5 Signs Your Business Has Outgrown Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are useful. We still use them. The problem starts when one file is expected to be the plan, the meeting agenda, the task list and the only place anyone can find a number.

1. One person knows how it works

If the person who built the workbook takes a week off, can anyone else update it without breaking a formula? If the answer is no, the business is relying on that person as much as the file.

2. The same number gets copied around

Someone exports a report, pastes it into a sheet and then puts it into a meeting deck. By the time the meeting starts, there are three versions and nobody is sure which one is current.

3. Decisions disappear between meetings

A spreadsheet can hold a list of priorities. It is less helpful when the team also needs meeting notes, assigned to-dos and a clear view of what changed since last week.

4. The meeting starts with a scavenger hunt

If the first ten minutes are spent finding files and asking for updated numbers, you are using meeting time to assemble the meeting. The numbers should be ready to discuss when everyone sits down.

5. People need different views of the same plan

The owner, a department lead and the person doing a task do not all need the same screen. When each person maintains a separate copy, keeping everyone aligned becomes its own job.

You do not have to move every spreadsheet at once. Start with the part the team opens every week: the plan, the meeting or the numbers. See how Next 12 keeps those together.