In May 2006, we presented our first Spreadsheet Risks seminar in the London head office of one of the world’s largest audit, accounting and professional services firms.
The audience comprised five talented, numerate managers educated to degree level and beyond. All were experienced spreadsheet users - each of them had around 10 years business experience. After a short welcome and introduction we asked each of them to build a simple spreadsheet to price up the cost of a simple construction job. The written instructions were clear, precise and unambiguous.
After about half an hour, the gentle tapping of laptop keys came to an end. The delegates gave their answers. Each answer was different. Only one was correct. They were stunned. The risks of using spreadsheets in business became palpable.
During the course of the rest of the day we went through the issue of Spreadsheet Risk, exploring between us the latest surveys, research and thinking on this topic. We discussed various remediation strategies and completed a further exercise to demonstrate how effective just one of these strategies is.
Join us on our next public Spreadsheet Risks seminar, or contact us now for a quotation for an on-site presentation.
Grenville Croll
Managing Director
Spreadsheet Engineering Ltd
+44 (0)7935 323499