Over the years, I’ve worked with a wide variety of customers, from software development groups, to energy companies, to banks.  When we get brought in on a project, many times it is because a decision has been made that the existing business processes and procedures are not working, and it’s time for a change.

Change is not universally embraced, however.

One of the frequent requests that we hear during initial implementation projects, is that management needs a certain set of reports – and this is where they pull out The Spreadsheet.

Many companies have one (or more!) of these – the Excel spreadsheet that has been maintained and updated for years, becoming more and more complex with multiple sheets incorporating data sheets, chart sheets, pivot tables, complex formulas and formatting that makes it look *just* right. (more…)