Currency-bridge waterfall with side labels for start and end growth rates
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Waterfall Chart & Bridge Slide Examples
A waterfall — consultants usually call it a bridge — answers why did this number change? It starts at one value, shows each contribution that pushed it up or pulled it down, and lands on the new value. Done properly, the bars add up exactly.
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When to use this layout
Reach for a waterfall when you have a starting figure, an ending figure, and a set of causes in between that you can quantify. Revenue bridges, cost walks, headcount changes and margin movements are the classic cases.
The test is arithmetic: if your contributions do not sum to the difference between start and end, you do not have a waterfall — you have a bar chart with a story attached. Add a residual bar and label it honestly, or pick a different layout.
A waterfall is also the right shape when the interesting part is the composition of a change rather than its size. “Revenue grew 4%” is one number; “volume added 9, price added 2, currency took away 7” is an argument.
What the layout is made of
- An anchored start and endBoth ends sit on the baseline as full columns. Everything between them floats. If the ends float too, the reader has nothing to measure against.
- Signed, colour-coded stepsOne colour for increases, one for decreases, and a neutral one for the anchors. Two colours is enough — a rainbow bridge is unreadable.
- Labels on every barEach floating bar needs its value. A bridge is an arithmetic claim, and the reader should be able to check it.
- A connector lineThin rules joining the top of one bar to the bottom of the next. They are what make the sequence read as a chain rather than as scattered blocks.
4 editable examples
Each one is redrawn from scratch with fictional sample data and comes as a native PowerPoint file — real shapes and text boxes you can edit, recolour and resize. Open an image for a full-size preview. Samples marked Free PPTX need no account; other downloads use 1 credit.
Where these slides usually go wrong
- Bars that do not reconcileThe single most common error. If the steps do not sum to the change, add an “other / residual” bar rather than quietly rounding the difference away.
- Too many stepsSix or seven contributions is the practical limit. Group the small ones into “other” and name the three that matter in the headline.
- A truncated axisStarting the y-axis above zero exaggerates every step. If you must truncate to make the movements visible, mark the break and say so.
- Mixing unitsPercentages and absolute values in the same bridge do not add up, however neatly they line up visually. Pick one and convert the rest.
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Questions about this layout
What is the difference between a waterfall chart and a bridge?
None — they are two names for the same chart. “Bridge” is the usual term in consulting and corporate finance, “waterfall” is the usual term in Excel and PowerPoint. Both describe a start value, signed contributions and an end value.
How many bars should a waterfall chart have?
Two anchors and three to six steps. Past that the bars get thin, the labels collide, and the reader loses the arithmetic. Roll the small contributors into a single “other” bar.
Can I build a waterfall chart in PowerPoint without think-cell?
Yes. Every layout on this page is drawn from ordinary PowerPoint shapes, so the bars, connectors and labels are all editable objects. You move and resize them by hand rather than binding them to data, which is fine for a slide that will not change every week.
Should the bars be colour-coded by sign?
Yes, and only by sign. One colour for up, one for down, a neutral for the start and end anchors. Colouring by category as well means the reader has to hold two legends in their head at once.