People hear fractional and assume it means advice. It does not. It means delivery, just without the full time salary.
This is what I aim to get done in the first month for a 20 to 50 person business.
Pain points, priority list, portal, then automation and visibility.
Week 1 pain points and a real priority list
We look at where work is getting stuck and where money is leaking. Then we create a ranked priority list. Not a massive spreadsheet. A short list your team can follow.
Week 2 set up the intake system
We put a simple Company Portal in place so people can log ITSM requests, projects, and CAB changes. We keep it boring and clear. Owner, status, next action.
Week 3 clean up the data so reporting is possible
If key information is scattered, reporting is always wrong. We decide what data matters, where it should live, and we make the portal the source of truth.
Week 4 automation and visibility
We automate the repetitive bits. Reminders, access rules, notifications. Then we set up a simple view so you can see what is moving and what is blocked.
A real example
With LiquidLipo we built a back office that linked access to monthly payment, showed client engagement, and reduced daily admin. That improved accountability, improved client results, and stopped revenue slipping through.
If you are based in Wirral, Liverpool, or Chester and you want control of your digital work without a full time hire, book a fit check. I charge 1750 per month for 8 hours per week.
Not Sure If Your Model Is Set Up Correctly?
After seven years reviewing Power BI models, I've learned that small issues with sorting and data modeling compound into bigger problems. A Power BI audit can identify month sorting issues, fiscal year problems, and data modeling concerns before they undermine user trust.
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Month sorting is one aspect of building robust Power BI reports. For comprehensive fiscal year implementation, see my guide on setting up a custom fiscal year Date Table in Power BI, which covers fiscal year columns, quarters, and time intelligence patterns.
If your Power BI reports are still loading slowly even with correct sorting, read our comprehensive guide on Power BI performance optimisation for practical fixes.
Digital Adaption provides comprehensive Power BI consultancy services including dashboard development, data modeling reviews, and team training.
Need help with your Power BI implementation? Book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your challenges and whether I can help.
Frequently Asked Questions
To sort months chronologically in Power BI, create a numeric month column (using MONTH([Date]) for calendar months or a custom DAX formula for fiscal months), select your month name column in the Fields pane, go to Column Tools > Sort by Column, and choose the numeric month column. This ensures months appear in January-February-March order instead of alphabetical April-August order.
Select the month name column (like MonthName) in the Fields pane, navigate to the Column Tools tab in the ribbon, click "Sort by Column", and select the corresponding numeric month column. Power BI will now sort the month names by the numeric values instead of alphabetically. You can verify this worked by creating a table visual—months should appear in chronological order.
Power BI months sort alphabetically because Power BI treats text fields as text by default, sorting A-Z. Month names are text fields, so without explicit sorting instructions, April comes before January. The fix is to create a numeric month column and use "Sort by Column" to tell Power BI to sort the month name text field by the numeric month field instead.
Create a fiscal month number column using IF(MONTH([Date]) >= 10, MONTH([Date]) - 9, MONTH([Date]) + 3), which maps October to 1, November to 2, through September to 12. Create a fiscal month name column using FORMAT with the fiscal month number. Then apply Sort by Column to sort Fiscal Month Name by Fiscal Month Num. This ensures your fiscal months appear October→September.
Check: (1) Sort by Column has been applied, not just the column created, (2) you're sorting by the correct numeric column (Month not another field), (3) the sort column is numeric not text, (4) Auto Date/Time is disabled, (5) your visual is using the month name from your Date table not a text field from source data, and (6) you've refreshed the visual after applying Sort by Column.
Ensure your Date table has fiscal month columns (Fiscal Month Name and Fiscal Month Num). Put Fiscal Month Name on the x-axis of your bar chart. Apply Sort by Column to sort Fiscal Month Name by Fiscal Month Num. The bars will now appear in fiscal month order (October through September) instead of alphabetical or calendar month order.
Yes, in Power Query Editor, right-click your month name column and select "Sort By Column" then choose your numeric month column. Power Query embeds the sort order in the table definition, which persists across refreshes. This approach avoids creating additional DAX calculated columns and is my preference for production models where the sort order is stable.
For calendar months, ensure MonthName is sorted by Month using Sort by Column. For fiscal months, ensure Fiscal Month Name is sorted by Fiscal Month Num. If months still appear incorrectly, check that your table visual is using the month name field from your Date table, not a text field from your source data. You can verify the correct field is being used by checking the Fields pane while the table visual is selected.
The DAX formula for fiscal month number (October to September) is: Fiscal Month Num = IF(MONTH([Date]) >= 10, MONTH([Date]) - 9, MONTH([Date]) + 3). This assigns October=1, November=2, December=3, January=4, February=5, March=6, April=7, May=8, June=9, July=10, August=11, September=12. Use this with Sort by Column to correctly order fiscal months.
Need Help Implementing This?
Whether you're fixing month sorting issues, implementing fiscal years, or building a full Power BI reporting solution, I work with UK organisations to create robust, user-friendly dashboards that stakeholders trust.
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