12 years ago I wrote a code of conduct for collaborative Excels. At the time, almost no one worked with shared documents on OneDrive, Google Drive or whatever platform you’re using in your company is called.
I still see the same distortions as years ago. That’s why it’s essential that I write about the topic again.
Contents
1 Don’t use colors when it’s not essential
2 Don’t create an additional tab when you can add a new column
3 Make data analyzable with pivot tables
4 Don’t use multiple fonts and sizes
5 Fill in all available data
Don’t use colors when it’s not essential
There are many people who use colors in Excel for different purposes: to mark cells without data, to highlight or for anything argentina phone number library that only they understand. Colors are not necessary in 95% of the cases that are being used today.
Don’t create an additional tab
I have seen countless times the creation of new tabs to capture the information of a new month. It’s the easiest thing in the world to keep using the same table where a column is added. Usability is maintained this way b2b digital marketing and linkedIn and there is no need to jump between different tabs.
Make data analyzable with pivot tables
I’m not an Excel expert at all. I know the most basic things. One of them is creating pivot tables. Since many people still ao lists know less about Excel than I do, they create structures in the tables that make this type of analysis impossible. The other day I saw that the information that should go in rows was suddenly repeated but in columns, simply leaving two or three columns of space to visualize the fact that a new series of data was starting.
Don’t use multiple fonts and sizes
Maybe it’s just me, but these kinds of things make my eyes bleed. I can’t stand and I also don’t understand the need to use multiple fonts and sizes in an Excel. I understand the origin of copying and pasting data from one place to another. But please do me a favor after “normalizing” the appearance so that everything is the same.
Fill in all available data
“Yeah, I haven’t done that yet.” Ok, but then why are you passing the Excel to the next person? The Excel has to be filled out completely. It’s not magic, it’s just work.
It’s not really complicated to make an Excel but you need to understand the basics of tables: having a basis for advanced analysis, creating graphs, identifying trends, having a basis for making decisions, etc.