=sum(thingmore)
Let’s talk about excel. I know, it already sounds exciting…
Let me start by saying that I am a fan. Who isn’t? It’s like the gift that keeps giving. When you’ve worked out how to do something new, it’s not long before that is superseded by some other functionality that takes it to another level. It’s a never ending process of discovery, and it's a self generating one as well - it appears the marketing team were off on the day of the “lets create a here's what excel can do manual” workshop. As a consequence, I tend to stumble across things by chance and then get excited when I’ve found them.
I need to get out more. You may be right…
When I think of excel, I think of data - and boy - if anything surpasses what excel does - it’s the never-ending benefits that data brings. I’ve been a fan for a long time, based on the premise that data can fill an organisation's engine room which in turn can help plot a well-informed forward direction by being able to take a good look in the rear-view mirror. But some time ago I had to conclude that data- to be honest - is not all it is cracked up to be. Well, not on its own anyway.
Those good old excel spreadsheets can and do mount up. Different tabs are all well and good, but as separate pieces of data, they remain just that. And therein lies the issue. On its own, data serves an essential purpose, for all the reasons we know, but if you can navigate the journey from data to information, then my friends, you are on to something.
For an organisation to really hum, its strategic goals need to go somewhere other than in the annual slide deck. Those goals tend to work best when they can be translated into something specific thereby moving the vision into something tangible and measurable. Those very same goals need to be disseminated throughout the organisation so that everyone is pulling in the same direction relative to their own goals and how they relate to those of the organisation as a whole. It is also pretty handy when it comes to communicating how things are going through the year and strategy term. What data lacks however, is that it is just that - data. Trying to turn that into something that is meaningful, and links directly to you, your teams, and your organisation, is a challenge. However, if you are able to successfully manage the transition from data to information, then you have made a great step forward. By linking the goals with the performance in actual time will unlock you, your organisation and your team’s ability to deliver, adapt and celebrate success. And there was me thinking =sum(data) alone was the way forward.
Debate it, Decide the way forward, and then go Deliver.