Beautiful Doesn’t Matter If It Doesn’t Work: Make Excel Effective

If I had a dollar for every spreadsheet I’ve seen.... well, I’d have a lot of dollars.  

I’ve seen some doozies. GREAT, functional, sexy spreadsheets. The kind that remind me, as I look at them with admiration, exactly why I became a Microsoft Trainer.

And I’ve seen hot messes. The other kind that remind me, as I look at them with anxiety, exactly why I became a Microsoft Trainer.

We get a full range of capabilities, you know? 

Here’s what my experience has shown me. Most spreadsheets fall into one of two categories: 

Hot spreadsheets that look amazing, but no one trusts the data. 

OR 

Functional, complicated spreadsheets that are impossible to follow and painful to use. 

What’s a better way?  

It is possible to have the best of both worlds. A great spreadsheet can, and should, do both. 

It should be easy to use and drive better decisions. It should be beautiful (however you define that for your organization), and functional. It should be something that makes your life easier and holds data that can be relied upon at a moment’s notice. 

Not too much to ask for, is it? 

Sounds easy, but I suspect there’s a catch..... 

Nah. I don’t do catches. But I will tell you where most spreadsheets get in their own head. 

They are often too manual. In case you missed it, humans are prone to errors (who knew, right?). Which means that manual work in your spreadsheet can lead to unreliable output. 

We often find that teams are inconsistent with data entry. Without a process in place, data can end up all over town. 

It can be hard to extract insights of value to your department. If you aren’t sure what you are looking for, you won’t be sure how to retrieve it, even from the best spreadsheet in town. 

And of course, when the spreadsheet is built by one person, it can be confusing to everyone else. There are some real whiz kids out there who can build the kind of spreadsheet that they make movies about (oh, only in my brain does that happen? Well, you’ll see. Someday I predict a blockbuster), but they are complex and intricate and hard to follow and fall apart under the hands of a lesser-spreadsheet-whiz. 

(Do you see the movie plot above? This is practically writing itself.) 

So help me understand what ‘actually works’ looks like?  

No tricks, no gotchas. Just a common sense approach (and possibly a little training): 

Your working spreadsheet will have clear structure. You’ll see defined columns. No guessing games being played. You’ll have standardized entries that everyone understands. 

The layout? Clean. Easy. Nothing too fancy or frilly. You’ll want nothing but visual clarity with easy filtering and sorting for data extraction.  

Next comes action. Your ideal spreadsheet will highlight priorities, support follow ups and show progress. It will summarize where needed, average where you want it, and do the counting for you (remember the human errors we discussed at the start of the blog?).  

At the risk of being dramatic, a functional, lovely, well-built spreadsheet can change your life. It will be the keeper of your data, and the sharer of your successes. 

How do I create this dream you speak of? 

There are a few features that will make this spreadsheet dream into reality. Before you panic, remember that ALL can be learned. 

You’ll want to work with tables instead of random ranges. For data validation, drop downs are the consistent winners. To find what needs attention, you’ll go with conditional formatting.  

For viewing, keep it simple. Dashboards or summary views for the win. 

Always start with function. Then you can dress it up any way you’d like. That’s the FUN part anyways! 

Can Copilot help? 

Sure, why not! 

Copilot in Excel can suggest formulas, analyze trends, summarize activity and highlight patterns you might miss. Basically, Copilot can help you take that flat spreadsheet and turn it into a living breathing document, providing insight and information that will elevate your organization and communication. 

This is all cool but.... how?? 

You know where this is going. 

Training, my friends. Simple training, consistency and an organized approach to utilization and you’re off to the races. 

Teams need to have consistent data entry habits. Train on these, and then revisit, revisit, revisit. That’s the key to getting sticky adoption. 

Teams need to know how to interpret the data and use filters and views effectively. Communicating the data means first understanding it, so get there (as a team – does everyone know how to use it? Let’s again, be consistent). 

As for Copilot, that’s a layer you add after you have the foundation in place. Prompts will matter, Copilot can help with analysis, and support summaries that make your (already rock solid) understanding and communication That Much Better. 

Basically, your spreadsheet should be able to help your team work smarter. It’s so much more than just a tracking tool. Treat it like the superstar that it is. 

And, keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming spreadsheet blockbuster. Coming to a theater near you. 

In the meantime, reach out with questions or training needs at support@excelandflourish.com. We got you.