However, you might not realize just how much time and energy you spend managing rows upon rows…upon rows…
There is no question that Excel is a powerful tool and firms have been relying on spreadsheets for years. It is also a tool that people tend to take for granted, and just assume that using spreadsheets is the simplest and best way to manage their data. After all, everyone knows Excel, right?
How Much Time Are You Wasting in Excel?
However, if you step back and think about it, you’ll realize that all those rows and columns might be making your job harder and causing you to waste a significant amount of time. Architects and Engineers track their time on projects, but have you ever tracked your time in spreadsheets? I didn’t think so. But you should. You’ll be surprised at how much time you are spending on a single spreadsheet. What kind of return are you getting for your efforts?
A study conducted by Clearpoint Strategy found that it takes an individual 89 hours to create a management report. That’s not a typo. 89 hours.
Could that time be put to better use? Seeing those inefficiencies at firms was one of the driving factors behind the creation of Project Analyzer and Project Visualizer . We knew there had to be a better way for the firms to get the information they needed without the tedious work of producing multiple spreadsheets.
Multiple Spreadsheets Magnify the Problem
Sure, it all starts with a simple spreadsheet: a report for the principals of the firm. But, before long, additional information is needed and modifications are made. One spreadsheet can’t do it all! So what do you do? You create another spreadsheet. And, of course, we need to link the data from one spreadsheet to the next. This begins the downward spiral of inefficiencies in spreadsheet hell.
Spreadsheet Collaboration is a Unicorn
The other issue we have with Excel spreadsheets for A&E firms is that there is never only one person creating and maintaining the spreadsheets. There is almost always a team of people involved, and while Excel has come a long way, there is just no way for efficient collaboration to take place with spreadsheets. Spreadsheet collaboration is a mythical thing, like a unicorn.
Regain Control of your Data and your Time
Okay, by now you get it, using Excel for project management reports can be very inefficient. So, how do you regain control of your data and your time?
What if you could have a single view for all of your data? We’re talking “current-as-of-the-minute-you-clicked-the-button-data.” We call it CAOTMYCTBD for short (thank us for that one later). You could slice and dice like your most powerful pivot table without having to modify formulas, or link cells, or do vlookups, or any of the other “fun” commands in Excel!