How do I love thee… spreadsheets. Let me count the ways!
Hi Everyone, Jason here. Founder of Silverthaw Consulting Ltd. Over my career, especially in my software sales roles, I have seen widespread use of spreadsheets (e.g., MS Excel, Google Sheets) to manage almost every single process imaginable.
I, too, have been guilty of using spreadsheets within my own roles, and in my own business, which is not inherently wrong; however, for reasons of cost, availability, simplicity, etc. I have used them extensively.
In fact, a spreadsheet can be an effective tool; however, they are not always the best tool for the job. Sometimes when we need a hammer, it needs to be a hammer and not a rock!
A few of the biggest issues I have seen and/or experienced with “managing by spreadsheet” include:
- lack of security
- errors and data integrity
- no single source of trust (SSOT)
- lack of control
Don’t get caught in ‘Excel Hell’, where you spend 95% of your time building a spreadsheet, and only 5% of your time analyzing your data.
Give me a call and we can discuss the best business intelligence, reporting, and data visualization tools for your business.
Until next time,
Jason