Mastering Cost Control Reports in Looker Studio | Step-by-Step Tutorial

Phase 1: Setup & Configuration 00:00 – Review Google Sheets columns (Serial No, Control Point, Activity, Discipline, etc.). 00:27 – Connect Google Sheets data source to Looker Studio. 01:03 – Open "Theme and Layout" settings. 01:14 – Change Canvas Size: Width to 1500px, Height to 1200px. Phase 2: Filters (Controls) 01:51 – Add Drop-down list for Control Point. 02:08 – Add Drop-down list for Activity. 02:16 – Add Drop-down list for Discipline. Phase 3: Visualizations (Charts & Tables) 02:40 – Add Combo Chart (Line & Bar). 03:00 – Set Chart Metrics: Planned Value, Earned Value, Actual Cost. 03:31 – Configure Chart Style: Enable "Cumulative," "Show Points," and "Compact Numbers". 04:30 – Add Scorecard: Planned Value. 04:39 – Add Scorecard: Earned Value. 04:54 – Add Scorecard: Actual Cost. 05:25 – Add Table with columns: Activity, Planned Value, Earned Value, Actual Cost. 05:52 – Enable "Show Summary Row" for the table. Phase 4: Custom Formulas (Calculated Fields) 06:15 – Create SPI (Schedule Performance Index) field. Formula: SUM(Earned Value) / SUM(Planned Value). 07:50 – Create CPI (Cost Performance Index) field. Formula: SUM(Earned Value) / SUM(Actual Cost). 09:30 – Create TCPI (To Complete Performance Index) field. Formula: (SUM(Budget at Completion) - SUM(Earned Value)) / (SUM(Budget at Completion) - SUM(Actual Cost)). 10:49 – Debugging TCPI errors (fixing aggregation issues by ensuring SUM is applied correctly). Phase 5: Design & Formatting 12:55 – Add rectangular shapes to create background sections for the header and KPIs. 13:51 – Add Text Box for Dashboard Title: "Cost Control Report using Looker Studio". 14:15 – Extract Theme from Image: Upload an image to automatically generate a color palette for the dashboard. 14:48 – Apply the extracted theme colors to the background and charts. Phase 6: Final Review 15:38 – Test the filters and review the final dashboard layout. In this video, I will walk you through the complete process of creating a professional Project Cost Control Dashboard using Google Looker Studio. Whether you are a Project Manager, a Project Controller, or a Data Analyst, this tutorial will help you visualize your data effectively. Time line 🚀 What you will learn in this tutorial: Data Connection: How to connect Google Sheets to Looker Studio. Page Setup: Adjusting canvas size and layout for a professional view. Visualizations: Creating Combo Charts (to compare progress) and detailed Tables with heatmaps. Custom Metrics (Math): How to create calculated fields for SPI (Schedule Performance Index) and CPI (Cost Performance Index) using formulas. KPI Cards: Displaying compact numbers for Planned Value, Earned Value, and Actual Cost. Design Tricks: How to add a custom background image to make your dashboard look like "magic." 🧮 Formulas used in this video: SPI (Schedule Performance Index): SUM(Earned Value) / SUM(Planned Value) CPI (Cost Performance Index): SUM(Earned Value) / SUM(Actual Cost) Estimate at Completion: Custom formulas based on your project requirements. 📊 Tools used: Google Sheets https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N109EscWtc79l-xF1AghcowRWHYdG7aCvIyIS5sqowI/edit Google Looker Studio https://lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/2b279a75-ee10-4824-8dc0-79f81b0d1fd0