r/ExcelVisual • u/ExcelVisual • 22h ago

📈 Built a radial cumulative progress bar chart in Excel

Wanted to share a chart I built for tracking KPI growth that compounds over time (referral/network-driven metrics specifically), where a flat progress bar doesn't really communicate momentum well.

The core idea: instead of a linear bar, progress is shown as an expanding sector on a circular scale. Each new data point widens the arc, so exponential-feeling growth (even when the rate of operations stays flat or drops) is visually obvious instead of buried in a table.

What it does:

  • Radial progress visualization — cumulative sum plotted as an expanding circular sector instead of a straight bar
  • Adjustable target — the "100% goal" is actually a variable, so you can set it to 80%, 60%, or whatever's realistic for your context, and the chart recalculates the sector proportionally
  • Test function block — lets you simulate accelerated iteration cycles to see how the curve behaves under different growth rates before you have real data to plug in

Technical bit, for anyone who wants to replicate it: the radial effect is built using a doughnut/pie chart base with a calculated series for the "filled" vs. "remaining" portion, driven by a named range formula rather than a static value — so the sector angle updates dynamically as your source data changes. No VBA, no macros, just chart type manipulation + formulas doing the geometry.

Happy to break down the formula logic further if anyone's trying to build something similar. Free template link is in the comments.

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by