Tayo Solagbade’s
Performance Improvement IDEAS
(PI Squared) Newsletter

Monday 18th February 2019

NB: This PI Squared newsletter will be published weekly, on Mondays, in place of the Speaking/Web Marketing IDEAS newsletter, starting from today – 15th February 2016. I’m reinventing my Monday newsletter content and theme, to accommodate my vision of serving the growing audience of serious minded individuals and organizations reaching out to me, with information, education. news and research findings designed to help them do what they do better.

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PII 154: Microsoft’s Excel Might Be The Most Dangerous Software On The Planet – Forbes.com [RECOMMENDED]

This special Forbes.com report previewed/linked below (titled “Microsoft’s Excel Might Be The Most Dangerous Software On The Planet“, published in February 2013), was one of those I mentioned as a reference in the 4,000 word International Agribusiness Case Study paper I was engaged (by a Holland based European Union funded NGO), to write in the last quarter of that same year.

Many of us use spreadsheets in our personal and work lives. But most of us NEVER consider the dangers of doing so, in the routine data handling and report generation we do for often serious (especially financial) purposes in various areas of endeavour.

Below is a paraphrased excerpt from my 4,000 word case study paper, which highlights the potential dangers of using MS Excel.

“Software automation can make the process of feed formulation less tasking and more reliable in terms of accuracy, compared to the error. But feed formulation software tend to be pricey…

In addition, some – due to legal requirements – limit ingredient types usable…

That’s why some farmers now adopt manual Excel platforms developed by researchers/extension specialists. But using MS Excel MANUALLY for a serious (and sensitive) task like feed formulation requires sound Excel user skills.

Unfortunately, many users often assume they know enough. That mental attitude sometimes leads to avoidable errors, that are hard to detect – with potentially costly consequences in the case of a farm business.” [Read the true story about how I got to write that paper here]

Below is a preview of the Forbes.com report ending with a link to read the full version on their site.

I recommend you read it to learn about potential dangers you may be exposed to, as you use your darling spreadsheet to handle your precious data!

Microsoft’s Excel Might Be The Most Dangerous Software On The Planet – by Tim Worstall [Forbes.com Contributor]

No, really, it’s possible that Microsoft’s Excel is the most dangerous software on the planet. Yes, more dangerous than rogue code running a nuclear power plant, than the Stuxnet that was deliberately sent off to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program, worse, even, than whatever rent in the fabric of space time led to the invention of Lolcats. Really, that serious.

There’s a danger at one level: it’s all become so complex and it’s handled in such a slapdash manner that no one is really on top of it anymore. And don’t just take it from me as an assertion, there are very serious people indeed warning about this:

Click the link below to continue reading…

https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/02/13/microsofts-excel-might-be-the-most-dangerous-software-on-the-planet/#47aacf8f633d

Over 2 and a half decades of developing and implementing custom automated spreadsheet solutions driven by code, while supporting business users locally and internationally (via www.tayosolagbade.com), have exposed me to the shocking FACT that many serious errors go undetected DAILY when people use spreadsheets manually!

This was one of my major motivations for formally launching out as an Excel Visual Basic Solutions Developer in 2002. I had seen, from doing it in paid employment, that I could add value to businesses and independent consultants by helping them adopt smart code driven spreadsheet automation.

Today people use my custom spreadsheet software in and out of Africa (see http://www.tayosolagbade.com).

And I’ve gone a step further (since 2015) to launch a MS Excel Heaven Visual Basic Automation Club – we have a private Facebook group and a WhatsApp group.

Since the club’s inception, I have run 2 LIVE workshops (but use primarily online articles, PDF tutorials, videos, audios etc) to slowly coach members, who include practising accountants (some chartered), a university professor, university undergraduates, career persons (e.g a network engineer), independent consultants, Farm CEOs etc.

All of them are paid members who joined to learn from me, how to develop and implement smart, low cost, bullet-proof Excel-VB driven spreadsheet software to solve data handling and report generation not readily or cost-effectively addressed by conventional, off-the-shelf applications.

Visit http://www.excelheaven.tayosolagbade.com to learn more.

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INVITE ME TO DELIVER THE FULL 10 COMMANDMENT SERIES AS A LIVE TALK TO YOUR GROUP/TEAM MEMBERS