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.
PART 1:
To design a worksheet for Mark Jacobs' managers, you would need to consider the following characteristics:
1. Structure: Organize the worksheet in a clear and logical manner. Use rows and columns to create a grid-like structure. Each store should have a separate section within the worksheet.
2. Product Category and Month Columns: Include columns to record the sales information for each product category and month. Each column should be labeled accordingly to ensure clarity.
3. Protected Formulas: Use formulas to calculate the sales totals for each store, product category, and month. Protect these formulas to prevent accidental changes by managers. You can do this by selecting the cells containing formulas, right-clicking, selecting "Format Cells," and enabling the "Protect" option.
4. Data Validation: Implement data validation to ensure accurate inputs. For example, restrict the input range for sales figures to prevent unrealistic or incorrect values.
5. Formatting: Apply consistent formatting throughout the worksheet to enhance readability. Use bold or different font styles for important headings or totals. You can also consider using conditional formatting to highlight specific cells based on predefined conditions.
6. Instructions: Provide clear instructions on how to fill out the worksheet. Explain the purpose of each section and any specific requirements for data entry.
7. Protection: Protect the entire worksheet with a password to prevent any unauthorized modifications. Make sure to provide the password only to the designated managers who need to fill in the data.
PART 2:
To combine the completed worksheets into one workbook and create a summary report, Mark can follow these steps:
1. Collect Completed Worksheets: Once the managers have filled out the worksheets, collect them from each store. Make sure the managers save the worksheets with specific store names or codes for easy identification.
2. Open a New Workbook: Open a new workbook in your spreadsheet software (e.g., Microsoft Excel).
3. Worksheet Tabs: Rename the default worksheet tab to "Summary" or any other suitable name.
4. Import Worksheets: Import each completed worksheet into the new workbook by right-clicking on the worksheet tab, selecting "Move or Copy," and choosing the "Create a copy" checkbox. This will create a new tab for each completed worksheet.
5. Link Data: In the "Summary" worksheet, use formulas to link relevant data from the individual store worksheets. For example, you can use the SUM function to calculate totals for each product category and month. Ensure the formulas are referencing the correct cells in the respective store tabs.
6. Format Summary Report: Format the summary report to display the sales by product category and month in a visually appealing manner. Use appropriate headers, borders, and total rows/columns to enhance readability.
7. Update Summary Report: Whenever new completed worksheets are received for any store, repeat the process of importing the updated worksheet and linking the data in the "Summary" worksheet.
8. Review and Analyze: Regularly review and analyze the summary report to gain insights into sales trends, identify potential issues, and make informed business decisions.
By following this process, Mark will have an organized and comprehensive summary report that showcases the sales by product category by month for all his stores without compromising the integrity of the formulas.