Convoluted, error-filled, human-dependent Excel sheets
Despite more efficient resources being available, spreadsheets remain heavily used in the business world.
Talk to any organization about their dependency on spreadsheets and comments like these will surface:
- “I am completely dependent on 11 spreadsheets to get my job done. I know it’s way too many! The worst part? I only have a solid understanding of the logic for three of them.”
- “I spend more time making sure my spreadsheets are accurate than I do analyzing the data in them. That’s just ridiculous!”
An over-dependence on spreadsheets occurs for one main reason:
Excel is available on just about every employee’s desktop and it can be used with little – or no – training.
The Dangers of Spreadsheet Dependency
But what happens when Excel starts being used for things it wasn’t designed for? Like being a workaround solution for other systems already in place (Enterprise Resource Planning [ERP], Customer Relationship Management [CRM] softwares, etc.).
For example, a business may utilize a spreadsheet to manage job scheduling instead of its ERP – without taking into account Excel’s limitations.
This introduces considerable risk:
- Spreadsheets were not designed as collaboration tools, which is what commonly happens. As the number of authors increases, so does the number of invisible errors that creep in.
- The bigger and more complex the spreadsheet, the more fragile Excel becomes. It can simply break at certain points. When this happens, the risk of data corruption and lost data goes way up.
- Spreadsheets complicate data management. Automating links between spreadsheets and applications is tough to do and results in costly, error-prone manual handling of data.
Why Work With Us?
Triple Helix has saved clients thousands of hours of labor simply by reducing or eliminating the need for spreadsheets.
Our dedicated team of developers are experts at helping customers navigate the best possible solutions for making the switch to digital management, saving them both time and money.
Whether it’s integrating a new ERP system or augmenting your existing software, Triple Helix can help.
The days of navigating back and forth between countless spreadsheets just to get your job done are over. These systems can automate many processes, eliminating hours of having to input data into a system manually.
Let us help your company overcome Excel dependency and develop a plan for moving beyond spreadsheets into a more efficient, effective data management solution.