Knowing how many hours the department has registered is only the start. The questions that come up in management meetings are about proportions and change. Do the sections spend their time in the same way? How are the job titles doing against the norm? What does an activity actually take? And what has changed since last year?
When the figures live in spreadsheets, every new question means a new formula and another copy of the file. In Excelsior the answers sit in the same data as the rest of the workload account, and the pivot can show them in more ways than a sum. The basics are covered in Get the overview with pivot tables. This is what comes next.
How is the time split?
Two sections with the same number of hours can spend them very differently. That's why the pivot can show figures as shares instead of hours. Each section then adds up to 100%, and the differences stand out whatever the size of the section.
| Section | Teaching | Supervision | Administration | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | 65.27% | 22.52% | 12.21% | 100.00% |
| Section B | 59.90% | 29.37% | 10.73% | 100.00% |
| Section C | 64.05% | 23.53% | 12.42% | 100.00% |
| Total | 63.02% | 25.27% | 11.72% | 100.00% |
It's immediately clear that Section B spends more of its time on supervision than the others. The same table can also be turned round to show how much of the department's supervision each section accounts for. It's the same data, seen from another angle.
How are the job titles doing against the norm?
Sums aren't always the right measure. When the question is whether a group is above or below the norm, the average, lowest and highest values give a better picture. Balance and capacity belong to the member of staff rather than to individual registrations, so Excelsior counts each person once, however many registrations they have. An average per job title isn't skewed because some people register lots of small activities.
| Title | Average balance | Lowest balance | Highest balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor | −42.50 | −130.75 | 45.75 |
| Associate Professor | 32.25 | −48.00 | 112.50 |
| Assistant Professor | 6.25 | 6.25 | 6.25 |
| PhD Student | 22.00 | 22.00 | 22.00 |
The average for associate professors looks fine, but the range shows there is one with a large surplus and one with a deficit. That kind of detail disappears if you only look at the total.
What does an activity take?
Some of the most useful figures don't exist as a field to begin with. They can be worked out from the ones that do. In the pivot you can create your own calculated fields, such as equivalent hours divided by units. That shows how many hours one lecture, one class or one PhD supervision generates on average, across staff and norms.
| Activity | Units | Equivalent hours | Hours per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 320.00 | 1,280.00 | 4.00 |
| Class teaching | 860.00 | 2,236.00 | 2.60 |
| Course coordination | 24.00 | 960.00 | 40.00 |
| PhD supervision | 18.00 | 630.00 | 35.00 |
| Total | 1,222.00 | 5,106.00 | 4.18 |
Class teaching generates 2.60 hours per unit on average, even though many norms are set at 2.50. That tells you some classes carry a higher norm, and it's a good starting point for a conversation about why. A calculated field is saved with the preset, so everyone it's shared with works it out the same way.
What has changed since last year?
If more than one year is included in the pivot, they can sit side by side. The pivot can also show the difference directly, so increases and decreases don't have to be worked out in your head.
| Section | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Section A | 5,010.00 | 5,240.00 |
| Section B | 4,925.50 | 4,800.50 |
| Section C | 2,870.00 | 3,060.00 |
| Total | 12,805.50 | 13,100.50 |
Equivalent hours
| Section | Change from 2025 |
|---|---|
| Section A | 230.00 |
| Section B | −125.00 |
| Section C | 190.00 |
| Total | 295.00 |
Difference from 2025
Overall the department has grown by 295 hours, but that hides the fact that one section has gone down. Double-click the figure to see the registrations behind it and find out whether it's down to fewer courses, changed norms or something else entirely.
Ready to share
An analysis is only useful once others can read it. The pivot can show subtotals per group, hide totals where they don't make sense, format the numbers and colour the cells that need attention. The preset can be saved and shared with colleagues, so they always see the latest figures, or exported to Excel exactly as it looks on screen.
Tips
- Ask the question before you build the table. "How is supervision split?" points straight to shares, while "Have we grown?" points to year on year.
- Look at balance and capacity one year at a time. The figures belong to the member of staff for a given year, so that gives the clearest picture.
- Give calculated fields a name that says what they show. "Hours per unit" is easier for a colleague to understand than a formula.
- Check the figures that surprise you. Every cell is backed by individual registrations, so a deviation can be explained before it's debated.