under the Format panel we can also do things like hide data labels or change the appearance of the gauge needle and fill.

13. Let's practice!

Gauge charts are powerful tools for tracking progress toward critical business goals. In the next exercises, you'll test your knowledge of gauge charts and have a chance to build some on your own.

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