Contract extension and new client

My contract with Three has been extended again, now until the end of May.

I've also recently picked up another dashboard order, this time from Anchorpoint, the sister company of Astrak.  They want a simple 4 sheet Dashboard containing two "fuel gauge" type charts to show the daily status of orders etc, as well as two monthly trend views.

To make things more interesting, they want it shown on a large TV in the office, with each sheet cycling every 10 seconds.  I've manged to set this up using some VBA code that also removes all scrollbars, column and row headings etc in order to maximise the charts on the screen.  The slideshow is started with the click of a button, and stopped by clicking another, which also replaces all the scrollbars etc, ready for them to add new data.

I'm really pleased with the way this works and can see me using it again in the future.  Showing live dashboards on a large screen in a busy office is an excellent way of keeping your staff on top of any issues that may be occuring, and letting everyone know how the company is performing at that period.  In this case, the data is updated many times a day, meaning that the KPI's are almost live.  Staff can respond more proactively as a result.

Training and work ... it's never ending!

I'm filling my time while working away with some MS Office training and now a fresh load of extra work.  I've picked up a second order for a Marketing Database, originally developed for The Castledene Group.  They've referred me to a colleague within the industry and they placed the order yesterday.  Hopefully it will prove a success and open up some more opportunities within the Letting industry.

I'm also on the final stages of the Welsh Government Provider Dashboard.  I've received some fresh information and can now aim to complete the work.

Also, EPS have been in touch about their requirements for a new database.  Details are sketchy ("we need a database") but I'll be chatting with them soon :)

MS Office MOS training

Well I've finally decided to go for my Microsoft Office Specialist training.  I've just signed up for a one year on-line course with E-Careers which is perfect for me to get on with in my hotel room while I'm working away.

I'm aiming to get certified in MS Excel and Word in order to become an MOS Expert.  If I just get one of them then I'll be an MOS Specialist.  If I pass four exams then I can become an MOS Master.  Sounds like fun :D

PMi Ltd is 3 years old!

It was around this time in 2010 that I took a deep breath, filled in the paperwork and formed PMi, which then a year and a bit later turned into PMi Ltd.  The first year was slow, but I took my time developing demo models and improving my Excel skills until I eventually turned over a reasonable profit in year two, after picking up a 6 month contract with Thales.  The third year has also been busy, both with developing stand alone products for a few clients as well as picking up a contract with Three.  All this and a 6 month break with the birth of my second son Elliot!

None of this would have been possible without the support of my wife, Rebecca, both financially and with encouragement during the difficult (and scary) first year.  I haven't regretted a single moment of it and look forward to a great fourth year!

Adding comments to a dynamic chart

This week I’ve been adding a new feature to one of the dashboards I’ve created for Three.  I’ve created a way for people to log events and comments for specific periods and to add them to the chart as part of the series.  I’ve also added a comments table with scrollbar so that you can view a long history of events in a small footprint.  I’ve uploaded a quick video on my Youtube channel, here, that shows it working:

Three dashboard improvements

I've been working on improving a weekly spreadsheet that I maintain and update at Three.  Currently:

• Data comes from a number of automated reports that are copied and pasted in. 
• I then need to go through a large number of sheets, refreshing pivot tables and copying down formulae.  
• Then I need to change a large number of charts data source to extend the timeframe.
• In another spreadsheet, I need to manually calculate a number of values and type them into a summary sheet.
• Finally, I need to copy and paste a large number of charts and the summary sheet into a powerpoint presentation and email it to a huge mailing list.

Time: approx 1 hour a week.


My new and improved version:

• Data comes from a number of automated reports that are copied and pasted in. 
• I select the Data Entry Menu from the Dashboard Home page and click Update button.  The macro refreshes all pivot tabels, which in turn fires code that copies down all relevant formulae.
• Done.

Time: approx 2 mins a week.

The advantage of the Dashboard is that the easy to use navigation meansthat there is no longer a need for a static powerpoint presentation.  The data is easy to find, and is also dynamic, so the charts can be altered to look at different dates etc.  The charts are also linked to a dynamically altering data set that changes each week, so there is no longer the need to reselect the data source to map the expanding timeframe.  I've added a comments system so that key events can be logged and shown on the charts as a new series, rather than adding a static text box on a slide that will need to be moved the following week.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow :)

Playing with Joomla

I've been having trouble with access to my Home page and Blog page of my website for a while.  Every now and then it wouldn't open but my other pages were okay.  The common denominator was a twitter plugin I had installed into Joomla a while ago.  I've now removed this and added another, which seems better.  Fingers crossed it won't cause any problems.  Let me know if you have trouble opening up my website :)