The next thing we want to do is define our data ranges. Excel provides some default ranges, but we know that our Percent of Total and Cumulative Percent will never be more than 100. Right-click anywhere over the numbers making up the vertical axis, and select the Format Axis option.
Change the Maximum field in the Axis Options category to Fixed and then enter the number 100 in the adjacent box.
We still have some work to do to make our chart pretty, but now the fundamentals are in place.
To get rid of the extra items showing up on the chart legend, right-click on the legend and choose the Select Data option.
In the Select Data Source window that appears, click on each of the Legend Entries that are marked as <blank series> and Remove them from the list.
After doing this, your chart should look like the screenshot below.
The only thing left to do now is to add a title and to make cosmetic changes to enhance the appearance of the chart. These things are completely optional, and the number of changes you wish to make at this point is entirely up to you.
The Pareto chart shown in the screenshot to the left is just one example of the formatting changes that you can apply to make your final exhibit have a little added visual appeal. If you would like to download this file and use it as a template for your own project, it can be found in the Project Management Media Gallery under the title How to Make a Pareto Chart in Excel – Sample Pareto Chart.
Additional Resources: There are also several other Excel project management templates available in the Media Gallery, including this collection of Six Sigma layouts. You can also find step by step instructions for creating a Gantt chart in Excel here on the Project Management Channel. Feel free to download any of these materials and modify them to fit your own project needs.