Route Core Element 12 - Tools

This resource list has been created to support the T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services.

Tools is the part of the T-Level that concentrates on the application of digital tools and methods in a business context, this is achieved by covering software for presenting business data, such as digital infographics and dashboards. Sharing data and information collaboratively through shared workspaces, intranets and online shared storage is also covered. Project management methodologies are included and the tools that a project manager may use e.g. Gantt and flow charts. There is an opportunity to use business case studies and analyse what information is important whilst out in industry, this can provide a valuable work-related learning opportunity before the student undertakes their industry placement.

Learn how to create amazing dashboards with this Free Excel Dashboard training. It covers dashboard basics and advanced concepts. It also has detailed videos where it shows you how to create a dashboard from scratch (such as a sales pipeline dashboard, or a performance dashboard). Videos 1 – 5 provide a good introduction to dashboards when covering R12.1.

Practical video that demonstrates how to make a Gantt Chart in Excel, that looks like Microsoft Project. This video will provide a good introduction to Gantt charts for R12.1.

Power BI is a business intelligence tool from Microsoft and is relevant when covering content related to R12.1, this video will help you to understand what Power BI is used for, this includes the main components and building blocks. Below are the topics covered in this tutorial:

Getting Started
Joining Data from Multiple Sources
Building and sharing a dashboard
Additional resources
Demo

Power BI is a business intelligence tool from Microsoft and is relevant when covering content related to R12.1, Power BI can be used for management data, charts/graphs and creating dashboards. In this video there are steps to show how to quickly create a dashboard.

This resource will require a member login to NCFE qualhub, this is a free login to all T-Level providers. This resource provides information related to R12.1 and 12.2, it covers the application of digital tools, project methodologies and a practical related to dashboard creation.
As part of the free offer, there is access to 3 complimentary session packs covering some of the key topic areas across this element. These include:

Session plan
Lesson activities
e-Learning module
Home study activities

Charts are an effective way of representing data, a long list of confusing numbers can instantly become trends which can be spotted when they are captured as charts. PowerPoint supports the addition and formatting of charts. R12.1 has information relating to presentations and graphs, this tutorial will demonstrate how to use PowerPoint to format and modify graph data effectively.

MS Teams can be used when covering collaboration tools in R12.2. This video series demonstrates how to collaborate effectively using MS Teams. There are 7 videos in the series.

This 4-part video series demonstrates how to collaborate on documents in Office 365. This series applies to R12.2 and will also provide opportunities on other areas of the course where collaboration on documents is required.

This blog provides information relating to project management methodologies, this includes the advantages and disadvantages of common methodologies e.g. waterfall, agile and hybrid. There are informative images showing the steps and processes of each methodology and what methodology will suit what project type. This information can be used as a resource for coverage of R12.1.

You might encounter issues in your projects when you forget to consider some important elements in your budget. As such, it becomes very difficult to monitor expenses resulting in your project spending more than that you set aside for it. To succeed in your project, you have to create a project budget template. Example word and excel templates that can be used as materials for class exercises when covering R12.1 The application of digital tools and methods in a business context.