Spreadsheet use is the second most time-consuming task after using email. Majority of employees use Excel 0.5-3.0 hours every working day. This article explains why so many professionals spend much more time than necessary and how to put an end to it with optimal use of spreadsheets & VBA.
How much time should my team spend in Excel?
There is no numerical answer to this question, but you should spend the least amount of time possible that allows you to achieve your goals. Excel is just one of the tools you use and it pays off to make it effective. Tackling spreadsheet-related inefficiencies saves money for the business and makes work more meaningful. At the end of the day, no one would like their job to be only about copy-pasting.
Why Excel use consumes so much time?
Excel has a low barrier of entry and almost every interviewee claims to be an advanced user. Whether you are a Finance Director or Consulting Lead, it is likely that your colleagues waste time in Excel. You are neither able nor willing control their every mouse click, but you can address systemic issues yourself or hire an Excel Consultant to do it for you. Here are 10 major reasons why Excel consumes too much time:
1) Insufficient or missing procedures & instructions
Warning signs:
Every planned day off provokes lengthy meetings to explain how to create reports or use files
Your colleagues refer to handwritten notes while working in Excel
Upon opening a spreadsheet, your team members often need some time to "familiarise" with it
Time wasting activities:
Searching for instructions
Disrupting colleagues to get answers
Working slower to anticipate potential errors
Solution:
Well structured knowledge base, consisting PDF instructions, in-file notes and sample task recordings.
2) Too much manual work in Excel
Warning signs:
Your colleagues do a lot of copy-pasting
To confirm your reports are correct, you need to go really deep into them
Raw data needs to be curated, cleansed & revised row by row
Time wasting activities:
repetitive work that could be executed with a few clicks when using VBA macros
fixing errors resulting from manual work
performing additional checks
Solution:
Automaton with VBA macros, including data migrations, error proofing and flagging.
3) Lack of standardisation & knowledge retention
Warning signs:
Your colleagues do similar things, but every person has their own way
The work of newcomers has to be manually revised before they "get up to speed"
Supervisors often dive deep into their colleagues' workbooks to check them
Time wasting activities:
Repeating the same mistakes you colleagues made in past
Not leveraging good practices
Extending induction periods
Complicating performance measurement for managers
Solution:
Creating team-level or department-level standards for all classes of spreadsheet outputs.
4) Insufficient data management
Warning signs:
It takes a lot of legwork to clean and format the data
Data discrepancies are found late and often result in the rework
Your colleagues often ask each other what certain metrics describe
People involved in handling data are not able to trace it back to the source
There is no documentation for data taxonomy (formats, descriptions, limitations)
Your data insights deviate from the reality because of varying classification conventions
Time wasting activities:
Manual data cleansing
Searching for data sources
Identifying differences between data sets from different sources
Taking the time of more experienced colleagues to explain data formats
Tracing data back to the source
Investigating root causes for data discrepancies
Fixing errors
Solution:
Precisely described and optimised data structures along with procedures of handling them.
5) Technical workbook design that propagates errors
Warning signs:
Your clients had seen the data they shouldn't have because the insights were not separated from the inputs
Plenty of workbooks relly on manual data copying and pasting
Data used for decision making is spread across multiple worksheets making it hard to draw conclusions
Your Excel templates are inflexible and adding an additional column or set of data is impossible
It is unclear which actions will corrupt your files or result in data discrepancies
Many files are full of data and insights that are unnecessary and complicate things
Time wasting activities:
Navigating through an excessive amount of information and number of files
Facilitating changes to templates
Fixing broken links
Tracing back and assuring the correctness of data
Excessively careful use of files to no damage fragile systems
Understanding what's important and what's not
Solution:
Purposeful technical design that facilitates file use and broader processes.
6) Uncontrolled spreadsheet workflows and collaboration
Warning signs:
Version control of files is hard and confusing
Your colleagues don't know when will they receive the inputs from their peers
Repetitive processes don't follow roadmaps and there are no deadlines set
Chasing for workbooks and CSV data is common
Employees spend a lot of time finding the right files in folders
There are no file changelogs, no editing restrictions and no passwords
You can access salary data or strategic confidential data if you dig deep enough
Time wasting activities:
Ad hoc communication with colleagues
Chasing others for their inputs
Files waiting in the email inbox
Searching through files to identify the right version
Making sure if the workbook is up to date
Work resulting from data compliance issues
Solution:
Workflows and timelines in place for every project, specifying who, when & how.
7) Lack of spreadsheet system architecture
Warning signs:
Your colleagues have to come up with data processing ideas ad hoc
It is not clear how certain spreadsheets were created or how will they be used
Thinks could be done faster if the templates facilitate the process better
Time wasting activities:
Using workarounds
Identifying the mechanics of spreadsheet systems
Fighting with inefficient data input & processing systems
Solution:
Revising file systems & templates against processes and adjusting accordingly.
8) Inadequate use of VBA macros
Warning signs:
You, colleagues, work in Excel frequently, but never use macros
People avoid using files with VBA macros and prefer to do things manually
Macros your team used no longer work
Over time, your macro-enabled workbooks started making work more complicated
You macros often throw error messages
Entire company spreadsheet infrastructure depends on one person
You need to be a professional programmer to use some spreadsheets
Time wasting activities:
Dull manual work
Navigating not user-friendly interfaces
Handling discrepancies in low-quality macros
Troubleshooting VBA errors
Crisis management when the only programmer is ill
Overcoming unnecessary technical skill barriers
Solution:
Appropriate use of VBA automation making work easier and accessible to non-programmers as well as sustainable without in-house VBA developers.
9) Abysmal visual design of workbooks
Warning signs:
It takes minutes instead of seconds to find crucial information in your dashboards & reports
Your workbooks don't distinguish important information visually
You have to excessively narrate when presenting your data sets to convey the message
You are not able to trace information back to the source
The Excel files in use have chaotic manual notes in cells
Time wasting activities:
dealing with information overload
manually tracking data back to the source
explaining how the file is structured and what is important
Solution:
Embedding good design practices into the file creation procedures and abiding by them.
10) Excel skill gaps
Warning signs:
Your colleagues often use manual workarounds
Some files work perfectly on some laptops, but not on the others
It is unclear to external stakeholders on how to use some files
Glitches, formula errors, missing cell links and data discrepancies are very frequent
Time wasting activities:
Not leveraging existing systems for efficient work
Committing errors resulting from insufficient technical knowledge
Asking team Excel Experts on how to use certain functionalities
Solution:
Pairing workflows with the right training and proper outlining of the skills necessary to manage them.
See our complete illustrated guide to efficient Excel to optimise spreadsheet use in your company.