one population, two directions — the corner is where the down-total and the across-total have to meet.
The segment pack came back from reporting with every total stripped out and the flash goes to the desk in an hour. Total each segment line across the quarters, total each quarter down its column, and land the grand total where the two edges cross. Then prove it: the tie check under the block reads zero only when the corner agrees with the column it sits under. Type the SUMs out if you like — the clock prices the difference.
Alt walks: tap Alt, release, then the letters in sequence — each key steps one ribbon menu. On a Mac, tap ⌥ and use the same letters (KeyTips, Excel 2024+).
Alt+=⌥ = on macAutoSum the adjacent range
AutoSum reads the block above or beside the cursor and proposes the SUM — foot rows and columns without typing a formula.
Ctrl+D⌘D on macFill down from the cell above
Build the logic once in the top cell, select down, and stamp it — the standard way to fill a schedule.
Ctrl+R⌘R on macFill right from the cell to the left
Same as fill down, but across — one quarter’s formula becomes the whole year in two keystrokes.
Ctrl+B⌘B on macBold
Bold marks structure: titles, total rows, anything the reviewer’s eye should land on first.
Alt h b p⌥ h b p on macTop border
Top border above a total row — the accounting ruling that says “this line sums the ones above.”
functions you'll type: SUM()
the par-setting sequence, straight through:
E3 alt+= ↵ · fill E3:E6 ctrl+d · B6 alt+= ↵ · fill B6:E6 ctrl+r · B6:E6 + E3:E6 ctrl+b · B6:E6 alt h b p · E8 =E6-SUM(E3:E5) · ctrl+s