Got a problem? I have a spreadsheet for that!
By Jason Slater in Reader
Posted in Management on May 13, 2008 at 12:22 pm
We are disappearing in a quagmire of data collection and analysis. It seems to me that time spent collecting information, analysing information, identifying trends and reporting upon information is time that could often be better spent.
I agree that there is a place for data collection and analysis but so often these days much time and effort is expended (and not to mention the cost) duplicating information that already exists - or even worse, producing information for the sake of information.
For example, where is the value in creating a localised analysis of time and attendance information in a spreadsheet when that information is already available from a perfectly good time and attendance system? Is it worth keeping daily records of departmental throughput so that various patterns and trends can be collected when the department is provided with a daily plan by the planning team - who already analyse the throughput and have a much bigger picture?
Information should be collected once, appropriately, accurately and reliably.
There needs to be a line between proactively solving problems as and when they happen and the increasing habit of reactively assessing, tracking and discussing figures in data sets. If more effort was placed on solving problems as and when they arise (and learning from the problems) the need for much of the analysis would be cancelled out. Very few people I have met have any formal statistical or probability training and yet given access to something as accessible as a spreadsheet within minutes you can expect a cool list of information possibly complemented by a very nice looking chart - but can we be sure this information is valid for making crucial business decisions?
Ad-hoc data collection and analysis leads to problems with data consistency, relevance, persistence, backup, and validity and needs careful consideration and a real grasp of the requirements before formatting cell colours in a spreadsheet. I have seen so many spreadsheets that are being used to make business decisions that have formulaic errors or inconsistent data upon them and increasingly I am being asked if there are ways of interconnecting this information (the very thought of this makes me shudder) - did I mention we have an ERP?
Information should be collected once, appropriately, accurately and reliably.
Perhaps I should keep a list of all the irrelevant or inconsistent data analysis spreadsheets and attempt to identify potential trends based on this information?
Sometimes I am told by users that these spreadsheets are essential and I always tell them to imagine what would happen if they changed jobs and/or left their current position. How many of those spreadsheets would ever be looked at again? I can tell you from my own experience of dealing with leaving employees that very very few, if any, are ever continued once a person changes jobs - the majority of them are archived then left to fester in their own analysis in the great data skip in the sky.
Rated: 100% (2 votes)
Loading ...Comment by Moshe Zeidman - May 14, 2008 on 12:31 pm
Point well made! Clearly, some information does not exist elsewhere except for ‘my spreadsheet’, but the issue you are highlighting is that MUCH information DOES exist outside of my spreadheet. Is the answer web services - such as the current provision of exchange rate data, postcodes, etc?
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