This is an individual project that contains three tasks that must be completed using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint.  The  deadline for submission is 11:59pm, Oct. 29nd 2023. Late submission will NOT be accepted.

Attention:

•      Plagiarism will result in zero score. Plagiarism includes copying from online sources or any individuals, whether alive or deceased. Each student’s work should be original and distinct from one another. Students whose work is copied by others will also receive a zero score.

•      All text should be written in English, adhering to UIC policy. A Chinese version will result in a zero score.

•      Double check that you have submitted the correct files, which can be opened properly. Files that cannot be opened will receive a zero score.

•      Check the Project Rubrics before start working on your project. Please note that 15% mark is for designing your own major or interest related topic and data. If you choose to use the HR example provided, your marks will be deducted according to the rubrics.

•     REMEMBER always submitting your project at least one hour before the deadline.

•     Compress  all  three  files,  “ ********.xlsx”,  “********.docx”,  “********.pptx”  (replace  ******* with your student ID) into a zip file named “Project _Section####_ ********” (replace #### with your section ID and ******* with your student ID), and then submit the  zip file on 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 suggestions on a specific topic based on the data you have collected. You are encouraged to use a topic related to your major or interest and collect data on your own. If you use the example provided as your topic, you will lose the 15 marks. If you use your own topic, you still need to read thru the example.xlsx carefully to get the idea how you should present your topic, data, and analysis.

To develop the content for the report, follow the steps outlined below:

1.   Setup 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, 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 into the tables 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 four basic functions (e.g., average, max, count, min, sum, if) and at least two advanced functions (e.g., sumif,vlookup, nested if) 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.

If you use your own topic, you need to provide the rules, as provided in the example Sheet1, Sheet2 (the yellow highlighted contents), to indicate what rules and/or logic you use to do the calculations. Please check the rubrics to see how they are graded.

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 Sheet2, in our example, 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. Please ensure that your spreadsheet meets the following requirements:

Requirements:

Your spreadsheet should include:

•      Basic functions (sum, if, average, max, min, etc.), at least 4 functions.

•      Advance functions (vlookup, sumif, countif, etc.), at least 2 functions.

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

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.

•   Divide the report into three main sections, each containing two or more subsections to provide a clear organizational structure.

•   Include a bibliography formatted in IEEE (2006) style at the end of the 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 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: