Are You A Business Owner Or Financial Director Who Is Experiencing Spreadsheet Paranoia?
Spreadsheets have revolutionised the modern office. Using these as a tool, we are able to do ever more complex calculations to improve business performance.
But who has had proper training to produce these complex and often business critical workbooks? Which designer or finance director knows how to lay the workbook out properly to gain the most from this powerful application? Not many of us I'm afraid.
Most of us learn by looking over the shoulder of someone one page ahead of us in the manual, or by picking up ad hoc tips from those more expert around us. Some of us go on courses to learn the basics, such as how to use the "SUM" key, and other relatively simple functions.
Too often the FD Group sees badly constructed workbooks not making the most of Excel's power. Formulas and layout are poor, meaning they use up more memory than they should.
Also, because Excel is so flexible, and everybody can use it, there's a tendency to use it as a database. But while Excel will manipulate huge lists of data reasonably well, that's not its primary function. Instead use a proper database solution - there are plenty of good ones about that are designed to fulfil this function.
What about using an expert to construct your workbooks? Well that may not be a good idea either. Understanding someone else's workbook is notoriously difficult, although, if well designed, there shouldn't be a problem. But what if there are functions and formulas you are unfamiliar with, or advanced macros?
Even where the workbook functionality is properly documented, will you be brave enough to alter another person's workbook? You could change the whole structure of the spreadsheet inadvertently.
So this is what you should do:
- Get some training. Try to have it 1-2-1 so that you receive the best possible attention
from the trainer.
- Have a goal from the training.
- Take along a spreadsheet that you want to improve, or have data available that you
want to manipulate.
- Make sure that you understand the formulas that are inserted in the
spreadsheet. Complex functions are difficult to follow and harder to maintain as a
business develops.
- Make the layout of workbooks as simple as possible.
- Always prepare supporting documentation - information that tells the user how to use
the spreadsheet, and how to maintain it.
Spreadsheets are a great tool, but one that needs to be handled with care.
David Taylor
+44 (0)7795 980776
Posted: February 9, 2010, 12:42 pm.
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