GIZ SYSTEMS / SPREADSHEET TO MODEL
Read the exceptions before moving the spreadsheet
Copying columns and formulas leaves human decisions behind. Start with a real exception to discover the workflow.
Architecture illustration
“Turn this spreadsheet into a web application.” The request sounds straightforward. Then its owner notices a red cell, calls a supplier, edits the receipt date in a comment and excludes an order from the total. If the new application captures only the inputs, the decisions move into another spreadsheet beside it.
Start with the last row someone changed
Review a real edited row in the first interview. Ask what changed, why, who confirmed it and what happened next. Hidden columns, comments and color conventions become visible through this discussion.
For example, a shortage tracker's “receipt date” might come from the purchasing system or from a supplier phone call. When they disagree, retaining both the source and confirmation time can be more useful than overwriting one date with the other.
Six definitions turn a row into a work record
| Definition | Material shortage example |
|---|---|
| Identity | The affected item, plant and order |
| Fact and source | Ordered quantity, usable stock and supplier confirmation |
| Reference time | Stock observation, plan version and receipt-date confirmation |
| Decision | Expedite freight, consider a substitute or resequence production |
| Responsibility and state | Reviewer, approver and conditions for pending, committed and complete |
| Evidence | Selected rationale, alternatives and supporting correspondence |
Not every note needs a structured field. Define information used in calculation, search and approval; retain explanatory context as a record people can read.
Include the exceptions in the scope
Walk through an unknown item, a changed receipt date and two people editing at once. Decide who resolves each situation and where the outcome is recorded. Otherwise, the point at which the application stops is where a parallel file begins.
Reconcile the old spreadsheet and new application using the same input, period and units. Classify differences as formula errors, omissions or manual adjustments. The old result is not automatically correct, but every difference needs an explanation.
Completion means finishing the work
Removing files is an activity measure. Receiving an exception, obtaining a decision and confirming the result are operating outcomes. Exports and exploratory analysis may remain useful; the official status and decision evidence need a consistent home.
Start with one recurring workflow in one team. Bring a normal case, several exceptions, the working file and the owners of its source data.
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