At IP3, we’re always partnering with organizations and agencies who are, in their own way, working to promote healthy, equitable, sustainable communities. While this work varies from place to place and exists at different scales, we’ve found they usually face the common challenge of data collection, management, and analysis for assessment and performance improvement. The nature of this work is often collaborative and involves groups working across sectors, which only adds to the challenges.
Many of those we talk to have been using Microsoft Excel for data management for years and are looking for a new, simpler solution. Here are ten signs it’s time to stop using Excel for data management and look into other options:
1. You have multiple YouTube videos bookmarked to guide you through complicated Excel manipulation techniques
2. You spend time working in Excel on Saturdays, “for fun!"
3. You’ve made it to column CA… DA… EA… FA… GA…
4. Your worst nightmare is when a colleague starts a sentence with, “Could you pull the data for…”
5. Version control keeps you up at night with anxiety
6. You dread new data releases because it means updating your spreadsheet
7. You have so many tabs in your document that finding the right one feels like a scavenger hunt
8. Formatting has become your arch nemesis -- you crave simple, printable reports to share with partners and stakeholders
9. You dream about a more dynamic way to manage data to allow for timely updates and trend reporting
10. Loading... loading... loading... crash
There are other options. Want to talk about our simple, effective approach to dynamic data management and reporting? Get in touch.