In this particular case, the trendline extrapolates that if I continue writing at the normal pace, I will miss the deadline by 15 pages or so.Įxcel’s trendline is not an intelligent forecasting system. The trendline is shown at the bottom of Figure 3.31. Also, select Shape Outline, Weight, 3/4 point. On the Format tab, select Shape Outline, Dashes and then select the fourth dash option. Right-click the trendline to select it.There are also settings where Excel shows the regression equation on the chart. When forecasting forward or backward for a certain number of periods, leave both of those settings at 0 because this chart already has data points for the entire month.In the Trendline Name section, either leave the name as Linear (Actual) or enter a custom name such as Forecast.Leave the choice at Linear for this example. Your choices in the task pane are for trendlines that use Exponential, Linear, Logarithmic, Polynomial, Power, or Moving Average. A default linear trendline is added to the chart. Right-click the series line for the Actual column.Notice that the thick line is not quite above the progress line. The top chart in Figure 3.31 shows the chart before the trendline is complete. The actual line is formatted as a thick line. The trendline is formatted as a lighter gray. The chart is created as a line chart with the gridlines and legend removed. In the top chart, the actual line is running behind the target line, but it seems close. Column D, which is labeled Actual, is where I record the daily progress toward the goal.įigure 3.31. In this particular month, I am assuming that I will write an equal number of pages six days per week. Column C shows the writing progress I should make each day. Therefore, Excel draws a straight line across the chart, showing the goal at the end of the project. In Figure 3.31, column A contains the days of the month and column B contains 125 for each data point. The easiest way to add a trendline is to build a data series that includes all the days that the project is scheduled to run. I regularly use these charts to track my progress toward a goal. If your data series contains blank points that represent the future, Excel can automatically add the trendline. You can ask Excel to extrapolate the trendline into the future. In these situations, Excel offers a trendline feature in which Excel draws a straight line that fits the existing data points. However, sometimes you might want to allow Excel to make a prediction based on past results. In the previous example, an analyst had created a forecast for the next two quarters. Learn More Buy Adding an Automatic Trendline to a Chart
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