IT for Success of Everyday Life and Work

Office Project

This project contains four tasks, which should be completed using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint. We have covered MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint in class.

The project can be done individually or in a group of 2 students. You can only form. your group within your section!

The due date is 11:59pm, March 29th. Late submission will NOT be accepted.

Attention:

•      Plagiarism will lead to zero mark. Plagiarism includes copying anything from online or anyone alive or dead. The information presented by different students must be quite different from one another. Students whose work being copied by other students will also receive zero mark.

•      All your text should be written in English. Please follow the UIC policy. Chinese version means Zero.

•      Double check to make sure you have handed in the correct files and can be opened properly, otherwise you will get zero.

•    REMEMBER always submit your project at least one hour earlier than the due date.

•    For those who choose to do this project in a group, please submit by one student only. If two students submit different files, only one version would be graded randomly.

•     Compress  all  three  files  “********+********.xlsx”  ,  “********+********.docx”, “********+********.pptx” (******* should be replaced by your and your partner’s student ID ) into a file named “Project _Section####_********+********”(#### is your section ID and ******* is your student ID), and then submit the zip file onto iSpace.

Tasks:

Part I: (Microsoft Excel)

Suppose you are employed in a company that aligns with your field of expertise. After six months of work, you are preparing a report for your boss to provide valuable suggestion on a specific topic based on the data you have collected. To develop the content for the report, follow the steps outlined below:

1.   Set up tables

Considering your major and relevant business scenario, design the necessary data items and values. You can refer to the example.xlsx file, in which we have created using the assumption of a Human Resources officer.

If you choose to use the example provided by us, the full mark will be 90% (Please check the Rubrics to see how it will be graded.)

If you choose to use the example provided by us, ensure that you adhere to the instructions outlined in the "Instruction" sheet. You may also modify the data items to suit your specific field or areas of interest. Always consider that the data and values entered should be sensible and meaningful. Extreme or irrelevant values should be avoided, as the ultimate goal is to draw valuable conclusions from the data analysis.

2.    Calculate meaningful data

Utilize the collected data and Excel functions to derive significant metrics and indicators. These calculations will provide insights and support the conclusions drawn in your report.

Utilize at least three basic functions (for example, average, max, count, min, sum, if etc.) and at least five advanced functions (or example, sumif, vlookup, nested if etc.) to calculate the required data. Review the Sheet2 of example.xlsx to determine what kind of data can be calculated to support your ideas when providing valuable suggestions to your boss.

3.   Create charts

To visually represent the calculated data from the tables in example.xlsx Sheet2, extract the important columns and generate relevant charts. Refer to the Sheet3, in our example, as shown in the bar chart and the pie chart, you can conclude that managers in Shanghai have shown the best performance. By representing the calculated data through charts and graphs, you can enhance comprehension and facilitate effective communication of your findings to your boss.

Note: If you choose to use the example provided by us, please make sure your charts are different from the charts we provided, otherwise you will get 0 marks for this part.

4.   Create a slicing and pivot table to visualize the data dynamically.

Refer to “data visualization” topic in weekly topic 3, add a slicing and a pivot table to the “PivotTable” sheet (Refer to the PivotTable sheet in our example.xlsx). The slicing and the pivot table should be able to show data dynamically according to different city or category. If you work on your own topic, it doesn’t have to be city, just make it reasonable.

Note: If you choose to use the example provided by us, please make sure your pivot table is different from the pivot tables we provided, otherwise you will get 0 marks for this part.

Please ensure that your spreadsheet meets the following requirements:

Requirements:

Your spreadsheet should include:

•      Basic functions (Functions mentioned in the topic “Excel Basic” in weekly topic 2 such as sum, average, max, min, etc.), at least 3 functions.

•      Advanced functions (Functions mentioned in the topic “Excel Advanced” in weekly topic 3 such as vlookup, sumif, countif, datedif, etc.), at least 5 functions.

•      Charts (pie, column, line, etc.), at least 1 chart.

•      Pivot tables with slicing, at least 1 pivot table with slicing. (Refer to “data visualization” in weekly topic 3)

•      Save the Excel document with the name "********+********.xlsx" (replace "*******"

with your and your partner’s student ID).

Part II: (Microsoft Word)

Use Microsoft Word to write a report based on the spreadsheet file you have created in Part I. The report should at least include several paragraphs as follows:

1. Introduction:  Begin  with  explaining  the  purpose  and  rationale  behind  collecting  the specific data items. Elaborate on how these data contribute to overall goals of the project or analysis (why you collect these data.)

2. Data processing: Describe the methods to process the collected data. Discuss any data cleaning activities, transformations, or calculations performed to derive meaningful insights.

3. Findings: Present the key findings and observations resulting from the data analysis. Use clear and concise language to communicate the significant trends, patterns, or correlations discovered in the data.

4. Conclusions and Recommendations: Explain the implications of the findings and their relevance to the project objectives. Provide actionable recommendations or suggestions to your boss based on the conclusions drawn from the data analysis.

In addition to the content requirements, adhere to the following formatting guidelines to ensure a well-structured and visually appealing report. The content will be not judged, but all the detailed technique involved in Word file will be graded:

•   Use different colors and font sizes.

•   The document must be between four and seven pages, including the table of contents.

•   Utilize the built-in Table of Contents feature in Microsoft Word to generate a table of contents.

•   Using Heading Styles in the Home tab creates three main sections, each containing two or more subsections, providing a clear organizational structure for your table of contents.

•   Include a bibliography formatted in IEEE (2006) style. at the end ofthe report. Make sure to include at least one citation within the document.

•   Incorporate at least one picture in the report with a caption below it.

•   Include at least one table in the report with a caption below it.

•   Ensure cross-references to tables and pictures are provided within the document.

•   Utilize bullet points to enhance readability and effectively present information.

•   Insert a hyperlink to an external website to provide additional context or resources related to the report's content.

•    Set the header in the center with "IT Section_####_Project" (replace "####" with your section number).

•   Place the student ID in the left side of the footer, and the page number on the right side of the footer.

•   Save the Word document with the name "********+********.docx" (replace "*******" with your and your partner’s student ID).

Part III: (Microsoft PowerPoint)

You will present your ideas/suggestions in a company conference. Use what you have from part I and part II to create a PPT file for your presentation. You may generate the original PPT file from the  Word  document  you  have  from  Part  II.  Your  PPT  slides  should  meet  the  following requirements:

•   At least 5 slides, excluding the title slide.

•   No more than 10 slides, excluding the title slide.

•    Select a design theme that suits your preferences

•   Use different colors, font sizes, and formatting techniques to emphasize the main points and make the content visually appealing

•   Utilize bullet points and sub-bullet points with correct indentation to organize information and enhance readability.

•   Incorporate at least one relevant image that supports or illustrates key concepts in your presentation. Ensure that the image is high-quality and properly credited, if necessary.

•   Include at least one table to present data or comparative information in a clear and structured manner.

•   Use at least one animation effect to enhance the presentation and draw attention to

specific elements or points. Be cautious not to overuse animations, as it can distract the audience.

•   Apply at least one transition effects to smoothly transition between slides and maintain the flow of the presentation. Choose transitions that are appropriate for the content and maintain professionalism.

•   Use the slide master function to insert the UIC logo, provided in the project zip file, into all slides except the title slide. This helps maintain consistency and branding throughout  the presentation.

•    Save the PowerPoint file with the name "********+********.pptx" (replace "*******" with your and your partner’s student ID).