The art of zooming on a spreadsheet is next in line for Excel Tips when building a Cause Map for a root cause analysis. As you have probably noticed, once you start to add more detail to a cause map, you need 
to be able to zoom in and out on different sections of the map to be able to see/read it. Typically when you want to change the zoom on a spreadsheet, you have to adjust the percentage on the toolbar. Changing the percentage is effective, but not real efficient.
Scroll Wheel to Zoom
A quicker and more effective way to accomplish this task is to use the scroll wheel on your mouse. The default function for the scroll wheel when using Excel is to scroll up and down the spreadsheet. To utilize the zooming function, simply hold down on the “Ctrl” button as you scroll. Whatever your pointer has selected on the screen is what you will zoom into. You can even try the function right now on this webpage to zoom in/out.
Can I change the Default Setting?
Now that you are familiar with this trick, you may end up using it more often than scrolling up and down a spreadsheet. If so, you can change the default settings to reverse the functions. To change the default, simply click on the Tools menu, select Options, then click on the General tab. You should see a check box 
that says “Zoom on roll with IntelliMouse”. Check the box and you will able to zoom without having to hold down the “Ctrl” button. Of course when you want to scroll up and down the spreadsheet, you will now need to hold down “Ctrl”. With this zooming trick you can quickly move around your cause maps and speed up your root cause analysis investigations.
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