Buku Excel tentang Chart: “Mengapa Boss Benci Chart Anda” by Abimono

Halo semua, udah lama ga nulis blog nih, sibuk banget di kantor. Kemarin pas browsing, ketemu judul buku yang menarik, “Mengapa Boss Benci Chart Anda”. Ada link untuk memesan bukunya juga lagi. Langsung saja saya beli sebelum kehabisan ^^

Hari ini baru aja dapet nih kiriman buku terbaru karangan Pak Abimono. Setelah dibaca, jadi termotivasi buat review. Jarang-jarang ada buku yang bermutu dan berguna bangeet kayak gini, sih. Apalagi kalau profesinya konsultan, analyst, pokoknya yang sering buat presentasi deh.

Mulai dari tampilan bukunya sendiri, sama sekali ‘ga mengecewakan. Setiap lembar yang 222 halaman, dicetak full-colour. Kertasnya juga glossy lagi, jadi ga malu-maluin kalo dibawa-bawa pas meeting atau mau kasih hadiah ke klien atau boss, hehehe..

Isi buku kurang lebih 50% gambar, 50% tulisan (dan banyak ceritanya, jadi ‘ga bikin ngantuk). Penuh dengan Grafik/ Chart mulai dari yang standar sampai yang ‘ga biasa’, padahal sebagai analyst kerjaan saya tiap hari bikin presentasi mulu, pastinya pernah membuat Chart yang Advanced, tapi dengan baca buku ini masih dapat tambahan ilmu lagi banyak banget^^

Oh iya, dulu juga pernah cari buku tentang Chart, tapi karena di Indo belum ada yang bagus dan buat advance user, sampai cari ke Amazon.com. Sempet beli juga sih, tapi ternyata setelah dibandingkan, buku ini lebih bagus daripada buku yang dikarang Bule2 itu hehe..salut buat Pak Abimono.

Kenapa saya bilang lebih bagus, karena buku ini selain mengajarkan step by step cara membuat Chart, juga mengajarkan cara menentukan Chart mana yang sebaiknya digunakan untuk menampilkan informasi tertentu, Chart mana yang sebaiknya dihindari. Aplikasinya dalam pekerjaan sehari-hari, contoh yang berdasarkan data actual, jadi tidak hanya teori yang akhirnya ‘ga terpakai.

Ada juga mitos-mitos tentang Chart (ada 14 mitos) yang setelah membacanya jadi bisa menilai Chart buatan sendiri atau orang lain apakah selama ini sudah benar atau masih bisa diperbaiki.

Pastinya, setelah baca buku ini, cara saya mempresentasikan data/hasil analisa akan lebih mudah dimengerti oleh klien atau boss.

Oh ya, di buku ini juga diajarkan bagaimana menampilkan Chart yang indah loh, dari segi warna, tampilan, dan yang pasti, indah tidak sama dengan Chart 3D hehehe…nanti setelah baca pasti tau kenapa. Makanya cepetan beli di Gramed atau lewat Pak Abimono sendiri juga bisa tuh. Two tumbs up buat Pak Abimono.

Kalau mau memesan, silakan baca blog XL-mania dan pesan disini.

Xcelsius 2008

Xcelsius 2008 is the software that integrated with Excel. It has dynamic and customizable data visualization that enables users of different skill levels to create insightful and engaging dashboards from any data source with point-and-click ease. Xcelsius 2008 is making it easier than ever to put the power of relevant intelligent information into the hands of business users.

I am so satisfied with this software. It helps a lot with my work especially with the CEOs. My CEOs have problem with seeing lots of data, short span of attention and short span of memory are their chronic illness since they sat on top management [I guess we all do when we're in their position], they just want to point and click to know what happen in the company. This software is an answer to that.

Unfortunately, not every kind of analysis and modelling can be put in Xcelsius. Usually I only use Xcelsius when I have reports that already have standard format, my job is only to update it regularly.

The list of appropriate use for this software are:

1. the KPI dashboard of every divisions or business units.

2. the Sales performance reviews by branches, regions, products.

3. the Financial performance reviews

4. Profitability Analysis

5. The budget vs actual reviews on expense, sales, profit, etc.

view demo [you must have flash player installed in web browser]

Why a Changing Heart?

On June 12, 2008 I got a final call from a CPO company; they said that they already accept me for a financial analyst position. This company is a subsidiary from a Singapore listed company. The owner is one of the conglomerates in this country.

I feel excited but also sad, because this means these days are my last days in this company. I have so many good memories here with my co-workers.

As a business development or someone who assist the CEOs to make decisions, I feel that expanding my knowledge horizon is very important. We must become a generalist, not a specialist. That is one main reason why I will accept the job in that company.

I already had certain knowledge about transportation industry, including 3PL and operating lease from my current company. If there is an opportunity to know other industries, I think I will take it.

In this case, I will get the opportunity to learn about CPO [Crude Palm Oil] industries. The CPO company itself is a major vertically integrated agribusiness group with principal activities that span from research and development, oil palm seed breeding, oil palm cultivation and milling to the refining, branding and marketing of cooking oil, margarine, shortening and other palm oil derivative products. The Group is also a producer of Crude Coconut Oil in Indonesia.

My position as a financial analyst will be much likely the same, assist in drawing in-depth conclusions and make recommendations to Board of Directors from financial, operating and planning data; also involve in some projects to acquire or build new business units.

My Comfort Zone

I found this quotes in pravsworld.com, and I think it is very precise for me. This quote tells exactly how I felt. I want to take this quote as my resignation letter.

“I used to have a comfort zone where I knew I wouldn’t fail.
The same four walls and busywork were really more like jail.
I longed so much to do the things I’d never done before,
But stayed inside my comfort zone and paced the same old floor.

I said it didn’t matter that I wasn’t doing much.
I said I didn’t care for things like commission checks and such.
I claimed to be so busy with the things inside the zone,
But deep inside I longed for something special of my own.

I couldn’t let my life go by just watching others win.
I held my breath; I stepped outside and let the change begin.
I took a step and with new strength I’d never felt before,
I kissed my comfort zone goodbye and closed and locked the door.

If you’re in a comfort zone, afraid to venture out,
Remember that all winners were at one time filled with doubt.
A step or two and words of praise can make your dreams come true.
Reach for your future with a smile; success is there for you!”

Working in my company right now is like being in the comfort zone. I know my work very well and the people I work with are very predictable. I don’t say that work here is not challenging, I learn a lot last year. But ever since this company strategy is changing from expand the business portfolio to only maintain it, I feel that my learning curve is mature, and it’s time to move on.

Survival Books in The Corporate World

In this post I am not going to tell you to read ‘boring’ management books. Probably you know about those books more than me.

I will tell you to read books that are not theoretical, not boring; in fact it will be the most fun books you’ve ever read.

I like to read witty and humorous books about corporate world. Sometimes I need that to understand our CEOs perspective or to analyze what’s going on in the board room. What are those books?


What would Machiavelli Do? By Stanley Bing
This book is brutal, witty, to the point, and sarcastic. Don’t ever be too serious in practicing what’s in this book. Use this book as your guidance to understand some weird act of your CEOs. Maybe they have been practicing one of Machiavelli method.
I keep this book as my ‘bible’ to sail the corporate world, especially as the ‘CEO Prompter’.

So, What Would Machiavelli Do?

1. He would realize that loving yourself means never having to say you're sorry He would feast on other people's discord
2. He would establish and maintain a psychotic level of control
3. He wouldn't exactly seek the company of ass-kissers and bimbos, but he wouldn't reject them out of hand either
4. He would kill people, but only if he could feel good about himself afterward
5. He would use other people's opinions to sell his book!

The Dilbert Principles, By Scott Adams
If Stanley Bing writes how to be a Machiavellian leader, Scott Adams writes from the workers point of view. The "Dilbert Principle" say that the most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management.

Chapters include such titles as "Pretending To Work," "Machiavellian Methods," and "Engineers, Scientists, Programmers, and Other Odd People." The book is full with such advice as "The worth of any project is how it will sound on your resume" and "Never walk down the hall without a document in your hand". He stresses the importance of using the business jargon as often as possible and discusses the value of computers in pretending to be busy. We all familiar with this cynical, satirical story of corporate life. This book is very funny.


The World is Flat, By Thomas L. Friedman.
You can come out from your ‘cubicles’ and see what’s going on around the globe by reading this book. Soon, how the world works will be changing dramatically and of course we don’t want to ‘miss the train’. We must change how we think and how we act, because the world is also changing rapidly.

Must Have Internet Software

Internet is one of the important needs for a BD analyst. How can we learn about new concept or ideas if we don’t have internet? How can we think outside the box if we just sit in our cubicles and in front of the ‘offline’ computer?

We can’t depend on books and training, it is obsolete. Internet is the new world, and with it we can change how we work, how we think, and how we deal with problems. I usually just goggling someone or something that I want to know.

There are some software that you need if you want to safe your time researching the internet.

1. Internet Download Manager
   A must have one, because it is faster and reliable, and you also can retrieve the entire website if you want with IDM.
2. AVG Anti-Virus Software
   There is a free edition for this software that you can download in its website, but it is better to buy the complete package. Internet is also risky with new kind of viruses or Trojan. You never know what hits you until all your data are lost.
3. Internet Explorer 7 or Mozilla Firefox
   The IE 7 and Mozilla are the faster and more secure way to surf the web. It can prompt or give a warning if there is some program force to download.
4. Adobe Acrobat Reader
   You must have this software in order to read some documents downloaded from the net.
5. WinZip or WinRar
   Some documents that are in .zip or .rar format needs to extract with this software.
6. Flash Player
   Surfing the net is not fun without Flash Player. You can make some presentation in Flash Player too for more interactive performance.
   
   The lists are still long if you want to have an advanced experience surfing the net. Maybe you can help me add some.

Network Planning & Development Project

My company had already built 23 branches all over the country since 1980s. Due to our business expansion, it was easy to define where we wanted to build new branches. We also didn’t really care about the feasibility study. Usually we just did the market study and estimated how big the potential market in that area is.

This day, with fierce competition in operating lease business, it is possible to build a new branch of course, but we must act more carefully to estimate the initial investment, payback period of that branch, sales target, and many things else.

I think the company didn’t think or concern about this earlier because our CEOs background mostly from sales or operation. Usually they just see from the opportunity but didn’t go detail about the financing concern.

We highlight this concern in Business Process Reengineering [BPR] project. Network Planning & Development is one of the projects that still on going in my company.

The idea is if we have potential market in one area, we can’t just decide to build a branch there only based on market study. We must consider the financial study and make a feasibility study.

The global concept is like this:


So, the output or deliverables in this project are:

1. Branch Classification
   We made a branch classification matrix based on Unit in Operation numbers and percentage of sales dealing. We follow-up this classification to define the branch man power standard, office and building facilities, benefit and employee level for every branch class.


2. Man Power Standard
   Together with HR department, we made a Man Power Standard. Each branch has different class, therefore we define different standard for them. Example, a 90% sales dealing and a big branch can’t have junior administration head; it must have a senior and maybe an assistant too.
   With this, we also can make their career path, they can start from branch that has lower classification and then climb up to higher branch class.


3. Office Facilities Standard
   Building and office facilities will be varied depend on the branch classification.


4. Template of Feasibility Study
   Now, this is the difficult one. The effort to build this template has to make me learn again about Excel function in more advance way.
   
   Generally, I am proud of the project result, because right now, it is possible to make a financial projection to build a branch.
   The Feasibility templates will calculate:Profit and Loss Projection for 5 year; Cash Flow projection; Loan Payment Schedules; Sales target and Cost budgeting; Payback period [for op lease branch 5 year pp is not enough ^_^]; IRR; and NPV.