Excel Project

For the Excel Project in this course, we were given the heart rates of 500 fitness center members and were asked to perform specific tasks on Excel. The heart rates were measured  at 1 minute intervals throughout the 15 minute workout, and through the 5 minute cooldown.

First, I was asked to reformat a few items to make the worksheet look more organized. I then used the “Freeze Panes” capability to lock in Rows 1 and 2. I was familiar with this feature, but did not know how to freeze more than one row until I watched the Excel videos. After this, I was asked to add a new column that estimated the maximum heart rate for each member, and a column that calculated the target heart rate. However, the latter column required the use of absolute referencing. When using Excel in the past, I have needed to use this feature but did not have the slightest clue on how to use it. Now I know that if I need to reference a specific cell in a formula, all I have to do is put a “$” in front of the column and row (Ex: $C$6). This is something so simple, yet USEFUL! Next, I used the maximum formula to find out the highest heart rate achieved by each member. Afterward, I had to use an “If” statement formula to determine whether each member achieved their target heart rate. Before doing this project, I had no idea how to write “If” statements on Excel. I think acquiring this skill is very important for analyzing data and for decision-making, and I am very happy to have learned this feature. Next, came a few simple tasks such as calculating the percentage increase in heart rate, creating some headers and footers, and changing a few printing options. The second part of the project required some data analysis using Pivot Tables. One of the tables organized the average percent increase in heart rate by gender and age group. Here’s a screen shot of the pivot table I created:

Overall, I found this project to be very entertaining, useful, and informative. It was a great way to learn and apply all the Excel fundamentals. I learned quite a lot about different Excel features, and have acquired many skills needed in the business environment. Some of these new skills I acquired include using relative and absolute referencing, creating “if” formulas, using freeze panes, making pivot tables, and analyzing large amounts of data. I believe all of these skills will certainly be helpful in my future business career.