I’ve been thinking about something that quietly slows a lot of us down: the infamous side spreadsheet!
I get why they exist. They’re comfortable, they’re quick, and sometimes they feel easier than fighting whatever process isn’t fully humming along yet. But every time we create one, we’re basically admitting, “Yep… we’re going to touch this data twice.” And every time we touch data twice, we’re adding risk, rework, and inconsistency without meaning to.
My personal opinion?
If our goal is to work smarter, not harder, then data should be entered once and then flow where it needs to go. Full stop.
I’m curious how others are dealing with this:
- Where do “side spreadsheets” still pop up for you?
- What typically drives them: gaps in the tool, habits, or just muscle memory from old workflows?
- Have you found ways to shift people out of spreadsheet safety nets and back into InEight?
No judgment! We’ve all created a sneaky spreadsheet on the side at some point. I’m just interested in how we can start breaking this habit as a community and get back to one source of truth.
