Creating Reporting Visuals in Project Insight

Reporting visuals help transform report data into charts and graphs that are easier to analyze and share. Project Insight allows you to add charts and graphs directly to reports, helping project managers, PMOs, department leaders, and executives quickly identify trends and visualize project information.

You can create custom charts, aggregate report data, compare multiple data points, and display up to four charts on a single report.

What Types of Reporting Visuals Are Available?

Project Insight supports multiple chart types that can be displayed directly within reports:

• Area Charts
• Bar Charts
• Column Charts
• Donut Charts
• Line Charts
• Pie Charts

You can add up to four charts or graphs to a single report.

How Do I Add Charts and Graphs to a Report?

1. Run or open the report where you want to display charts or graphs.
2. Select the Filter option in the upper-right corner of the report.
3. Expand the Charting section.
4. Select one of the available chart slots.
5. Choose either a predefined chart or a custom chart.

Project Insight provides four available chart slots because a single report can display up to four charts at one time.

How Do I Configure Chart Layout Options?

Reporting visuals can be displayed in multiple layouts.

• Horizontal chart layout
• Vertical chart layout

You can also choose whether to display report table results alongside charts.

When table results are enabled, both the report data and charts remain visible. When disabled, only the charts are displayed.

How Do I Create a Custom Chart?

Select one of the available chart slots and choose Custom Chart.

By default, chart slots are set to None, meaning no chart is currently displayed.

Steps to Add a Custom Chart

1. Enter a title for the chart.
2. Select a chart type such as Area, Bar, Column, Donut, Line, or Pie.
3. Choose how the data should be aggregated using the Aggregate By option.
4. Select the report columns to include in the chart.
5. Choose an aggregation calculation.
6. Add additional data series if desired.
7. Click Run Report.

What Does Aggregate By Mean?

The Aggregate By option determines how report data is grouped before it is displayed in the chart.

For example, if you aggregate by Company, Project Insight groups report data by company before displaying the chart results.

Available aggregation options depend on the report type and data available in the report.

What Aggregate Calculations Are Available?

Charts can summarize report data using:

• Count
• Sum
• Average
• Maximum
• Minimum

These calculations help summarize large amounts of report data and visualize trends more effectively.

When Should I Add Charts and Visual Data to Reports?

Charts transform report data into clear visuals for leadership and stakeholder communication. Use reporting visuals when you want to compare data, show trends, summarize performance, or make report results easier to understand.

Reporting visuals are frequently used for:

• Project status reporting
• Portfolio reporting
• Resource and capacity reporting
• Financial reporting
• Executive reporting
• Department reporting
• PMO dashboards

Best Practices for Reporting Visuals

• Pair visuals with executive roll-ups so leaders can understand key information faster.
• Use area charts for capacity or workload forecasting when you need to show trends over time.
• Keep chart titles specific, such as Budget vs. Actual by Portfolio.
• Limit categories for readability. Large data sets are often easier to review as grouped tables.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many charts can I add to a report?

Project Insight supports up to four charts or graphs on a single report.

Can I display charts and report tables together?

Yes. You can choose to display charts alongside report table results or display charts only.

Can I create custom charts?

Yes. Custom charts allow you to select chart types, aggregation methods, report columns, and calculation types.

What chart types are available?

Project Insight supports area, bar, column, donut, line, and pie charts.

Can I use reporting visuals for executive reporting?

Yes. Reporting visuals are commonly used in executive dashboards, portfolio reviews, project status reporting, financial reporting, and resource reporting.

Related Articles

• Reporting in Project Insight
• Getting Started With Reports in Project Insight
• Creating and Saving Custom Reports in Project Insight
• Sharing Reports
• Scheduling Reports via Email
• How to Report on Custom Fields in Project Insight