PROJECT: DEVELOPING A SPREADSHEET Imagine you are working as a computer support technician for a large company and your boss needs help. He has to create a spreadsheet to present to the Chief Technology Officer showing the financial information for your department and how much you spend on buying new and upgraded software and equipment.

He has the data, but does not have time to create the presentation. He sends you the Excel file with all the data and asks you to perform the calculations and make it look good.

Create a file with financial information for each month of one year. Include the following categories:

software expenses
hardware expenses
labor costs (employee salaries)
training costs
office expenses
It is okay to create dummy data for this file.

Format the data using a general format, a number format, an accounting format, and a currency format to see if there are any differences.

Copy the data onto two worksheets, one labeled 2012 and one labeled 2011. Working with either set of data, calculate the following information:

total expenses in each of the five categories
total expenses for each month
expenses in each category for each month
total costs for computer related items for each month
total costs for staff and training for each month
Your boss did not tell you how the CTO wants to see the data. So create one or more charts showing a breakdown of expenses by month. Use colors, shapes, and labels to make the charts. Also create one or more tables showing a breakdown of expenses by month. Use highlighting and formatting to create a readable table. Format each in a way that is visually appealing and tells the proper story of the data.

Submit a report showing the final chart and final tables, including results of all calculations. Create the report as if you are submitting it to your boss for review by the CTO. You can embed the Excel files into a Word document or PowerPoint document if you are familiar with those programs.

Using narrative description (bullet points are okay) on a separate page, list the steps you followed to create the chart and the table. Include decisions you had to make, such as which type of chart to create, and why you made a particular decision.

Submission Requirements
Use standard English and write full phrases or sentences. Do not use texting abbreviations or other shortcuts.
Make any tables, charts, or screen shots neat and well organized.
Make the information easy to understand.