· 4 min read
When does a spreadsheet become a business system?
Spreadsheets are a good place to start. These are the signs that a business has outgrown them, and what a sensible next step looks like.
By Pavlos Antoniou
Most operational software starts life as a spreadsheet, and that is not a bad thing. A spreadsheet is fast to change, everybody understands it, and it shows exactly what information the business needs. The question is not whether spreadsheets are good or bad, but when they stop being the right tool.
Signs you have outgrown it
- Several copies of the same file exist, and nobody is sure which is current.
- The same information is typed into more than one place.
- Reports take hours to assemble each month by copying numbers between sheets.
- Different people need different access, but everyone can see and edit everything.
- Files, photos and documents relating to a record live somewhere else entirely.
- Clients or owners ask for updates that you have to prepare by hand.
What changes with a proper system
A web application keeps one version of each record, controls who can see and change it, and connects related information, such as a property, its tenants, its documents and its repair history. Reports become a button rather than a task, and portals can let clients see their own information without a phone call.
A sensible first step
Do not try to replace everything at once. Choose the one workflow that costs the most time or causes the most mistakes, and map how it works today. A focused first release that handles that workflow well, and imports the existing spreadsheet data, will teach you more than a long specification.
Sometimes the right answer is an existing product rather than custom software. A good partner will tell you when that is the case.
Related service: Custom Web Applications