In this article I want to share with you a beginning to end guide on how to replace your spreadsheets and save a ton of time.
First let's frame the problem. What it is, how we got here and why we need out. Then we'll go through the steps needed to actually replace spreadsheets.
If you and/or your team use a load of spreadsheets and hate it... read on!
So this article is aimed at people who are in a spreadsheet nightmare.
Okay that might be a strong word but they can get nightmarish.
They can be confusing to you and especially new starters (also what a put off for the new person - here's our spreadsheet system "o yay, great, just what I came here for").
They're easy to make a mess of. Delete the wrong cell or formula, bye bye data accuracy.
Most important of all and where my pitch for replacing them stems from - they can be a huge nightmarish time drain.
They eat hours of life a week. For everyone.
Reports that take a day to make and still end up being wrong and look naff.
Even worse, people end up with their own secret spreadsheets where they copy and log and track things.
Finally. The worst part (I think), is the endless repetitiveness of the whole thing. Your spreadsheets demand lots of time... all the time.
So when either the company was younger or a process was younger, you and I didn't know what the future would hold.
Hindsight would be great but alas, no.
When we started tracking X data on an Excel sheet, we didn't know how long we'd do this for, guess how complicated it would be or how much it would be relied on.
Across the company, there have been probably 100s spreadsheets brought into existence that were never seen by more than a couple of people at most or were left around for a few months.
Some though are kept, promoted, extended and ultimately become an important part of business operations.
And really, they are the right tool for the job... kind of. Spreadsheets are similar (not the same) as web databases. The big big big big difference is that it's the software that updates the cells, checks they're correct, moves, duplicates, saves collates, etc and NOT human brain power doing this type of work.
For smaller things, there's no need for software beyond a spreadsheet.
For bigger, more complex things, the human effort simply does not scale.
1000 hours - that's more than just a click-bait line - it makes our time-saving and calculations a nice round number to work from (which then shows just how much money this is).
So, some quick maths - 1000 hours a year divided by 50 weeks is 20 hours per week.
That's 20 hours a week for a team member or 2 hours a weeks for each for a team of 10, 1 hour a week for a team 20.
Whether it's shared between 1 or 20 staff - 1000 hours of human resources is not a trivial thing. That's a heck of a lot of money, even for someone paid minimum wage - £11,400 (at the time of writing). Or £18,600 for someone on an average salary.
As you may well know, technical and specialist staff are usually multiples of the minimum and above the average.
If you have senior staff wasting their time and efforts - those thousand hours may be worth £30,000 or more!
Aside from the money and resource savings, breaking free of spreadsheets just makes everyone's working lives better. I've known of a lot of people who have left companies due to poor systems.
So options options options.
1 - Do nothing. Live with the pain. Let it be. There may be bigger fish to fry in the business and now isn't the time to solve this issue.
This would be the cheapest (short term) option but like with most "burying head in sand" type decisions, will not last forever.
2 - Go for off the shelf. As is in a software product you sign up for online or through a sales team. It might be configurable, but it's the same system for everyone who uses it. Now this, in lots of cases should be the goto first option. If there's a product and solution already out there that solves your particular spreadsheet woe, some effort should be made to investigate it. This is usually the fastest and can be the cheapest option.
The downside is simply that off the shelf software won't normally do the thing exactly as you want it doing. There is a compromise. You must fit your process into theirs. Secondly, it can come at quite a cost (combined with the compromise). License fees add up. And don't be surprised if the one feature you really need is only part of the "enterprise" plan.
3 - Commission a bespoke software system. Downsides, yes. We'll get to them. I don't want to try and convince you it's the absolute perfect option. In some cases, it just doesn't make sense but in others, it can be a no brainer. With a custom project, we make things work and look exactly (so long as it's technically possible) as you want. This is important because this means the system will bend to you (whereas off the shelf, you bend to it). There's not much to learn because it's all built in a way that makes sense for the business.
The downside to this route is that it's usually a decent upfront investment, so you need to ensure the ROI is there. Also, to ensure it's a valued piece of IP for the business, it needs ongoing support and maintenance. It's a longer term commitment.
Bespoke software, when getting to the details, can mean different things to different people - depending on the service being offered.
All of my work and most of my competitors will be building cloud applications. As is, you don't run the software on your machine/premises but somewhere else out there, in the cloud, usually meaning a data centre in London.
You would normally access your system through a web address. It can be part of your domain or separate.
There are all sorts of ways we protect access to your application to keep your data secure.
The exact technology used to run your system would depend on a few things. I build mainly with Laravel (PHP) and MySQL - No worries if this doesn't mean anything (it might mean something to some techies so I thought to name drop it).
Lots of things. A cop out answer I know, but true.
Firstly, if you're stuck in a spreadsheet nightmare, then it almost certainly can solve that problem.
And it's not just the spreadsheet part. You might also be using other apps associated with the process - Word/Google Docs, sending emails, updating a CRM, adding a calendar entry etc. Many of these can be handled by a bespoke system.
It can turn your standard operating procedure (SOP) documents from 5 pages to 1 page.
And it can do all of this in a split second without missing a beat. This is what gets us those 1000 hours back.
It can connect with your software as well to help cut down on double entry and human error.
So, lots of things!
I'd suggest having an "ideas" call with someone technical to find out what might be possible.
Okay, we're primed for the next part of the article.
We know we're in a spreadsheet nightmare and want out.
We know a bespoke system may be right for us. Now. How do we go about making this a reality?
Okay, I'll share a truth from the world of software development - Most projects end up more expensive than they need to be because time is wasted developing functionality that's simply not needed.
That's why it's vital you think of this project with an 80/20 mindset or Pareto principle. That is to say that 80% of the benefit will come from 20% of the functionality.
I'm sure you've found this in your own company and work - something are vital. Others, not so much.
Focusing on the vital few things will help make your software a high ROI investment and asset. What do we need to automate to save those 20 hours a week (1000 hours a year) at least?
To add to this theme "doing less", especially in the beginning, it makes sense most the time to go for a leaner, lower cost version 1 and then add to it over time.
We'll get into testing cycles later, but know that "one step at a time" is a good approach to software.
You probably won't be doing this with in-house talent and will need outside help.
Look, I'm obviously biased here but let me give some sensible (I hope you agree they're sensible) ideas on things to consider when choosing who's going to build this.
Firstly, are they specialists? - There are lots of developers and web agencies that would put their hands up. If you want to convert the loft, you probably want a specialised loft conversion company, not Andy the local handyman.
Secondly, will you own the IP? - "Yes" doesn't have to be the answer in every case but do check this out. Ideally you want the system as part of the company IP.
Thirdly, will you get a timely ROI? - I won't go into prices as it's irrelevant unless compared to the ROI. When will you be back in the green?
Second to last, will they give a fixed price? Some companies charge by the hour or day and give estimates. I would tread with caution here. Software development can be complex and very difficult to put into an accurate estimate.
Finally, will they support you? - Software is like car ownership. It degrades over time, needs servicing and can at times, have faults. You need them available to ensure the integraty of the system.
The first step in the actual build is putting together a rough draft.
I used the loft conversion analogy earlier, which isn't a bad one, but with software, we can tear down and put up "walls" much faster.
That's partly why we go for the rough version and never try to give a finished product first go.
Secondly, once you get your hands on the draft, you and your team will probably start thinking of ideas for improvements, additions or how you may want it to work differently.
Software development is an iterative process. Build review build review build review. Until after a period, it's just as it needs to be.
Once the core of the system is working as you like, we can next start sprinkling some of the not absolutely essential core features. Things like additional functionality, colours and layout.
This is when the system really starts to look polished and take on its final form.
We need to be careful though not to try and "tack on" things that aren't part of the initial plan.
Today is the day, go live!
It's time to start reaping the rewards of your new way of working.
With our rounds of feedback and testing, we'd anticipate a smooth launch. Still, with all technical projects, testing is different to live. Not every eventuality can be tested so we would expect some small snagging issues.
These would normally be higher in the first week or two then drop to none as they're ironed out.
Also, as you and your team start using the platform, you'll think of small tweaks and adjustments that need to be made.
These will be the most frequent in the first week or two as well.
Your next task will be to figure out how to spend those 1000 hours a year!
Once you're live and past the initial launch tweaks, there are a few things you'll need to consider over the lifespan of the project.
I mentioned in the section about "choosing a vendor" having someone who can support you. This is important because over time, the code running your project and server versions will need updating. This needs someone technical.
Also, you'll probably have small adjustments you'll want or need to make. These could be small enhancements or changes related to changing business processes or data.
So long as there are no major changes needed, usually an hour or two of technical support will cover you for this.
Once you and your team have settled in the new system, you may want to extend it.
This is typically in the form of enhancing its core functionality or adding a brand new "module".
For example, it's not uncommon for if you're first building a reporting system, to later down the line add on a client portal or email marketing module.
There are lots and lots of options available.
With a load of your data already in one place and a base platform to work from, adding extra features becomes an even more cost-effective option.
So hi! I'm Joe, the owner of HiTide. I hope you found the article insightful.
I help B2B service businesses replace their spreadsheets with bespoke software that automates their work.
If you're in some sort of a spreadsheet nightmare - I'd love to meet and chat with you and see if there's a fit between us.
You can read more about my service here - https://hitideweb.com/spreadsheets
Or, book a call with me here - https://calendly.com/hitide-web/discovery-call
Hope to speak with you 👋
We'd love to hear from you! Whether you have a question about our services, need assistance with a project, or just want to chat about your business needs, we're here to help. You can book a call with me, Joe, the owner of HiTide, and let's start a conversation.
You can also connect with me directly on LinkedIn or email me at hello@hitideweb.com.
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