![]() ![]() Difficult to report on the progress of the projectĪs you probably guessed, Excel is not an ideal project reporting tool! This can lead to poor decision-making as relevant data is not easily accessed or is incorrect.This means more time is wasted as individuals try to figure out what is relevant to their work. Creating individual, tailored views with varying administration privileges is impossible in Excel. This information is likely stored in another document in another location-creating even more confusing!ĭifferent team members and stakeholders need different information. ![]() They don’t know the overall status of the project or if a teammate is struggling with a task. Team members cannot easily check the status of a task or identify what they need to do next. If someone has saved the only copy of an important document on their local computer and forgot to share the file before vacation, the project could stop for a few weeks! Added to these frustrations is a lack of ownership many people may use the file, but no one is in charge of checking the accuracy of your data.Įxcel does not include key collaboration tools such as conversion tracking, file sharing, discussion boards, and up-to-date task lists. Saving spreadsheets in different locations leads to inconsistent information stored in various silos. This lack of clarity is a major headache for heavily-regulated industries such as healthcare or finance. It’s impossible to know if you are working with the most recent version of the spreadsheet, if the formulas are correct, or if any data was accidentally replaced or overwritten. Spreadsheets are error-prone, especially if used by multiple team members. Project information is not up-to-date or accurate.Excel’s PROs and CONs Listįive Reasons not to Use Excel for Project Managementĭepending on the size and complexity of individual projects, and the number of projects you are managing or participating in, it’s easy to waste significant time finding, updating, and double-checking project information. As such, Excel spreadsheets are perfect for tasks such as analysis, but fall short when it comes to project management or project portfolio management in Excel. This is especially true for cases where the same employee has different hourly rates depending on the type of project. Often, several projects run simultaneously for many customers. Consultancy firms require precise and detailed data, for example, in connection with varying hourly rates management of fixed prices, and time and materials. Excel has a wide array of benefits, notably analysis and reporting features. Excel has some clear advantages, especially for minor projects or single events. Many companies have always used and therefore prefer Excel. ![]() Do you Need a Project Management Tool, or is Excel Enough? However, the spreadsheet is not enough when it comes to calculating changes to a project. Launching a project plan in Excel helps list all projects quickly and organize them as needed - and even creating visualizations, like Gantt Charts, is tempting. Most likely, if you continue to use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to manage projects and do not see compelling reasons for the change, you are not alone. ![]() “Just do it in Excel” – ever heard that before? One of the most common ways in which companies attempt to save on expenditures is by consolidating software purchases, using applications for multiple purposes for which they may not have originally been designed. ![]()
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