Excel is a great tool, and plenty of businesses run well on a sheet for years. But there comes a point where the sheet stops helping and becomes a risk. This article helps you tell whether you have reached it.
Signs the sheet has outgrown itself
- You are afraid to touch it, because you do not know what might stop working.
- There are several copies and nobody is sure which one is right.
- You repeat the same tasks by hand every week.
- If the person who built it is away, nobody knows how it works.
One of these is not enough. If you recognise yourself in several, it is worth thinking about an alternative.
What changes when it becomes an app
Instead of loose cells, you get screens made for what you do. The app does the calculations, and there are no formulas to delete by accident. The process is written into the app itself, and not only in the head of whoever built the sheet.
What does not need to change
The app runs on your computer. The data stays yours and you can still take it with you. Where it is stored we agree with you at the start, according to what you prefer.
When it is not worth it
If the sheet works, only you use it and it rarely changes, you probably do not need an app. A well-kept sheet solves a lot. An app pays off when the sheet starts costing you time, mistakes or peace of mind.
The next step
If you want to know whether your sheet is a candidate, see how it works on the From Excel to an app page. Then write me a few lines about what the sheet does, who uses it and what costs you the most, and I will tell you frankly what I see.