is that not a change management issue, even at isolated-individual level? how would you explain the reluctance of medical doctors to switch from manual note-writing to using an HIS with BI capability.

Hi, Ed - thought you might like to read this - about the “Excel” habit everyone has and why.

Good points, I would throw in that one of the reasons excel is kept even after a new program is provided is redundant capabilities. If the end user has to go through hours or weeks of training/effort just to learn to do things they’ve already been doing in excel for years, they’ll often get discouraged and just decide the new program doesn’t do anything excel can’t do and “sabotage” the project. Giving users the tools they’re familiar using then building on that can let them move more quickly through the “discouraging” phase where folks are saying “We already do this in excel”. Using your video game example, if we could let you play the new 3d game with the controller you were familiar with (rather than handing you a wii-mote and nunchuck) you’re more likely to enjoy the game than if we have to re-teach you how to run around using these crazy new controllers.

Yes, it IS a change management issue. And there is a huge emotional/ego investment as well, that I don’t think very many people consider when they are trying to wean users off their Excel-driven processes and workflow cultures. Remember, people are given Excel as part of the Office suite of software tools, and to do their work, they bend and twist whatever tools they have available to make it work for their needs. This involves an investment of their time, ingenuity, and sheer determination. When they have been “successful” with the system they have designed using Excel, they have a tremdendous and understandable reluctance to let go because of the investment they have put into it, and that generates also a fear that management will see their carefully crafted systems as “inferior” (which they’re not), which in turn could equate to judgement on the user’s performance itself. Education (training) on Excel itself can help this; explaining what Excel is designed to do, and what it is NOT designed to do, goes a long way to user acceptance of a real database and enterprise-wide solution. My two cents’ worth.

For one offs and snapshots excel is great. For enterprise systems, you need a database app. Nice that excel works with office and that is the biggest reason why businesses use it - and yes, with exremely ingenuitive bending of the tool. But the ablility of the tool to bend is part of what makes excel so great for individuals inside the organization. It is also what makes it terrible for standardized processes and data store required by enterprise systems.

I am not a Microsoft supporter, but I’m not a hater either.

If excel were so bad, it would not be the standard for business number crunching.

Hi lolo Tshaka, SandiSCE, and Chris,

Thank all of you for your inputs. Based on your comments, I think we can further the discussion to what the promising areas are for innovations (or changes). I had some discussions on this topic with my colleagues at TEC yesterday and the day before, and our conclusion was that the benefit of the new way had to be strong enough to make the learning process worthwhile.

Here I give you another example, the QWERTY keyboard layout. I heard that QWERTY is not an ideal layout, but imagine how hard it would be if you were asked to switch to another one. There are alternative layouts but none of them has gone far. So in this case, “keyboard layout” may not be a good place for innovation but in terms of “input devices”, innovations are possible and probably expected. Apple’s touchscreen technology is a good example of how change can be made if the benefit outweighs users’ investment in learning. Interestingly, this innovation goes back to the human nature of using hands, or more precisely, fingers. So to answer your question, lolo Tshaka, iPad (or other similar devices) may find its value for medical doctors so they can have manual note-writing and HIS with BI capability at the same time.

Best,

Kurt

I could not agree more with lolo and Sandi. this is certainly a change management issue and needs to be handled accordingly.

Oh if only I could get rid of excel - don’t get me wrong - I love the flexibility of excel coupled with database access. However the reason excel is king is because the average user cannot get access to IT time or investment to move their excel models into their current or new applications. With excel and an inovative approach - most business reporting is possible

Several years ago we tried to get our customers to “move” off Excel to immerse themselves completely in their enterprise application (ERP or others). But what we’ve realized in the past few years is that having a dedicated data input and transaction system such as an ERP system is vital to capture data, but external tools can be a fantastic tool for analysis, reporting, etc.

Why do managers and, most important of all, secretaries, love Ms Excel? 1. Because it is the same as working with paper and pencil, no modifications of the common business routines and practices are required, 2. It produces nice printouts with no invlolvement of the computer staff, which is always hard to get. 3. They can modify the Excel sheet for themselves so that it suits their

2013 at 5:38 pm…

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