The bar and line chart widgets in the Report view allows users to visualize data in a clear and concise manner. It's useful for reporting key metrics with a category that is relevant in that board and presenting data in an appealing format.
When a bar chart is useful for your projects
Bar charts are simple to understand and interpret because of their visual display of data.
The most common use case for it is comparing data across different categories, even with large datasets.
However, they are not the most suitable for displaying continuous data, like the amount of effort worked through time. Line charts are better for these purposes.
Also, be careful not to make them too cluttered (with many bars or categories) because it would make it confusing for the viewers.
In the example above, where the effort per member is shown, it is quite easy to understand who are the workers with the highest load. This makes it possible to take action on this.
Line Chart
Line charts are ideal for displaying continuous data over time, as this is one of the most common use case for it. Just like the examples above, you can customize the attribute that is set as the category and the unit of measure used in the chart. Here is one that shows the number of story points per month:
The numbers in the card can be displayed either as their absolute value or as a percentage, when this is set as the function.
Also, it's possible to select to split the effort per member, so that the total value of a card is divided to each member or if all of the assigned members will work full time.
How to add, edit and remove any Widget
The Report view in Placker allows you to set up widgets and customize it according to your reporting needs.
Here is a link to an article that shows how to do this step by step: http://help.placker.com/en/articles/8754131-how-to-manage-report-widgets
Stacked Line and Bar Widgets
The stacking option lets you visualize data concisely, given that they show different sets of data combined in the same graph.
They display two different attributes as categories and a unit of measure, instead of only one. For example, in the charts below, the bar and line heights represent the total of cards per month, while their colors allow to see how many are part of each project.
Values as a percentage of a line or bar
If you want to compare the quantity of cards in relation to the total, you can set the Display Value as a percentage of a line or bar.
In the example below, the widget is set to show how many cards are assigned to a member as a percentage of cards assigned to other members or unassigned.
Configuring the charts
Once you have added the widget, you can set the preferences according to how you want the data to be presented.
When you enter the edit mode and configure the widget, there will options to select. Hovering the mouse over them will display a description of what they mean.
To exemplify, these are the settings selected for the bar chart presented above:
The numbers in the card can be displayed either as their absolute value or as a percentage, when this is set as the function.
Also, it's possible to select to split the effort per member, so that the total value of a card is divided to each member or if all of the assigned members will work full time.
Cumulative charts
Both bar and line charts can be shown either as regular date periods, cumulative or reverse cumulative.
The following example shows cumulative chart showing how many cards are schedule until that day, therefore it never decreases. The bar chart below is the oposite, reverse cumulative, displaying how many cards are remaining (also known as a burndown chart).
Analyzing and Interacting with the charts
Once the bar chart widget is configured, you can interact with it to gain insights and analyze the data. Here are some actions you can perform:
Hover: Hover over a bar to view the value a specific data point or the title to see its tooltip.
Click: Click on a bar to drill down into the underlying tasks or items represented by the bar in the Data view.
Filter: Apply additional filters to refine the data displayed on the chart. This can be either in the widget configuration or in the whole section.
Conclusion
The bar chart widget in Placker is a valuable tool for reporting and visualizing data. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can effectively use the bar chart widget to present information, track progress, and make data-driven decisions.
Remember, the bar chart widget is just one of the many options available in the Report view. Explore other widgets and functionalities to enhance your reporting capabilities.
And if you have any questions or need help, you can always reach out to our specialized support team by clicking the chat button at the lower right corner.