Supply Chain Analyst Mentor for Practical Data Projects

I am looking for a **very patient and experienced one-on-one trainer/mentor** to teach me **Microsoft Excel, Power Query, and Power BI specifically for Supply Chain Analyst work**. **PLEASE READ: I am looking for someone to TEACH ME. I am NOT looking for someone to simply complete projects for me.** My goal is to become confident and independent enough to perform the types of Excel, Power Query, Power BI, data analysis, and calculations that I would realistically encounter in a **Supply Chain Analyst role**. I want practical, job-focused training. I am **not trying to learn every area of data analytics, advanced mathematics, Python, R, or unnecessary technical subjects**. I want to concentrate on the skills that will actually help me perform Supply Chain Analyst work. ### MY LEARNING STYLE — VISUAL + HANDS-ON + REPETITION I am a **visual and hands-on learner**. I learn best when I can first **SEE how something is done**, then try it myself, and then repeat it until I remember how to do it independently. I would like the training process to generally follow: **WATCH IT → DO IT WITH YOU → DO IT MYSELF → REPEAT IT → APPLY IT TO A REALISTIC SUPPLY CHAIN PROBLEM** When teaching me something, I would like you to: 1. Share your screen and visually demonstrate the task. 2. Explain what you are clicking and WHY you are doing each step. 3. Go slowly enough for me to follow what is happening. 4. Then allow me to share my screen and perform the same task myself. 5. Watch me work without immediately taking over. 6. If I make a mistake, guide me toward finding and correcting it. 7. If I still do not understand, demonstrate it again or explain it differently. 8. Give me another similar problem so I can repeat the process. 9. Later, give me problems without telling me exactly which formula or method to use. 10. Regularly review things I learned previously so I do not forget them. Visual examples are extremely helpful to me. I want to see example datasets, Excel sheets, Power Query transformations, Power BI dashboards, charts, KPIs, and examples of what a finished assignment should look like. I do not want our sessions to consist mainly of lectures. I want to spend a significant amount of the training **actually using Excel, Power Query, and Power BI myself**. ### PATIENCE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT I need someone who is **very patient and genuinely enjoys teaching**. I may need certain concepts explained more than once or demonstrated in several different ways before I completely understand them. Please do not rush me or become frustrated if I do not understand something immediately. I need someone who will: * Explain things in simple language * Demonstrate tasks step-by-step * Repeat explanations when necessary * Allow me to ask plenty of questions * Let me make mistakes and learn from them * Correct me without simply taking over * Make sure I understand WHY I am doing something * Regularly check whether I actually remember previous material * Adjust the pace based on my progress * Gradually make assignments more difficult as I improve If you are technically knowledgeable but **do not enjoy patiently teaching someone who may need repetition, this will probably not be the right project for you**. ### MICROSOFT EXCEL I want to learn the Excel skills that are realistically useful for a Supply Chain Analyst. This should include: * XLOOKUP * VLOOKUP * SUMIFS * COUNTIFS * IF statements * PivotTables * PivotCharts * Sorting and filtering * Conditional formatting * Data validation * Removing duplicates * Finding missing or incorrect information * Comparing information between worksheets * Cleaning messy datasets * Organizing data * Working with thousands of rows * Analyzing supply-chain data * Creating KPI reports * Creating reports that management can understand I eventually want you to be able to give me a large Excel file and have **me determine what needs to be cleaned, calculated, analyzed, and reported** without being told every step. ### POWER QUERY I want to learn Power Query from a practical Supply Chain Analyst perspective. This should include: * Importing Excel and CSV files * Understanding the Power Query Editor * Cleaning and transforming data * Changing data types * Removing unnecessary columns * Removing duplicates * Handling blanks and errors * Splitting and combining columns * Filtering data * Merging queries * Appending queries * Combining multiple files * Creating repeatable data-cleaning processes * Refreshing queries when new information is added * Understanding when Power Query should be used instead of manually editing Excel I want to understand the **complete Power Query workflow from beginning to end**, not just individual buttons. ### POWER BI I want hands-on Power BI training focused on what a Supply Chain Analyst would realistically use. This should include: * Importing Excel datasets * Using Power Query inside Power BI * Cleaning and transforming data * Understanding tables and relationships * Basic data modeling * Building dashboards * KPI cards * Charts and graphs * Tables and matrices * Filters and slicers * Drill-downs when useful * Basic DAX measures that are relevant to Supply Chain Analyst work * Creating calculated measures * Identifying trends * Creating management-friendly reports * Turning raw supply-chain data into useful business information * Explaining what a dashboard is telling management Eventually, I want to take a raw Excel dataset, clean it, transform it, import it into Power BI, create a professional dashboard, identify important information, and **explain what the data means**. ### SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYST CALCULATIONS ONLY For calculations, I want to focus specifically on **calculations and KPIs that I am realistically likely to use as a Supply Chain Analyst**. I am NOT trying to learn advanced mathematics or unrelated calculations. Examples should include: * Inventory accuracy * Inventory turnover * Days of inventory / inventory on hand * On-time delivery percentage * Fill rate * Order accuracy * Lead time * Supplier performance * Purchase price/cost variance * Demand vs. actual * Basic forecast accuracy/forecast variance * Percentage change * Actual vs. target variance * Basic averages, totals, percentages, and ratios used in supply chain * Other common Supply Chain Analyst KPIs that you believe I would realistically encounter on the job When Excel formulas such as XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, IF statements, or PivotTables are needed to perform these calculations, I want to understand **how and why they are being used**. Please show me a calculation visually first and then have me calculate it myself. After I understand it, give me additional problems and eventually **do not tell me which calculation or formula to use**. I want to look at the business problem and determine what I need to do myself. I also want previous calculations brought back during later sessions so we can make sure I actually remember them. My goal is to understand and remember **the calculations I actually need for Supply Chain Analyst work — nothing unnecessary**. ### REALISTIC SUPPLY CHAIN PRACTICE I want to use realistic datasets and assignments involving things such as: * Inventory * Inventory accuracy * Inventory discrepancies * Supplier performance * Procurement/spend * Purchase orders * On-time delivery * Lead times * Order fulfillment * Logistics and shipping * Warehouse performance * Cycle counts * Shortages * Excess inventory * Supplier KPIs * Operational KPIs * Actual vs. target performance * Identifying trends and discrepancies * Identifying potential operational problems * Creating reports for management * Making recommendations based on the data ### REALISTIC SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYST ASSIGNMENTS As I improve, I want assignments similar to something I could actually receive at work. For example, give me a raw dataset containing thousands of rows and ask me to: 1. Examine the dataset and determine what needs to be done. 2. Clean the data. 3. Find errors, duplicates, or missing information. 4. Determine which Excel formulas or calculations I need. 5. Analyze the information in Excel. 6. Create PivotTables when appropriate. 7. Transform the information using Power Query. 8. Import the data into Power BI. 9. Build KPIs and visualizations. 10. Identify important trends or problems. 11. Explain what I discovered. 12. Give recommendations as if I were presenting the information to a manager. At first, I expect more guidance. As I improve, I want you to gradually stop telling me what to do so I learn how to **figure out the assignment myself**. ### HOMEWORK AND PRACTICE I would like practice assignments between our live sessions. I want to practice things independently and then review my work with you. Please give me opportunities to repeat important skills because **repetition helps me remember calculations, formulas, and processes**. If I learned something several weeks ago, I would like you to occasionally bring it back into a new assignment to see whether I still remember how to use it. ### ONGOING WEEKLY TRAINING This is intended to be an **ongoing weekly training relationship**, not a one-time project. I am interested in approximately 8 hours of live training per week**. I expect the training may initially take approximately **3–6 months, but this is NOT a strict deadline**. If it takes me longer than six months to become confident and independent, **I am completely comfortable continuing the training longer with the right trainer**. I would rather spend additional time learning something correctly than rush through the material. If we work well together and I continue making progress, I would be interested in having the same person remain my **long-term trainer/mentor**. This will be an **ongoing hourly Upwork arrangement with paid training hours each week**. ### SAVING MY WORK I want the work I personally complete throughout the training to be **saved and organized so I can access it later**. Whenever possible, I would like to keep copies of: * Original practice datasets * Excel workbooks I complete * Cleaned datasets * Power Query exercises and completed queries * Power BI (.pbix) files and dashboards I create * Supply-chain calculation exercises * Supply-chain analysis projects * KPI reports * Homework assignments * My completed homework * Larger projects I complete * Before-and-after datasets when useful Please organize the files by week, project, or topic whenever possible. I want to build my own **library of training materials and work that I personally completed** so I can go back later and practice again. For appropriate projects, I would also like to use non-confidential practice data so that selected projects I personally create may potentially be developed into portfolio examples. ### MY END GOAL Eventually, I want you to be able to give me a realistic raw supply-chain dataset and an assignment without walking me through the solution first. I want to independently be able to: **Raw Supply Chain Data → Determine What Needs To Be Done → Clean Data → Excel Analysis & Calculations → Power Query → Power BI Dashboard → KPIs → Identify Trends/Problems → Explain Findings → Recommend Actions** I want to **see it, understand it, do it myself, repeat it, remember it, and eventually perform it independently in a real Supply Chain Analyst position**. ### WHEN APPLYING, PLEASE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS 1. What experience do you have teaching Microsoft Excel, Power Query, and Power BI? 2. What experience do you have working with Supply Chain, Inventory, Logistics, Procurement, or Operations data? 3. Are you comfortable teaching someone who learns visually and through hands-on practice? 4. Are you patient and comfortable repeating or demonstrating concepts multiple times when necessary? 5. How would you structure my first month of training? 6. Can you provide realistic supply-chain datasets, calculations, exercises, and homework? 7. Are you available for approximately 8 hours of ongoing training each week? 8. Will I be able to keep copies of the Excel files, Power Query work, Power BI dashboards, and other projects that I personally create during training? I would prefer to begin with a **paid trial session** before committing to the longer training relationship. During the trial, I would like to experience your actual teaching style — visually showing me a task, explaining it, and then having me perform it myself. If we are a good fit, I am interested in continuing consistently every week for several months or longer if needed.