Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
When should I pick Waterfall?
When the story is: P&L bridges, budget vs actual, headcount walks.
When should I avoid Waterfall?
Skip it in cases like: the story is a trend over many periods, not a bridge.
Who invented or popularised it?
Popularised in 1980s–90s consulting decks (McKinsey waterfall)
What does it encode?
signed bar height from a running total
Is it OK in ads?
Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.
Will a teacher accept it?
Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.
Waterfall encodes values as signed bar height from a running total. Popularised in 1980s–90s consulting decks (McKinsey waterfall).
In reports, ads and assignments it fits P&L bridges, budget vs actual, headcount walks. Skip it when the story is a trend over many periods, not a bridge.
Principles
- Encoding — The core mark of Waterfall is signed bar height from a running total.
- History — Popularised in 1980s–90s consulting decks (McKinsey waterfall)
- Fit — P&L bridges, budget vs actual, headcount walks
- Shared baseline — The eye compares length and position more accurately than area.
- Audience — PowerPoint, Excel or Google Sheets and Meta, Google and retail print share the same geometry.
Misconceptions
- Pretty equals true — Decoration rarely persuades; it slows reading.
- 3-D helps — Perspective distortion wrecks comparison. Keep it flat.
- More series is richer — Do not stack stories. One Waterfall, one claim.
- Default palette is fine — Rainbow defaults fail color-blind viewers and grey print. Change Excel or Google Sheets defaults.
Why it matters
- Work — Work: P&L bridges, budget vs actual, headcount walks. Readable in four minutes in PowerPoint.
- Ads — Ads: one number and one shape speak first in Meta, Google and retail print.
- School — School: for lab reports and poster boards, pick the form that answers the rubric.
- Craft — Craft: honour signed bar height from a running total and decoration falls away.
Waterfall: honour signed bar height from a running total, and switch when the story is a trend over many periods, not a bridge.