BYU Student Author: @Kylie_Larsen17
Reviewers: @Saul_Esplin, @Kiya_Smith
Estimated Time to Solve: 60 Minutes
We provide the solution to this challenge using:
- PowerPoint
- Excel
Need a program? Click here.
Overview
You just landed a consulting gig with Summit Financial Services, a growing tax advisory firm, and your first big task is to prepare a client presentation for Crestwood Holdings, a parent company with several subsidiaries. Crestwood is considering adding a new branch, Crestwood Private Equity Branch, under their current entity, Crestwood Retail Partners, LP., and wants a visual representation of their corporate structure before and after the change. You have been provided with an internal copy of their corporate governance chart and historical financial data. Using PowerPoint, you’ll create a professional organization chart to illustrate these structural changes, along with a graph and table summarizing key financial metrics such as pre-tax income, tax expense, and tax liability over the past five years. Your goal is to present complex information in a clear, visually compelling way that helps Crestwood’s leadership make informed decisions—while impressing both your client and your boss!
Instructions
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Look over the organization chart from the client, the Guide to Corporate Diagram shapes, and the historical tax data Excel sheet to orient yourself.
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Slide 1: Title
a. Add the name of client
b. Add a descriptive 3–6-word title of the contents of the presentation -
Slide 2: Original organization chart
Before starting your organization chart, keep the following in mind:
- The organization chart should all fit onto one slide. All shapes should be the same height (1.05") and width (3.27"), with no color fill and a black border. All font should be the same size as well.
- Pay attention to what kind of legal entity each subsidiary is. This will affect the shape on the organization chart slide. Use the guide provided to know which entity types should be which shapes.
- When connecting entities, the arrow shape with one flat end and one arrow end should be used. The arrows should be black. Ensure that the arrow connects to the shapes (dots will appear on the shape that show where the arrow can be connected). A parent company’s flat end should be connected to the bottom center of the shape and the child company’s arrow end should be connected to the top center of the shape.
- Alignment and precision are important. Take special care that the entities are aligned vertically and horizontally where appropriate and that they are evenly spaced across the slide.
- The type of corporation specified on the original organization chart does not need to be included in the name of the entity included on your slides. For example, “Crestwood Holdings (C-Corp, US Parent)” from the original organization chart will have the name “Crestwood Holdings” on the slides. The information in parenthesis is to inform you of what shape is most appropriate for each entity.
a. Start with the parent company, Crestwood Holdings. Because it is a corporation, it should be a rectangle shape. The name of the entity should be on the inside of the box. Center the box at the top of the slide.
b. Use the appropriate shapes for the next level of entities. There should be three entities in this row. Continue adding entities, until all ten entities are on the slide.
c. Add arrows where appropriate. If arrows are pointing to the sides, they should have two right angles. If arrows are pointing directly down, they should be a straight line with no angles.
d. Carefully align the shapes so that they are precisely in line vertically and horizontally and evenly distributed across the slide.
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Slide 3: Updated organization chart
a. Duplicate the second slide
b. Add the new branch under the appropriate entity (Crestwood Retail Partners, LP.).
c. Add a new arrow and align the entity as needed. Do not make any other changes to the organization chart. -
Slide 4: Historical tax data table
a. Create a 6x4 table
b. Input the data from the provided Excel spreadsheet that reflects the historical tax information for Crestwood Holdings.
c. Format the table so that it looks professional and easy to read. -
Slide 5: Historical tax data graph
a. Using the table you just created, build out a clustered column chart directly in PowerPoint that illustrates pre-tax income, tax expense, and tax liability for the years 2020 through 2024.
b. Format the graph so that it looks professional and easy to read. -
Go back through your PowerPoint and add formatting as you see fit. Remember that you want your presentation to be professional, visually pleasing, and cohesive. Consider choosing one of PowerPoint’s pre-generated themes for your slides.
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Once you have completed your PowerPoint, post it to the thread along with a new feature in PowerPoint you discovered while completing this challenge.
Data Files
- Challenge250_Crestwood Holdings Org Chart.pdf
- Challenge250_Guide to Corporate Diagram Shapes.pdf
- Challenge250_Historical Tax Data.xlsx
Suggestions and Hints
- For entities that have two shapes (i.e. a triangle inside a rectangle), group the shapes together so that you can move it around as one shape.
- When creating your organization chart, use the Align and Distribute tools under the “Arrange” tab to ensure that all elements are evenly spaced and visually balanced. This will make your chart look clean and professional.
- When creating a deck for a client, aesthetics matter. Use a cohesive color scheme and font style across your slides to enhance readability and professionalism.
- When inserting your financial data table, use bold headers, alternating row colors, and proper column spacing to improve readability. Consider using the Table Design tab in PowerPoint to apply a professional-looking style with clear contrasts.
Solution