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Who needs to read this article?
You will find this article worth reading considerably, if you belong to at least one of the categories of users of the spreadsheet the following: owners of small businesses - restaurants / bars, hotels, hospitals, factories, etc consultants makers / media work Business - Materials Managers, Sales / Marketing analysts, financial analysts / accountants, project engineers, and anyone wishing to give a better sense - and use - ofdata!
Spreadsheet Automation Facilitates FATIGUE data processing, analysis and reporting!
Sometimes people do not really care about learning (or with) all the 'cool' advanced functions, formulas and techniques in the spreadsheet they use for their work They just want to punch to its raw data. - At any moment - and see immediately calculated results generated from the spreadsheet in a manner that can facilitate their important decisionmaking.
Sometimes, they would prefer to click a button that says "ABC Print" or "XYZ Printing" report, instead of having to scan the entire spreadsheet huge (and get "lost" from time to time), to highlight and print several pages of the report. Using a custom data entry form for entry of data in 14 different cells in different parts of a table (at the same time / one-click) would be for them to be "paradise" compared to the entries that make it one at a time .
This article is intendedthose individuals / companies that sometimes the experience of having to use their spreadsheets in (a little '"impersonal"?) described above, to obtain the desired results. This need would often result from their lack of skills needed to get the spreadsheet to behave as they wish - or little time to devote to encompass the automation necessary to make it.
In my article titled "You can increase profits without changing your prices, I'm done with the followingsummary:
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Nothing Else If you remember, remember the following:
1. A good way to maintain and / or significantly increase profits without increasing your prices is to reduce the variable costs (VC).
2. You can reduce the variable costs of more effective marketing (more and more customers at lower cost, and keeping them at low cost). I once read an article that proposed a newCOCS parameters: cost of the customer or served). This could be adopted as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
3. You can reduce variable costs by innovating more (ie developing a more efficient internal operations of your routine and / or product / service delivery). In this way, you would be able to produce / offer more products and / or services with less effort, in less time and using fewer resources. All these would mean lower expenses / costs, resulting in greater profitretention per unit of product / service sold.
. 4 There is saying: "You can not manage something unless you measure. Nor can measure you, if there is not." Tracking sheet will help you to conveniently create and sustain the process of monitoring, control and / or reduce the venture capitalists. You will need to do this in order to continuously evaluate the progress of your VC monitoring / control and reduction initiatives.
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A different type of automation
The spreadsheet approach to automation that I mean, is one that seeks to provide alternative functional piece of automation throughout the transaction sheet user (s). Typically, this type of solution requires the developer to study the existing manual recording of data, analysis and reporting systems, and plan - in consultation with users - for the incorporation of automation into the spreadsheet to replace them,where possible.
Spreadsheet Solutions custom that survive long after the developer has "left the scene" are often those that you agree because they discover that - among other things - makes their job quicker and easier to do. This is why the best person to develop solutions that tend to be one who works in that area, and is therefore familiar with the way the system works manual. He / she would have an "insider" point of view of how best to introduce automation usersreadily adopt - even as it solves the problem in question (s).
In fact what I am saying is that companies that get the most value from automating spreadsheet (including the use to avoid the expense of less adapted commercial off the shelf applications) will be those who allow users to generate routinely " in-house solutions. In such societies, we find that only when the condition becomes very specialized or complex, the IT department is called to obtaindevelopment or acquisition of software solutions for the services or functions with a significant user data recording and analysis of needs.
Then, (if you consider the automation speak) I do not think spreadsheets containing one or two click-able buttons that allow a user to print a page or copy some cells from one sheet to another. Instead, I want you to picture a question (or Enterprise Information System) to customize the look of your spreadsheet work (to takemaximum advantage of the capital stock of the screen on your PC), and offers custom "floating" data entry forms.
In addition, display with dynamic query / report drop-down menu interfaces, and a set of custom buttons: for navigation (within and between worksheets), printing, data export (such as PDF documents or spreadsheet files), the saving, auto-data filtering, auto-plotting, auto-backup files, the user login authentication (for documents with sensitive or confidential content)etc.
To experience the kind of automation I mean, you can send an e-mail free demos of the Excel spreadsheet automated sample-driven applications such as VB (1) a training Tracking Database (TM), (2) a five (5) years of income and spending Monitor (TM) or (3) a list of Export Packing & Invoice Generator (TM) for themselves by using the mailer files on my site.
As a note of Use Corporate Multinational Monitoring Spreadsheet / Automation repeatedly to cut spending - andIncrease profits
During my graduate training (while in employment), I was transferred from the corporate headquarters of Guinness Nigeria Plc training (Lagos) to the training department of beer Benin (Edo state), where I was assigned - Additional - job of using a custom macro variable Wizard Lotus spreadsheet cost analysis application to generate reports brewery for shipment to headquarters.
The assignment was not an accident. Before being reassigned toBenin brewery, I had been involved in "validating" the many complex formulas in the spreadsheet application Lotus 1-2-3 custom during its development. The author - Richard Chambers - was at the time in office (as Training Coordinator) training of new entrants, and after discovering my interest in learning, often gave me her laptop to "proof" formulas, etc. links E 'was he who had told his counterpart in Benin brewery (Joe Sheehan) that could help me with a problem he was having withthe application. And I fixed the problem - resulting in my later became responsible for relations of comparison using the application.
Variable cost control / reduction is a strategy that has worked very well for the company. More memorable for me as a brewer, was the way in which they were made huge monetary savings / gains in profit with successful implementation of initiatives to reduce variable costs. For example, a switch ingredient of beer was made for an easierlocal alternative available that was many times cheaper, saving and phenomenal gains on the increase of profits, even if the price of beer has not been raised. This practice has been regularly applied through the processes of fermentation and packaging in line with a well thought out plan.
To further explore: a one-page sheet variable cost analysis report generated automatically by the spreadsheet first custom I have described, was a powerfultool used by top management to quickly assess the performance of individual breweries. Among other benefits, the report made it very easy to compare realistically sister breweries in different locations (even between countries) based on common denominators. In addition to summarizing beer / packaging materials into two groups -
"Over-used/Over-spent (losses) and" Under-used/Under-spent "(saving) - on a monthly basis based on the data entered, the program automatically tracks chartsshowing changes over a period of 12 months.
The visiting chief of the technical functions needed only to look at the latest point drawn on the chart (as opposed to earlier) as a Key Performance Indicator
Cost per hectolitre produced (a hectoliter = 100 liters) to see if the brewery had remained within the upper limit of the approved budget (target paths straight line through the same period) or not. The discussions would then be based on identified"Exceptions" (which could be "good" such as savings, or that "bad" such as monetary loss due to over-used materials), and "actions" to improve or maintain performance observed agreed.
Tracking Spreadsheet as crucial for business development
There are ways you can use spreadsheets to record and track your use of materials / inventory, product sales, and other business data such discrepancies can be easily identified when they occur. The use ofspreadsheets, when done properly, can help to discover the cause (s) of "losses" in almost every aspect of business operation.
1. The Pareto principle - using tracking spreadsheet, you can easily apply the Pareto principle in deciding which of your sources of income and expenditure channels (eg, products and services) to focus on in order to maximize profits. Considering that you are most likely to use the same marketing / sales resources to serve customers, it follows that onlyIf you focus on your biggest margin sales of products / services, you will get an increase in profits to cost more or less the same.
One possible application: Draw a pie chart based on contributions from your income from all products and services (daily, weekly or monthly), and check the percentages calculated automatically / visual slices of cake, can give very enlightening insight.
The Pareto 80:20 principle is based on the theory of Pareto that 80% of the results obtained in aspecial effort will be mainly due to 20% of the areas to which you applied efforts. In business, this principle has been found to be true. Your data should be converted into appropriate performance indicators, will show you where your biggest margins came from. You can then channel more time and effort in this direction.
For example, if a company has five drink brands on the market, but he realizes that a brand, which has a profit margin of at least twice the other is in greater demand,that could (a) focus efforts on the production of that mark, so that more bottles are to trade (b) apply best practice / continuous improvement initiatives that would result in lower production costs of each bottle of brand A in so that even if the market price is fixed, the company is able to earn more profit margins per bottle.
2. Capital Sourcing - for expansion or startup. You can make it easier for banks and potential investors to support you financiallyand / or make the decision to buy into your business. Those already running their own business will know that banks like to see the detailed business records that show, in real terms of all aspects of performance of a business'. Without tracking spreadsheet detailed and comprehensive, it might be difficult to prove. Agreed there are software applications that capture most of these. However, sometimes you want to highlight certain trends and scenarios in a way that an application for off-the-shelf "can notaccommodate the uniqueness of your need. E 'in this context that the use of such spreadsheets becomes important.
The intelligent use of spreadsheets, combined with the application of the 80:20 rule will help to achieve the above and more. One does not need experts to start doing these things today. Just take the decision to start keeping a daily, accurate records and commit themselves to their analysis. You will be surprised to discover that soon will become much more aware of howyou are doing and what aspects of your business you should focus on more to get better returns for your efforts - and you will be able to provide verifiable assurance / Financial authentic data to support any claims you make about your business performance to bankers or potential investors.
Deciding what to use spreadsheet
This would ultimately be up to you. The big "fight" has always been between Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel. I started with Lotus 1-2-3in 1993 and learned Lotus macro programming (through self-tutoring). In the end I used this skill to develop - in my spare time - several solutions personalized spreadsheet (which were formally adopted for use in the departments I worked as a brewer / manager of Guinness), before moving to Microsoft Excel in 2001. Later, I developed my Excel Visual Basic programming skills spreadsheet (including through self-tutoring), because the company has chosen to adopt MS Office during the rollthan in 2000.
I think using one of these two applications should not pose problems to realize your ideas spreadsheet automation. This is because both have always been "friends" to make it easy for users to get more functionality from them through custom programming.
You can choose to learn to do it yourself - or call someone (an Excel VB Developer Solutions, for example) who knows how. Again, this would depend on your purpose, asexperienced you are, and / or how much time you have at your disposal. Ultimately, even if someone develops a custom program for you, YOU should be the driving at any point to ensure that does exactly what you want to do, and that you can easily - with the support of your developer / coaching - learn to make changes to it in the future without the need to call your developer.
This last point, in my opinion is one of the most important advantages that should seek to extract, if you chooseto use the services of a developer. He / she should be able to help you develop (at home) the skills needed to maintain s after the application / gone. If you are unable to guarantee this, all your savings to use the application might end up being spent to pay developers to maintain the application over time in the future!
From this point on, I will refer only to one of the above applications, it is my preferred working environment. This is Microsoft Excel. Ibelieve users of spreadsheet applications that can adapt what I say from here for use in their particular environment.
The automation of your spreadsheet: What is Excel VB?
Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for recording, organizing / re-organize, analyze and present information. In Excel VB, I am referring to Excel VBA - which means VBA Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). VBA programming refers to the very broad and flexible macrolanguage developed by Microsoft for use in their MS Office applications - Word, Power Point, etc.
VBA is therefore different from the standalone Visual Basic program used (for professional programmers) to develop commercial quality software applications - even if it borrows many of the characteristics of the latter. Think of software as a standalone Excel VBA to Visual Basic, Excel built in that benefit users of Excel who are not necessarily programmers, butwho are eager to exert more control over applications.
Thus, Excel VB has all the interested users the tools needed to make the application to provide more functionality. The final product is still an Excel document, but with extra features added via VBA.
Why Excel Visual Basic - and not Visual Basic?
1. I always answer this question by asking the following question: What would be the point of "Killing a fly with aHammer?
Let me elaborate. If a method is available that allows us to achieve the same desired result (s) at lower cost, with less effort and in less time, because we fail to adopt it?
Some IT people insist that the development of applications that run standalone using the Visual Basic programming language is "better" because it limits the user to a particular software application environment for users. I admit that this could be a valid point in someconditions. However, I note that there are many people who have special needs that do not necessarily require complex solutions.
A lot of people today just want to get their registration data, (re) organization and analysis for decision-making done faster and with less effort. They also want to spend as little money as possible to do this. In other words, they want an inexpensive solution that gives them independence from the supplier of long-term solutions - without the need forto undertake laborious skills immediately.
This category of users to exploit the technology referred to are those that I need to believe Excel VB solutions of the type I described. One expects that some of these people over time develop an interest in acquiring the advanced skills needed to develop their own solutions in the future - that's why even encouraged to do so, possibly through self-tutoring, as I did.
2. Another question that I pose to solve the "WhyVB? Excel "question is:" Why reinvent the wheel "?
My experiences (and those of others who favor the use of Excel VB as I do), confirm that to organize and analyze data (financial / management), the reporting and decision making, you will save hundreds of hours already built, pre-programmed Excel functions compared to a situation where you have used Visual Basic correctly.
All the functions needed to achieve the aims above already exist inExcel, so you do not have to write everything from scratch, as would be the case if you were to use Visual Basic.
3. It works even when you lack in-house "expertise"
For the purpose of creating custom solutions for financial management and business that address the issues identified, and give you control / ownership, without burning a hole in your pocket, Excel VB offers a surprising variety of possibilities in the hands of a suitably qualifieduser.
In addition, a developer of Excel VB (which in many cases tend to be a user turned developer, and is therefore likely to easily see things from your point of view) - as opposed to a programmer - is more likely to be well prepared to work with you to ensure the application meets your practical needs. He / she will easily understand that the final question is intended to help solve a real problem (s), and then build to meet those expectations.
It is not enoughto have a professional with the technical expertise to solve the problem. s / he also needs to have the right attitude and background / experience - otherwise the relationship does not work. This is where a resource Excel VB is more likely to add value to you. Most of Excel VB developers have been trained in management, accounting, engineering and other sectors, that equips them to be more useful to "think about" a better way to apply the automated spreadsheet to get the most value yourbusiness. It is therefore necessary to choose the right developer with the appropriate background to meet your needs.
I think the above are convincing reasons for choosing Excel Visual Basic Visual Basic.
Get the most return on investment spreadsheet automation, developing House "expertise"
Organizations can deliberately expose their employees to learning events (or self-help exercises) on the Spreadsheet Solutionsdevelopment. Such employees may be called upon to develop in-house solutions that effectively address the data analysis specific to the business' / reporting requirements as they arise.
A person with proven expertise in this area can become "famous" for spreadsheet applications in developing countries, struggling to remove from the process of using MS Excel to manage large amounts of data. Typically, the work that takes hours or days suddenly take minutes or seconds to the end.
Loansto above are not exaggerated. They are in fact based on my personal experience doing the above (a). As a manager in the difficult path of production and work in an environment of rapid multi (b). As a developer of solutions for individuals and businesses who use MS Excel for their work.
Are keen to encourage individuals and organizations to explore using advanced MS Excel formulas and functions, in conjunction with the Excel VBA programming, to developpersonalized spreadsheet applications that solve typical problems end users encounter daily in an attempt to record / analyze data and generate reports.
The savings - the use of the know-how "in house" - in terms of money and man-hours alone, will soon justify the investment is made in "developing the necessary skills" - especially when confronted with what you spend the cost of buying commercial software - or even engaging the services of a VB Exceldeveloper.
Summary
The fundamental imperative for many people who manage corporate data is often "as used" to monitor and - where possible - benefits of control that is to say that the study / anticipate trends in a way that helps the decision-making process to ensure the reproduction of the desired results while minimizing - or eliminating - the unwanted.
You can change the way we manage / analyze data (or generate reports) in your business today - and get more usable benefits to the extentthat increase your profits. An important step to be taken to achieve this aim will be to use intelligent automation to improve the spreadsheet data processing / analysis systems and reporting in business operations - while empowering yourself and / or personnel to acquire skills needed to maintain the Spreadsheet Solutions Developed for the future.
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