Mark Jacobs, owner of Jacob's Mini-Mart currently operates two stores in Atlanta. His business has been very successful, and he is now opening two new stores. He will no longer be able to manage all stores himself, so he is hiring managers for three of the four stores. He will continue to operate one store, and act as general manager over the company. He is looking for an easy and efficient way to collect information from the stores, and he would like your help with the following: PART 1 Marc wants you to design a worksheet for his managers to complete showing the sales by product category by month at each store. He wants to be sure the managers don't change the formulas in the worksheet. Describes the characteristics of the worksheet. PART 2 Describe the process Mark will use in combining the completed worksheets into on workbook and creating the summary report. (Points : 40)
Marc wants you to design a worksheet for his managers to complete showing the sales by product category by month at each store. He wants to be sure the managers don't change the formulas in the worksheet. Describes the characteristics of the worksheet. PART 2 Describe the process Mark will use in combining the completed worksheets into on workbook and creating the summary report.
PART 1: Designing the Worksheet:
To create a worksheet for Mark Jacobs' managers to complete, with the goal of tracking sales by product category and month at each store, you should consider the following characteristics:
1. Headers: Include clear and descriptive headers for columns and rows. The worksheet should display the necessary information such as store names, product categories, and months.
2. Row and Column Structure: Organize the data by categorizing stores vertically in separate columns, while months are arranged horizontally in rows. Each store's sales data for each product category should be recorded within the corresponding intersection.
3. Formatting: Apply appropriate formatting to make the worksheet user-friendly and visually appealing. Use bold or colored fonts for headers or totals, and format sales numbers as currency or with appropriate decimal places.
4. Data Validation: Add data validation to prevent managers from making mistakes or entering incorrect information. This can include setting validation rules or range limits for input fields to maintain data accuracy.
5. Formulas: To prevent managers from accidentally changing formulas, you can lock all formula cells. This will ensure that calculations are done consistently and managers can only input data in the designated input cells.
6. Protecting the Worksheet: To further prevent any unwanted changes, you can protect the worksheet with a password. This will restrict access to certain actions, such as modifying the layout or structure of the worksheet, without the password.
7. Instructions or Guidelines: Provide clear instructions or guidelines, either within the worksheet or as a separate document, to assist the managers in completing the worksheet accurately and efficiently.
PART 2: Combining Worksheets and Creating the Summary Report:
To combine the completed worksheets into one workbook and create a summary report, Mark should follow these steps:
1. Collect Completed Worksheets: Ensure that all managers have completed their respective worksheets, including accurate and up-to-date sales data by product category and month for each store.
2. Open a New Workbook: Create a new workbook where the summary report will be generated.
3. Input Worksheet Data: Open each completed worksheet from the managers and copy the desired data into the appropriate sheets of the new workbook. Each sheet should represent a specific store.
4. Consolidate Data: Use formulas in the summary sheet of the new workbook to consolidate the data from each store's sheet. You can use functions like SUM or VLOOKUP to retrieve and calculate the necessary information.
5. Create Summary Report: Generate a summary report, using charts, graphs, or pivot tables, to visualize the sales data. This report should provide an overview of sales by product category and month for all stores.
6. Review and Analyze: Examine the generated summary report to identify trends, patterns, or any insights that can help Mark in making informed business decisions.
7. Save and Distribute: Save the final workbook with the summary report and distribute it accordingly to Mark and the managers involved. This will ensure that everyone has access to the consolidated sales data and can refer to it as needed.
By following these steps, Mark can efficiently combine the completed worksheets into one workbook and create a comprehensive summary report to track sales by product category and month across all stores.