Sankey charts, also known as directed flow charts or Gantt charts, are a powerful way to visualize data flow and transformation. They are particularly useful for representing the flow of materials, finances, or any other type of value between different nodes or entities.

In this article, we will explore how to create and apply Sankey charts to help bring your data to life.

What is a Sankey Chart?

A Sankey chart, also known as a directed flow chart, is a type of diagram used to represent the flow of materials, goods, or services between different nodes or entities. It is called a Sankey chart because it was originally developed by Charles Sankey, an English statistician, in the early 20th century.

Sankey charts are useful for displaying the direction and magnitude of the flow of data between different nodes, as well as identifying potential bottlenecks or areas for improvement.

How to Create a Sankey Chart

Creating a Sankey chart is relatively easy if you have access to a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Here are the steps to create a Sankey chart in Excel:

1. Open Excel and create a new blank worksheet.
2. From the Insert tab, click on the shape menu and select a shape, such as a rectangle or an arrow.
3. Click and drag to draw the shape on the worksheet to create your first node.
4. To add text to the node, right-click on the shape and select “Text box”.
5. Type in the text label for your node.
6. To add a second node, right-click on the first node and select “Insert Node”.
7. Move the new node to the desired location and add the text label.
8. To add a flow arrow between two nodes, select both nodes and click and drag to draw an arrow from one node to the other.
9. To change the direction of the flow arrow, simply select the arrow and use the rotation tool to adjust its direction.
10. Repeat steps 6-9 to add additional nodes and create a flow arrow between them.

Once you have added all of your nodes and flow arrows, you can format the chart to make it more visually appealing. For example, you can change the color or size of the shapes, add lines or labels to connect the nodes, or adjust the positioning of the nodes.

Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts have a wide range of applications in business, finance, and other fields. Some of the common use cases for Sankey charts include:

1. Material Flow Analysis: Sankey charts are ideal for visualizing the flow of materials between different locations or entities. This can help identify areas where material wastage or transportation inefficiencies occur.
2. Financial Analysis: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of money between different accounts or entities. This can help identify areas where cash flow is bottlenecked or where it is being used inefficiently.
3. Project Management: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of work between different tasks or projects. This can help identify areas where work is being delayed or where there are bottlenecks in the workflow.
4. Supply Chain Management: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of goods between different stages of the supply chain. This can help identify areas where delays or inefficiencies occur, and highlight the importance of certain steps in the process.

In conclusion, Sankey charts are a powerful visualization tool fordata flow and transformation. They are easy to create and can be applied to a wide range of applications in business, finance, and other fields. By using Sankey charts, you can gain a better understanding of your data and identify areas where improvements can be made.

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