Minitab's Layout Tool

Graphing the Big Picture

Graphs are great tools for exploring and illustrating different aspects of your data. But vivid as they can be, it's rare that a single graph or chart says it all. That's why Minitab's Layout Tool is so helpful. With it, you can easily assemble individual graphs into a single display that gives a complete picture of your data at a glance. In this short article, you'll see some of the many ways you can put graph layouts to use, whether you're creating them to share your findings with others, or simply to better understand your data yourself.

One Tool, Many Uses

A graph layout is such a simple concept that you might easily overlook the ways it can add valuable information to what would otherwise be a number of separate graphs.

Present a collective view Individual graphs can give insight into different facets of a larger issue, but the Layout Tool allows you to go deeper, highlighting contrasts and underscoring commonalities.

Present a unified message Best of all, you can easily add text and titles to explain the context of your layout and suggest conclusions for your audience. You can even add blank space to your layout specifically for your comments and annotation.

Easy to Use

Minitab's Layout Tool is incredibly simple to use, especially when compared with complex image editing software. Its straightforward design allows you to see a mockup of your final layout as you create it. With any Graph window active, choose Editor > Layout Tool. Simply set the number of rows and columns you want your layout to have, and then use the forward and back arrows to add and remove graphs from each cell. You'll have access to all of the graphs in your current project.

Once you've created a layout, all of the included graphs can still be edited. Just double-click an item or select it from the Editor menu and edit it as you would an ordinary graph. Your original graphs remain in the project unchanged.

Don't like the way your layout turned out? With the layout active, just choose Editor > Layout Tool again and you can add or remove graphs, or just rearrange them.

The Layout Tool - A Case Study

Here's a common scenario to show how simple and effective a graph layout can be.

Suppose you've created two graphs detailing changes in production at your metal fabricating facility. Collectively, they show how your team increased production levels without generating higher percentages of scrap. Rather than trusting that your audience makes the connection between the two separate graphs, you decide to combine them in a layout.

You use the Layout Tool to arrange the two graphs on a single page. So you'll have room to add explanatory annotation, you decide to add an extra column to the layout.

You click Finish and your layout is done. Now all that's left is to add text and callouts with Minitab's annotation tools to clarify the message of your layout.

Putting It to Use

To make informed decisions, it's always a good idea to look at a problem from many perspectives. Graph layouts allow you to do just that by capitalizing on the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By presenting related graphs together, you can increase their impact and have greater control over how they're received. So for your next report or presentation, consider using graph layouts to present the big picture to your audience.

Visit Accessing the Power of Minitab for additional tutorials on the many time-saving features and functionality available in Minitab Statistical Software.

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