Almost every team we meet starts with spreadsheets, and that is fine. The trouble begins when the spreadsheet becomes the system. Here is how to move without a painful switch-over weekend.
Before you start
- Pick one process to move first, ideally one that causes the most “which version is this?” questions.
- Write down who edits it, who only reads it and who is waiting on it.
- Agree on a date after which the old sheet becomes read-only.
The move
- Import the data and check the first twenty rows by hand.
- Recreate the three views people actually use. Ignore the rest.
- Invite the people who read it before the people who edit it.
- Switch the old sheet to read-only and link to the new place at the top.
After the move
Review after two weeks. Ask what people miss, and fix only that. Then pick the next process. By the third one, the team will be asking to move the rest.
Tagged: teamwork