Financial Using Excel

Whether a spreadsheet is being developed as a forecasting plan,

a profit and loss account or a marketing plan, it is essential that

due care and attention be given to the design and structure of the

plan. Establishing some rules as to how all the spreadsheets in a

department or organisation are developed enables different people

to look at different plans and feel familiar with the layout, style,

reports, charts, etc. This is similar to the way users feel familiar

with software applications that have a common interface such as

those in the Microsoft Office suite of products.

The objectives of good design in spreadsheet terms are exactly the

same as those required for any other software development:

● To ensure that the spreadsheet is as error free as possible.

● To ensure that the spreadsheet can be used without much

training or control.

● To minimise the work required to enhance or change the

spreadsheet.

If care is taken to ensure sound structure and good design, a spreadsheet

will be straightforward to develop, easy to read, simple to

use, not difficult to change and will produce the required results.

Problems with this spreadsheet

The immediate obvious problems with this spreadsheet are that

it