What is cumulative analysis (running total)?

< 1 min read

Cumulative analysis (running total) shows the progressive accumulation of a metric over time.
In one project, we tracked cumulative monthly revenue to see how quickly we approached annual targets.
Each period adds the current value to the previous total.
It helps monitor growth momentum and goal achievement.
Running totals are commonly used for sales, expenses, or customer acquisition tracking.
They make trend progression more visible than individual period values.
As a BA, I use cumulative analysis to support performance tracking and forecasting discussions.
Overall, it highlights overall progress rather than isolated data points.

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