Harness The Power of Excel 02 - Reduce Creep

In this twelve-part series, I'm in my role as Expert Excel Tamer Paula Turk.

Here in part 2 we cover off Spreadsheet Creep - and I'm not sure whether OneDrive has made this problem worse than it ever was before.

(1) WE HAVE A VERSION FOR EVERYONE

Excel modelling is normally (i) iterative and (ii) collaborative.

This leads to a multitude of versions with many of them having just tiny changes.

Danger - People update the wrong file and time is wasted in aligning to the latest position.

Solution - Encourage best practice in assigning timelines for updating. OneDrive can be a disaster for tracking changes - you may want to reduce what it tracks and what it doesn't.

(2) THE COSTS OF SPREADSHEET CREEP

There are two costs in any data management - they are time and costs of server/cloud space.

Danger - Not knowing the latest version can become the cause of serious problems and issues in a business. Duplication of effort creates friction, and then further time is wasted in aligning adjustments.

Solution - Each version that exists has a hosting cost - when you get to a final version, ask how many iterations are needed?

(3) HOW TO IDENTIFY AND ELIMINATE SPREADSHEET CREEP

This is not easy - everyone has their own idea of best practice. Plus, many feel that by not having their own version instantly available they lose their positional power.

Danger - In not having clear guidance on process flows and updating timelines, you have a complete free for all - expensive from a time and cost perspective.

Solution - Involve a third party to run workshops to gain all different perspectives. Then write guidelines that MUST be followed and then deal with the fallout when people try to breach the new rules (and they will!)

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1. Whether you run a large private or public enterprise, or operate in a small start-up, you can optimize your use of Excel. ?By using the tips provided in this series, you will save time and save money, plus reduce team frustration. All of which all leads to vastly increased profits.
2. Ask how I can help your team to create better reports and models, reduce the dangers of spreadsheet creep and generate huge savings of both time and money.
3. With a love of maths, maths, maths, and more maths I'm always keen to get my head around your numbers and understand your data. Plus, I'm extrovert too - very much the talk of the office and a great team-mate. Great for building up inter-departmental synergies.

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