Have a question about this requirement?

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Requirement

Primary user interface takes place inside Excel

Functional Area

General

Industries
All
Tags
Platform
Excel
Usability
DETAILS

Description

A significant number of users in businesses around the globe use Excel for various financial and reporting tasks. A Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software which functions primarily within the Excel user interface allows users to leverage their existing knowledge of Excel features and tools, saving time and increasing productivity.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A mid-sized manufacturing company has been using Excel since 1985, but as they've grown it has become challenging to manage. The existing staff is very comfortable with Excel and is resistant to using an unfamiliar platform.

Solution: By implementing CPM software that primarily operates inside Excel, the company enables its staff to utilize familiar Excel features while benefiting from the functionality of a specialized CPM tool. Users can create financial models, perform calculations, and prepare reports directly within the Excel interface, all while being controlled by the Excel plug-in that automates various workflows.

Considerations

This has been and will continue to be a philosophical debate in the CPM industry. Some vendors and users insist on an entirely web-based interface because they associate Excel with mistakes, data integrity problems, lost files and so on. Others will never leave Excel due to familiarity, the power of the formulas, formatting, and integration with the rest of Office.

Some vendors do both. They might limit their use case in the Excel tool or web tool. Or they try to be all things to all people, which is rarely successful in any endeavor.

We recommend, when choosing a platform, to go with something that you feel your organization will adopt most readily. Consider things like the age of the users, their experience, maintenance (like Excel plug-ins), Excel software version compatibility, learning curves, and so on.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

  • Excel Usage: What percentage of my time will I spend using an Excel plug-in vs a web-based tool when using your platform?
  • Plug-Ins: How does the interface in Excel work? Is it a plug-in for desktop Excel?
  • Office Web: Does it work with the web version of Excel, or only the desktop? What about Mac?
  • Real Life Limitations: What are the limitations we should be aware of with your Excel plug-in? Are there any layout or data integrity issues we should consider?