Your Spreadsheet Probably Isn't the Problem
Updated: Sep 6
Spreadsheets get blamed for a lot.
“We need to get rid of this spreadsheet.”
Sometimes that's absolutely right.
But before replacing it with a shiny new system, there's another question worth asking:
Why does the spreadsheet exist?
Quite often, somebody created it because the existing process or system didn't give them what they needed.
Maybe they're tracking information the main system doesn't capture.
Maybe they're using it to manage work between two systems that don't talk to each other.
Maybe it's compensating for a report nobody trusts.
Or perhaps it's simply become the easiest way to get the job done.
Replacing the spreadsheet without understanding why people rely on it can leave you with exactly the same problem — just in more expensive software.
Instead, dig into it.
What information is being captured? Who uses it? What decisions does it support?
Where does the data come from? Is anything being duplicated?
Sometimes the spreadsheet genuinely needs replacing.
Sometimes fixing the process means you don't need it at all.
Don't start with the tool. Start with why the tool exists.
