Charts & Data Visualization
Waterfall (Bridge) Chart Formula: Invisible Base, Up/Down Steps & Grounded Pillars
Build a universal Stacked-Column Waterfall / Financial Bridge Chart (Revenue-to-EBITDA, Budget-to-Actual, Headcount Bridge) using exact formulas for Running Balance, Invisible Pedestal Base, Positive Lift, and Negative Drag.
Decompose any cumulative walk into an Invisible Base plus Green Lift, Red Drag, and Grounded Pillars!
Financial FP&A bridges (Prior-Year EBITDA -> Price +$180k -> Volume +$95k -> Cost Inflation -$140k -> FX -$35k -> Current-Year EBITDA) work in every spreadsheet version when structured as a 4-series Stacked Column Chart: Series 1 (Grounded Total Pillar, shown when Is_Total = 1), Series 2 (Invisible Floating Base, formatted with no fill/border), Series 3 (Positive Increase = MAX(0, Delta)), and Series 4 (Negative Decrease = MAX(0, -Delta))!
Why does Invisible Base = MIN(Prior_Cumulative, Current_Cumulative) work seamlessly for BOTH positive lifts and negative drops? When Delta > 0, Prior_Cumulative < Current_Cumulative so the green bar sits on Prior_Cumulative and rises to Current_Cumulative; when Delta < 0, Current_Cumulative < Prior_Cumulative so the red bar sits on Current_Cumulative and reaches up to Prior_Cumulative — aligning top and bottom bridge connectors to the pixel!
| Bridge Step | Signed Delta ($k) | Running Cumulative ($k) | Invisible Base ($k) | Visible Green / Red Segment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening EBITDA (Pillar) | +1,000 | 1,000 | 0 (Grounded) | Pillar = 1,000 |
| Price Realization | +180 | 1,180 | 1,000 | Green Up = 180 |
| Volume Mix | +95 | 1,275 | 1,180 | Green Up = 95 |
| Input Cost Inflation | -140 | 1,135 | 1,135 | Red Down = 140 |
| Closing EBITDA (Pillar) | Subtotal | 1,135 | 0 (Grounded) | Pillar = 1,135 |
Waterfall Step Invisible Pedestal Base MIN(Prior_Balance, Prior_Balance + Delta)
Computes the transparent lower column height for a non-total bridge step from positive Prior_Balance C4 and signed step change B5.
=IF(C4 + B5 < 0, "Negative Crossing Requires Split Zero-Axis Base", MIN(C4, C4 + B5))Closing Cumulative Bridge Balance SUM($B$2:B5)
Sums opening balance plus all intermediate bridge drivers in B2:B5.
=SUM($B$2:B5)Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.