Why should you stop using Excel?

Whenever a user asks me for help by saying a sentence that starts with "I have a shared Excel sheet that..." or "I have an Excel with a macro that...", personally, the first thing that comes to my mind is "You are not using the right tool". You need something, something that maybe you don't even know you need (probably a database or software) that should cover that function. And how do you know if you need another tool?

Things a company should not do with Excel

- Make your calculations (structures, installations, infrastructures...) in Excel.

- Making quotations, managing orders, launching delivery notes with Excel.

- Make, share and store reports and reports in Excel.

- Manage projects with Excel, Kanban in Excel, Gantt in Excel.

- Keeping track of staff, absenteeism, clockings and holidays in Excel.

- Stores customer and supplier information in Excel.

- Base your accounting and strategic planning on Excel.

But that's not all, here are 6 reasons why you should stop using Excel and look for a tool that better suits your needs.

1. Excel is a simple table. There is nothing to prevent you from accidentally typing in the wrong cell, or from moving or copying data and losing data.

2. The speed of an Excel spreadsheet cannot be compared to using a development tool. Operations such as searches over several thousand rows, which are prohibitively expensive in Excel, are executed effortlessly in software. When you make a query with Excel it takes on average 3 minutes, whereas with other software you can make the same query in 0.3 seconds.

3. Excel sheets can be very large and can accumulate huge amounts of data. But even so, it is nothing compared to what can be stored in a developed database. Moreover, even if you can store large amounts of data in Excel, you cannot manage the data properly, searches are slow and it is easy to make mistakes and give wrong results.

4. In an Excel sheet you cannot perform any automated action or receive internal alerts. The system is passive, it does not inform you or perform actions, you can only enter and fill in/query data. In contrast, a software development can contemplate any number of workflows, regardless of their complexity (this is not possible in a spreadsheet).

5. An Excel sheet is nothing more than a table. No matter how much you colour it or change its properties, it can never compare to the interface you can get with an App or a Web.

6. In a software development you define which users or groups of users have access to which information, and what actions each of them can perform.

This security is not possible with an Excel sheet. The Excel sheet is a tough opponent to beat. Firstly, because its use is ingrained in the user. They feel they can customise it, configure it to suit their needs. It is simple, it is familiar, they are comfortable using it. The problem is not the Excel sheet, which is otherwise a really great and powerful programme (come on, I've finally recognised that, deep down I love it too).

The problem is the use and abuse of Excel sheets. As my mother would say, when you only have one rod, suddenly everything seems like a hook. Spreadsheets are, in short, programs that allow us to assemble "small utilities" quickly. Every time someone uses an Excel sheet, it is because a programme (or, for that matter, a developer) has not given them what they need. The Excel spreadsheet is the resource you turn to when you don't have "anything better".

Therefore, in a continuous improvement framework, the Excel sheet will always be one of the weak links and will inevitably be eliminated.

Beyond quick calculations or making a couple of graphs, we should not need to use Excel sheets. It can also be useful as an outline, or first solution, of what will later become a specific development, but a spreadsheet should never be considered as a permanent solution. Much less as an optimal or desirable solution. Of course, under no circumstances should you base the fundamental processes of your business system on Excel spreadsheets.