Spreadsheet Madness

  Stakeholder Management   ProjectsAtWork  

For small projects and teams, a spreadsheet can be a viable management tool. Problems arise, however, when organizations, teams and projects grow in complexity. In this era of dramatic technological advancement, a surprising number of larger enterprises are still struggling to wean themselves off “the sheet.”

Despite the many technology advancements taking place in the enterprise, even the largest of organizations continue to be heavily reliant on the spreadsheet as a management tool. Easy to use and conveniently available, spreadsheets are used for any number of business chores, from revenue forecasting to assembly of contacts for the annual Christmas card list.

Project-based services teams are not immune to the allure of the spreadsheet. A simple search of the Web will turn up a host of spreadsheet templates designed to help project teams build an org chart, gather requirements, track time, tasks and expenses, and manage project schedules and deliverables.

When a project is simple, or a consulting team is small, a spreadsheet can be a very viable management tool.  Far better than manual methods, a spreadsheet can help a smaller project team stay on plan, juggle the resources necessary to bring about successful project completion, and track progress (and costs) against goal and budget. 

The trouble starts to set in as organizations begin to grow. No …

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