1. The MIS and Dashboard

3. The MIS is essential to project success.
Basic Guidelines for Entering Data into the MIS
All indicators from the logic model are listed in the MIS (even if local data are not available).
Always use the same source of data for an indicator.
Monthly data are most valuable.
If data is not available for a specific month, enter “NA” for that month.
Enter data in a consistent form.
Enter the data every month as a part of project routine.
Let’s discuss some most important guidelines for entering data in the MIS.
The MIS matches the logic model exactly. No more, no less.
If the source is no longer available or if they start calculating it differently, start a new line on your MIS. Do not mix sources of data for an indicator because the calculations will be different.
3. Monthly data allows you to maintain good data collection practices and monitor changes in the data frequently through building a time series of the indicators as you move forward. If data is only available annually, enter it, although you will soon see its limitations.
For archival purposes you can go back as far as data are available historically.
The lack of data is different from a measure that equals ZERO. Zero crashes is very different from data that is not available.
Whole numbers are most desirable and you can round up or down. If a measure is expressed as a percentage: enter a whole number. 83 means 83%. Otherwise, you must use Excel feature to identify those cells as “Percentage” and then you can enter the number of An additional step. If a range is very small (say less than 10), there may be a case for entering a decimal point, but I don’t have a good example of that right now.
6. Entering data every month as part of the project routine reinforces awareness of change as it happens. Review the data at a regular project team meeting on a monthly basis. Perhaps it triggers a management decision to change a strategy. Or, it may lead to documenting a random event that occurred in the community and affected the data. Such variations are normal.
The MIS is essential to project success.

4. 1. This is the same MIS with data entered for a limited time period
1. This is the same MIS with data entered for a limited time period. This view shows the time period of July 2009 through December 2010.
2. Notice that in some places the data is only annual – for example, “% who drank in the last 30 days (youth survey)” was entered for April 2010 only.
3. Some indicators show no data at all – for example, the same indicator measured using a focus group.
Some indicators have NA in some cells and data in others – for example, “% of off premise sales of alcohol to youth (compliance checks)” such checks were not done every month, so it is not zero %. It is NA or not applicable data.
5. Notice that two rows of indicators with data are highlighted – in this case to demonstrate how to create time series plots of the data.
“# alcohol crashes age <21” and “# alcohol crashes ages 21+”
Highlighting a row or rows is a first step in creating plots of the data in charts for a dashboard that can be used for monitoring and managing the project.

5. The resulting chart of the two indicators with trendlines for the specified time period is shown here.
Some of you may have lots of experience with creating such plots. You may have other tips for creating them.
If not, you will learn more by doing it.
This process must be completed for each of the indicators of the logic model, especially those that you want to include in a dashboard.
So let’s move to designing and laying out a dashboard.

6. Community ABC Year Three Dashboard
Outcome
Intermediate
Variable
Strategy
Project Start Date: January 1, 2010

7. Creating Charts for the Dashboard
Creating the plots of data to be included as charts in a dashboard is a detailed process.

8. Click on Insert Tab, and select the type of chart.
In this example, we want to compare the indicators of “# alcohol crashes age <21” and “# alcohol crashes ages 21+”, so we will put them both on the same chart.
Highlight both rows, click on the Insert tab and select the type of chart.
In this case, I am selecting a line chart since monthly data are available.
3. Different line charts are available but we will choose the simplest for now.

9. Chart Layout
1. The chart that appears shows the two sets of data as indicated in the legend – red line for crashes age 21 and over and blue line for crashes under age 21. You can see right away that the X and Y axis don’t make sense.
2. Notice a special green menu appears called Chart Tools with 3 tabs – Design, Layout, and Format.
3. Under Design we can change the color of the lines if you want to.
However, to make the chart understandable, both the X and Y axis need formatting and we need a title.
4. Click on one of the chart designs. These show various placements of the title, the legend, and axis title. I will choose the far left one.

10. Chart Titles
1. Now we can click on Chart Title and enter the name for this chart.
2. In this case, since these are indicators of the Outcome, we could call it “Underage Drinking and Traffic Crashes”.
3. And we can do the same thing for the Y axis and call it “#of crashes”.
Now we need to format the X axis.

11. Briefly, this process involves the following:
Right click on the chart itself and from a new menu that appears, choose Select Data. …

12. Briefly, this process involves the following:
The Select Data Source box appears.
To set the X axis click Edit on the right hand side under “Horizontal Labels”

13. X Axis Label Range
1. A new box called Axis Labels appears providing a place to enter the range of data for the X axis.
2. Highlight on the worksheet those rows that include the years and months covered by this chart.
3. Click OK.

14. Verify the data series name and range of values for this chart.
This takes us back to the Select Data Source box.
Now, on the left side under Legend Entries (Series):
One at a time, click on one of the indicators and click Edit.

15. Verify the data series name and range of values for this chart.
A new box called “Edit Series” appears.
Highlight the entry under Series Name. Delete what is automatically entered.
On the worksheet, click on the cell that contains the name of this indicator. In this case it is “# Alcohol crashes age <21” in Cell A13.
When you click on it, that cell location appears in the Edit Series box.
Next highlight the entry under “Series Values”. Delete the automatic entry.
On the worksheet, highlight the data for the given time period for that indicator only. In this case, the correct range is AL 13 – BC 13.
That range of cells appears under Series Values.
Click OK.

16. Format Chart Area
The last steps in creating the chart of the selected indicator(s) is to Format the Chart Area.
Again right click on a white area of the chart.
Select “Format Chart Area”.
A new box appears where we can do a number of things:
fill the background of the chart with color – we chose pink since this is an Outcome.
Select the border color and width
Etc.
Click Close.

17. Add a trend line…
One more step – we can add a trend line to each of the data lines.
Under Chart Tools click on Layout tab.
Click on the Trendline box.
There are a number of options.
1. We usually use either a linear trendline to show direction of changes in the data in column charts.
Or (and in this case) we use a moving average for a 6 month period because of the high monthly variation.
2 and 3. So click on More Trendline Options and change the period from 2 to 6.

18. The resulting chart of the two indicators with trendlines for the specified time period is shown here.
This chart development process should be completed for each of the indicators of the logic model, especially those that you want to include in a dashboard.

19. Community ABC Year Three Dashboard
Outcome
Intermediate
Variable
Strategy
Project Start Date: January 1, 2010