7 Steps for Successful Worksheet Setup

Have you been asked to create an Excel worksheet from scratch and had no clue on how to approach the process? Did you build a worksheet only to discover that you should have added elements in the beginning to save time and frustration?

Below is a seven step guide that creates a new worksheet for anyone to use!

Complete these steps, in order, to prevent wasted time and effort.

1. Design – Determine the purpose of your spreadsheet and how you want data to appear. Ask yourself what you want a user to get out of the worksheet before you begin. Pick your table headers and organization BEFORE you get started.
2. Build – After you have a set plan and clear purpose, begin building. Build the structure and foundation that houses your data and gives your spreadsheet focus.
3. Calculate – Now with a firm structure in place, apply formulas and functions where needed. Remember: refer to your plan! Prevent the need to make changes later.
4. Format – As necessary in your plan and calculations, format your cell data to appear correctly. To display percentages, make sure that your cells are formatted for percentage and not general or text.
5. Report – You risk incomplete or incorrect data if you attempt a report prior to building your worksheet foundation or prior to formatting.
6. Print – A printout of your worksheet might be necessary to share your data or a means to physically check your work.
7. Automate – Now that everything appears accurately, save yourself and others time by creating your own shortcuts.