Key building blocks of good decision making include the ability to visualize, analyze, and communicate ideas effectively. Large volumes of data can be particularly complex to understand and present. It is critical to present data visually using a combination of meaningful charts, text, and a verbal narrative. This presentation allows the intended audience to better engage in the discussion of the facts, patterns, and findings that must be acknowledged before moving to the decision-making stage.
In this discussion, you will take on the role of a new restaurant owner. You have been checking sales since the opening of your establishment in January. You have just downloaded the following sales data from your financial software: Module Four Discussion Sales Data Spreadsheet. It includes sales by food item for each month that you have been in business. You would like to create visualizations that illustrate which items are selling well and how the business is doing month by month.
In your initial post, include the visualizations you create and address the following questions:
What have you been able to identify through the visual representation of the data?
What kind of graphic have you selected, and why?
How would this visualization need to change depending on your audience?
In your responses to at least two of your peers, address the following questions:
Do you think your peer’s data visualization clarifies the data or makes it more confusing? Why, and how so?
