Almost every company we work with has an Excel file for management control. It is often well made: it contains the right indicators and the correct calculations. The problem is not the file, but how it is used.
The limits of the Excel spreadsheet
- Irregular data entry. If entering data is inconvenient, it gets postponed. And management control updated at the end of the quarter arrives too late.
- Multiple versions. The file goes round by email, someone works on an old copy, and the numbers do not add up.
- No alerts. Excel does not tell you that absenteeism is rising or that the acceptance rate has fallen below the threshold: you have to notice it yourself.
- Hard to compare several locations. With two or three sites, merging the files becomes a job in itself.
What changes with a digital platform
Digitalising does not mean throwing away what works. In the project that gave rise to Stra.tistic we started precisely from the existing Excel file, keeping the same indicators and the same calculations, and added:
- Fast data entry, including from a smartphone, with the fields already prepared and the draft saved automatically.
- Dashboards that update themselves, with colour-coded thresholds that highlight what needs attention.
- A weekly report by email with a summary of strengths and critical points.
- An aggregated multi-location view, with each site’s data kept separate and protected.
- History always available for comparisons with the previous year.
Where to start
The typical path has three steps: analysis of the current file and processes, a first working version to react to, and a gradual rollout with user training. Within a few weeks, management control stops being a chore and becomes a tool for making decisions.
Want to find out whether it makes sense for you too? Write to us: we will start from your file.