Most of us use spreadsheets to track information that involves no math or calculations. The spreadsheet becomes a glorified table to hold and update information. There are several reasons why this is a bad idea:
- Spread sheets are good for making calculations, they aren’t good and tracking who made what change and when
- Spread sheets are files and are not built to make version tracking easy
- Spread sheets need to be sent back and forth using email or downloaded changed and then uploaded
I’m not bagging on all spreadsheets because I use them all the time. However, I use them when I’m doing math or require sorting, not tracking information.
The alternative is using wiki pages instead. Here are the reasons why this is a good idea:
- There is only one version and no file to worry about
- All changes are tracked and can be backed out with one click
- No software required – all you need is a browser
- Updates and notifications are automatic
Issue logs, status reports, customer records, lists, text based documents are all ideal candidates for a wiki page versus a spreadsheet. I’m not suggesting that all spreadsheets are bad and never use Excel. I am suggesting the next time you automatically assume you need a spreadsheet to track or list things, you should consider using a wiki page instead.
Tags: Spreadsheets, wiki
