TECHNOLOGY · 2.5 HOURS
From Spreadsheets to Simple Systems
From Spreadsheets to Simple Systems teaches people whose team depends on a large spreadsheet to see what each part does and where it could quietly go wrong. You finish with a one-page map of the workbook that shows what should stay, what should move to a list or system, and what should be retired.
About this course
Many teams depend on a spreadsheet that has grown over years, such as a tracker, a pricing workbook, a rota or a monthly report, and few people can say exactly how it works. Such a workbook can give a wrong answer for months without anyone noticing, and the work can stop if the one person who understands it is away or leaves. This course teaches you to read a workbook like this clearly and decide what should happen to each part of it.
You learn to name the job each sheet does, trace one important number back to the values someone typed in, spot the kinds of part that could quietly go wrong, and give the records a simpler shape that is safer to keep and easier to move. You finish with a signed one-page workbook map that records, with a reason for each part, what stays, what moves to a list or system, and what is retired.
What you will take away
- You will be able to label each sheet in a workbook by the job it does, whether it holds the records, does the sums or shows the result, judged by what people do on it rather than by its name.
- You will be able to trace a figure that people rely on back to the typed-in values it depends on, including numbers typed directly into formulas, and say who types each one.
- You will be able to recognise six kinds of dangerous part, such as a hard-coded rate, a range that stops short, or personal data visible to too many people, and tell them from parts that are safe as they are.
- You will be able to reshape a record sheet into one table for each kind of thing with one row per record, using Excel Tables or a clean Google Sheets layout.
- You will leave with a signed workbook map in six parts, naming the owner by role, the job of each sheet, one full trace, the dangerous parts, a simpler shape, and a reasoned decision for every part.
Who this course is for
- Team members whose work relies on a tracker, rota or pricing workbook that they did not build and would struggle to repair.
- Managers who are worried about what would happen to an important workbook if its author were ill or left the organisation.
- Finance officers and administrators who produce figures for a board or for payroll from a spreadsheet and want to know exactly what those figures depend on.
- People who can open a workbook, move between sheets and read a formula, but who do not write macros and are not analysts.
What you will do
Each lesson teaches one part of the method, works through a realistic example, and ends with a check on a case you have not seen. The course closes with an assessment and then the piece of work you sign.
- 3lessons with a worked example and a check
- 4scenario questions in the course assessment
- Signedthe workbook map, with a record anyone can verify
- 2.5 hoursat your own pace, with progress saved
- 01
Course assessment
What the file is doing
This lesson gives you three plain names for the jobs a sheet can do, and explains why a workbook becomes dangerous when those jobs are tangled together. You label the sheets of real workbooks by what people do on them rather than by their tab names.
- Three jobs inside one workbook
- What the labels are not
- Why the jobs matter
You judge 4 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 4 correct to pass.
- 02
Lesson
Trace one number
This lesson shows you how to follow a result that people rely on back through its formulas to the values someone typed in, and what Trace Precedents misses. You complete a partial trace and then choose the one that reaches the typed-in values.
- What a trace is
- What a trace is not
- Tools that help, and what they miss
- The mistake people usually make
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 03
Lesson
The dangerous parts
This lesson names six kinds of part that can give a wrong answer unnoticed or stop the work when one person is away, and describes what safe looks like. You mark features of real workbooks as dangerous or safe as they are.
- Two labels for every part
- The kinds to look for
- What safe looks like
- Why this is worth doing
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 04
Lesson
A simpler shape
This lesson sets out a simpler shape for data, with one table for each kind of thing and one row per record, and explains how to achieve it in Excel and Google Sheets. You reshape a holiday tracker layout to follow it.
- One table for each kind of thing
- What to take out
- How to do it in the tools you have
- What the shape is for
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 05
Course assessment
What you move
This lesson gives you three decisions for each part of a workbook, which are stays, moves to a system or is retired, and the reasons that justify each one. You make the decisions part by part for workbooks drawn from real teams.
- Three decisions
- The reasons for each decision
- What moving is not
You judge 4 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 4 correct to pass.
- 06
Course assessment
Course assessment
This course assessment recaps the five moves in order and works them through on a leisure centre's membership workbook. You review a colleague's sentences about a workbook and then apply the method to seven situations you have not met before.
- The method in one place
- Reading a colleague's review
- How the assessment works
You judge 7 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 6 correct to pass.
- 07
Final work and signed record
Your workbook map
In this final lesson you write a one-page map of a real workbook your team depends on, in six labelled parts, keeping personal data out of it. Each part is checked for the detail a colleague would need before you sign it.
- What the map is
- Write each part so a colleague can use it
- Keep personal data out
- How the map is checked
You write the workbook map for your own work, part by part, and sign it as your record.
GOOD WORK.THE WORKBOOK MAP, SIGNED.
WHAT CHANGES
What the course changes for you and your organisation.
- 01
Hidden spreadsheet risk made visible
The course gives you a short list of the ways a workbook can produce a wrong answer without anyone noticing, or stop when one person is away. Your organisation gets a written record of where those risks sit in a file it depends on.
- 02
Moves decided part by part
You decide for each part of the workbook whether it stays, moves to a system or is retired, and you give a reason each time. This avoids both an expensive replacement nobody needed and the common mistake of moving a badly shaped sheet into a new tool.
- 03
A map the next person can use
The workbook map is written so that a colleague who has never opened the file could act on it, down to the cell and the person who types each value. That knowledge no longer depends on one person's memory.
- 04
Spreadsheet risk made visible
A 2024 review published in Frontiers of Computer Science found that 94% of spreadsheets used in business decision-making contain errors. People who can map what a critical workbook does, and where it could fail, help employers decide what to keep, move or retire.
QUESTIONS
Questions about From Spreadsheets to Simple Systems
- What is From Spreadsheets to Simple Systems about?
- Many teams depend on a spreadsheet that has grown over years, such as a tracker, a pricing workbook, a rota or a monthly report, and few people can say exactly how it works. Such a workbook can give a wrong answer for months without anyone noticing, and the work can stop if the one person who understands it is away or leaves. This course teaches you to read a workbook like this clearly and decide what should happen to each part of it. You learn to name the job each sheet does, trace one important number back to the values someone typed in, spot the kinds of part that could quietly go wrong, and give the records a simpler shape that is safer to keep and easier to move. You finish with a signed one-page workbook map that records, with a reason for each part, what stays, what moves to a list or system, and what is retired.
- Who is From Spreadsheets to Simple Systems for?
- Team members whose work relies on a tracker, rota or pricing workbook that they did not build and would struggle to repair. Managers who are worried about what would happen to an important workbook if its author were ill or left the organisation. Finance officers and administrators who produce figures for a board or for payroll from a spreadsheet and want to know exactly what those figures depend on. People who can open a workbook, move between sheets and read a formula, but who do not write macros and are not analysts. No specialist background is assumed, and every term is explained before it is used.
- What will I be able to do after From Spreadsheets to Simple Systems?
- You will be able to label each sheet in a workbook by the job it does, whether it holds the records, does the sums or shows the result, judged by what people do on it rather than by its name. You will be able to trace a figure that people rely on back to the typed-in values it depends on, including numbers typed directly into formulas, and say who types each one. You will be able to recognise six kinds of dangerous part, such as a hard-coded rate, a range that stops short, or personal data visible to too many people, and tell them from parts that are safe as they are. You will be able to reshape a record sheet into one table for each kind of thing with one row per record, using Excel Tables or a clean Google Sheets layout. You will leave with a signed workbook map in six parts, naming the owner by role, the job of each sheet, one full trace, the dangerous parts, a simpler shape, and a reasoned decision for every part.
- How long does the course take, and how is it taught?
- The course takes about 2.5 hours and is studied online at your own pace. It has 3 lessons, each with a worked example, a practice exercise, and a check on a new case, followed by a course assessment of 4 scenario questions in which you need 4 correct to pass. Your progress is saved to your account.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes. When you pass, you sign a record that names you, the course, and the workbook map. Anyone you share it with can verify it online and download it as a PDF. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.
- How much does it cost, and when can I start?
- The course costs £99, paid once by card through Stripe. Access begins as soon as payment is confirmed, and you can save a sign-in to return to the course from any device.
- Can my organisation train a whole team?
- Yes. Individuals can buy any self-paced course online, and organisations can book trainer-led courses for teams, in person or online, through the Experrt Academy.
More technology courses are listed on the self-paced technology courses for non-technical teams page.
THERE IS A NEXT CHAPTER.
Start today, and finish with
the workbook map your organisation can use.
Checkout takes an email address and a card, and access begins as soon as payment is confirmed. When you finish, you sign a record that names you and the workbook map, which anyone you choose can verify online. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.