Project Overview
This project demonstrates the power of business analytics in optimizing retail operations. I developed a comprehensive Power BI dashboard for IKEA Breda that analyzes the deployment lifecycle of POS (Point-of-Sale) terminals across the store.
The dashboard transforms raw operational data from June to August 2024 into actionable insights, enabling the team to identify deployment patterns, track compliance, and detect operational anomalies. This project showcases my ability to bridge technical data engineering with strategic business decision-making.
Business Context
IKEA Breda manages a complex network of POS terminals deployed across multiple departments and checkout locations. Effective terminal management requires:
- Tracking terminal lifecycle: From initial deployment to re-deployment and management
- Monitoring compliance: Ensuring terminals meet operational standards
- Identifying inefficiencies: Detecting gaps and delays in the deployment process
- Performance analysis: Understanding deployment patterns and patterns across locations
- Operational optimization: Improving processes based on data-driven insights
Key Findings from Analysis
Overview Metrics (Jun 3 - Aug 30, 2024)
Total Deployments: 1,337 deployment events across the period Terminals Tracked: 67 unique terminals analyzed Average Time Gap: -2.35 minutes between deployments (indicating some retroactive logging) Overall Compliance Rate: 92.15%
Deployment Frequency Analysis
Monthly Breakdown:
- June 2024: ~480 deployments
- July 2024: ~460 deployments
- August 2024: ~440 deployments
Finding: Steady decline in deployment frequency month-over-month, suggesting stabilization of terminal placement after initial setup phase.
Terminal Activity Distribution:
- Maximum deployments per terminal: 48
- Most frequent deployment cycle: 2.59-2.68 minutes average time gap
- Standard deployment terminals show consistent 2-3 minute intervals
Time Gap Analysis - Critical Insights
Distribution of Time Differences:
- Normal range: 0.5 - 3 minutes (majority of terminals)
- Negative anomalies: Several terminals showing -1K to -5K minute gaps
- Example: Terminal 403-70007 shows -236.44 minute gap (indicating data entry issues or system timestamp problems)
- Example: Kiosk 7 shows -258.19 minute gap (significant operational concern)
Recommendation: Investigate data integrity for terminals with extreme negative time gaps. Likely causes: system clock issues, backdated deployments, or data entry errors.
Monthly Time Gap Trend:
- July 2024: Average -40 to -60 minutes (indicates systematic delay or logging issue)
- August 2024: Average improving toward 0-20 minutes (positive operational improvement)
Finding: Time gap performance improved in August, suggesting corrective actions or system adjustments had positive effect.
Location-Based Performance
Best Performing Locations (consistent 2.5+ minute intervals):
- Eco 1 (Ret 7): 2.78 min average
- Kiosk 1: 2.68 min average
- Kiosk 3: 2.67 min average
- Kiosk 2: 2.66 min average
- Kiosk 4: 2.66 min average
Problem Areas (anomalous time gaps):
- Kiosk 7: -258.19 minutes (critical attention needed)
- Ret 5 (Eco 9): -17.14 minutes (significant delay)
- HFB 1-3 (Food service areas): 0.00 - 0.76 minute gaps (unusually short intervals, different operational pattern)
Insight: Food service areas (HFB, FOO) show drastically different deployment patterns (0.5-1.5 min) compared to retail areas (2.5-2.7 min), suggesting different operational workflows or staffing patterns.
Compliance Analysis
Overall Compliance Rate: 92.15% Compliant Weeks: 100% compliance achieved in certain weeks (showing operational capability) Non-Compliant Terminals: 10 terminals with non-compliance weeks identified
- 403-90009, 403-100011, 403-30004 through 403-30006, 403-70007, 403-76030, 403-77031, 403-78032, 403-80008
Terminals with Perfect Record: Several terminals maintained 100% compliance throughout the period
Finding: 8% compliance gap (7.85% non-compliance rate) requires investigation. Non-compliance clustered around specific terminal models and locations.
Technical Implementation
Dashboard Pages
Page 1: Overview Dashboard
- 1,337 total deployments tracked
- 67 active terminals monitored
- -2.35 minute average time gap (aggregated across all terminals)
- Real-time KPI indicators
Page 2: Deployment Frequency Analysis
- Monthly deployment trends (June 480 → July 460 → Aug 440)
- Per-terminal deployment counts (max 48 deployments)
- Deployment distribution visualization
Page 3: Time Gap Analysis
- Histogram of time difference distribution (-6K to 0 minute range)
- Time gap trend over months (July improving to August)
- Anomaly detection highlighting problematic terminals
Page 4: Location-Based Analysis
- 30+ locations tracked across retail, kiosk, and food service areas
- Location average time gap comparison
- Operational pattern differences between location types
Page 5: Compliance Overview
- Weekly compliance rate visualization
- Terminal-specific compliance scores
- Compliance trend over weeks 22-36 (June-August)
- Non-compliant terminal identification
Technologies Used
Data Analytics: Power BI Desktop, Power Query Programming: DAX for advanced calculations Visualization: Power BI native visuals with conditional formatting
Strategic Insights
Positive Trend: Month-over-month improvement in time gap performance (July → August)
- Suggests corrective measures are working
- Maintain current operational adjustments
- Document successful process changes
Capacity Planning: Declining monthly deployments
- June: 480 → August: 440 (-8% decline)
- Indicates completion of terminal refresh cycle or changed operational needs
- Plan staffing and resources based on stabilized deployment levels
Impact & Results
The dashboard enables IKEA Breda operations to:
- Visualize operational patterns across 67+ terminals in real-time
- Identify compliance issues before they escalate
- Detect anomalies in deployment processes automatically
- Optimize location-specific operations based on data insights
- Monitor improvement trends from month to month
Conclusion
This Power BI dashboard successfully transformed complex operational data (1,337+ deployment events across multiple locations) into clear, actionable business intelligence. The analysis revealed both operational strengths (92.15% compliance rate, consistent deployment patterns in most locations) and areas requiring attention (negative time gaps, food service operational differences, non-compliant terminals).
By continuing to monitor these metrics and implementing the recommended actions, IKEA Breda can further optimize POS terminal management, improve compliance rates, and reduce operational inefficiencies.