8.8 Waterfall and Funnel
- Waterfall (Excel 2016+) – how a starting value becomes an ending value through ups and downs.
- Funnel (Excel 2019 / Microsoft 365) – stages that shrink (app visits → cart → checkout → delivered).
Waterfall example (fictional, Pune, ₹ lakh):
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Oct Sales | 5.0 |
| New customers | +0.8 |
| Diwali basket growth | +0.9 |
| Cancellations | -0.4 |
| Returns | -0.2 |
| Nov Sales | 6.1 |
Steps in Excel
- Select the table › Insert › Charts › Insert Waterfall, Funnel, Stock, Surface or Radar Chart › Waterfall.
- Click the Nov Sales bar twice (select that one point) › right-click › Set as Total. Do the same for Oct Sales if needed.
- Funnel: stages and counts (Visits 50,000 → Cart 12,000 → Checkout 8,500 → Delivered 7,900) › Funnel.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
In a waterfall, if the last bar isn't "Set as Total", it also floats up as just another change – many students' charts look wrong. Set the start and end bars as totals. Check that the waterfall's total adds up (5.0 + 0.8 + 0.9 − 0.4 − 0.2 = 6.1).
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
Waterfall मध्ये शेवटचा bar "Set as Total" न केल्यास तो पण एक बदल म्हणून वरती तरंगतो – बऱ्याच students चा chart चुकीचा दिसतो. Start आणि end bars ला Set as Total करा. Waterfall मध्ये total बरोबर येतोय का (5.0 + 0.8 + 0.9 − 0.4 − 0.2 = 6.1) ते check करा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
Waterfall में आख़िरी bar को "Set as Total" न किया तो वह भी एक बदलाव की तरह ऊपर तैरता है – बहुत से students का chart गलत दिखता है. Start और end bars को Set as Total करो. Waterfall में total सही आ रहा है या नहीं (5.0 + 0.8 + 0.9 − 0.4 − 0.2 = 6.1), check करो.
Practice task
Build a waterfall from last month's to this month's sales for Nashik with four drivers, and a funnel for the order journey.