When moving from Excel-based management to a business system, write out your current tasks, narrow the focus down to one problem task, and start small. Trying to replace everything at once drives up both cost and schedule. You can tell whether a system is needed by asking whether several people use the same spreadsheet at the same time, and whether input errors can lead to serious problems.
Some cases are fine to keep in Excel, while others are better handled by a system
For a small team handling a small number of records, Excel is a perfectly useful tool. There are plenty of tasks that do not need to become a system.
You should consider replacing Excel with a system in situations like these.
- Several people open the same file and overwrite or delete each other's work
- No one can tell which file is the “latest version”
- There is a lot of re-keying, with the same information entered in several places
- Input errors lead to mistakes in invoicing or ordering
- Files have grown heavy and take a long time to open
- Only one person knows how it works, so everything stops when they are away
- You want to view and enter data from a smartphone while out of the office or at home
If three or more of these apply, systemization is worth considering. If only one or two apply, simply rethinking how you use Excel may be enough.
Step 1: Write out your current tasks exactly as they are
The first thing to do is not to think about the system. It is to write out your entire current workflow.
- Who opens which Excel file, and for what job
- What gets entered into that Excel file
- Who uses the entered information, and where
- Who does the re-keying and totalling, and how often
- Where mistakes occur
As you write things out, keep screenshots or photos of the actual Excel files. The column names, the meaning of the colours, and the cell notes in the spreadsheets your staff use are packed with rules unique to your company.
Step 2: Narrow it down to one problem task
From the tasks you have written out, pick the single one that takes the most time or causes the most mistakes. If you try to systemize all of your operations at once, there is too much to decide and development drags on.
There are three criteria for choosing.
| Criterion | What to look at |
|---|---|
| Scale of impact | Does a mistake affect customers or revenue? |
| Amount of effort | How many hours does it take each day or each week? |
| Number of users | Tasks used by more people tend to show results faster |
The task you choose first does not have to be the single biggest headache. Starting with a task where the benefit is clear and the impact of failure is small also makes it easier to win support within the company.
Step 3: Decide what you will build and what you will not
When you set the scope, decide at the same time what you will not build this time. Without that, additional requests keep piling up midway through development.
Here is what to decide.
- Who will use it (employees, part-time staff, business partners, customers, and so on)
- Where and on what devices it will be used (office PCs, smartphones, tablets)
- The fields to be entered and the documents to be output (invoices, lists, charts, and so on)
- Connections to other services (accounting software, LINE, your website, and so on)
- Features you will not build this time
Whether item 4, the connections, are required makes a big difference to the scale of development. We can build systems that work from the same admin screen as your website, which suits cases where you want bookings or customer management linked to your site.
Step 4: Create sample screens and let your staff try them
If staff only get to use the system once it is finished, that is the first moment any gap with real-world usability becomes apparent. To catch such gaps early, we create sample screens during the design phase.
- Create sample screens and have the people who will actually use them try them out
- Ask what is hard to enter, what fields are missing, and what fields are unnecessary
- Revise the samples and have them try again
- Move on to development once everyone is satisfied
Be sure to include the people who will use the system every day in the review of the samples. If only managers decide, you end up with a system that does not match how work is actually done.
Step 5: Develop, migrate the data, and run both in parallel
Once development is finished, the Excel data is migrated into the system. If the Excel files contain many inconsistent notations or blank cells, the migration takes extra effort — for example, a mix of “Kabushiki Kaisha” and “K.K.”, or inconsistent date formats. Please tidy up the data before migration.
Rather than dropping Excel immediately, it is safer to run the system and Excel in parallel for about a month. Check that the results match, confirm that the business runs on the system, and only then let go of Excel.
Step 6: Make fixes as you use it
A system is never a perfect score the moment it is completed. There will be inconveniences you only notice once you start using it. Think of the first one to two months as a period for gathering feedback from your staff and making a series of small fixes.
Setting up a single point of contact for fix requests keeps inconveniences from being left unresolved. We recommend agreeing with your development company in advance on how requests are received, fixed, and applied.
Common pitfalls in business system development
Trying to replace everything at once
If you target all of your operations, the specifications never settle and development drags on. Starting small with a single task and expanding as you see results actually gets you there faster.
Trying to reproduce the Excel screen exactly
Copying the look of Excel into a system also carries over all of Excel's inconveniences. Rebuild it so that it takes advantage of what a system does well: input validation, automatic totalling, history logging, and permission settings.
Making decisions without involving frontline staff
It is the frontline staff who use the system every day. If they are not involved from the stage where specifications are decided, you end up with a system nobody uses.
Not setting rules for day-to-day operation
If it is not clear who enters the data, who checks it, and who corrects it, introducing a system only creates confusion. Decide who is responsible for operations before you build.
Ending up where only the original developer can make changes
If you lose contact with the development company, neither fixes nor maintenance are possible. When signing a contract, check the point of contact for fix requests, the scope of maintenance, and whether you can export your data.
How to judge
Here is a table summarising your options.
| Situation | The approach that suits you |
|---|---|
| Work is routine and an off-the-shelf service looks sufficient | Use a ready-made cloud service |
| You have your own workflow and off-the-shelf products do not fit | Develop a business system |
| You want bookings or customer management linked to your website | Develop it connected to your website |
| You already have a system, but it is hard to use | Discuss modifying the existing system |
| You want to try it out first | Develop just one task on a small scale |
Not every business operation needs custom system development. If an off-the-shelf service is enough, that option is cheaper and faster to get started with.
Merci Ltd.'s web system development covers booking systems, ordering systems, internal management systems, customer management, LINE integration, and more. We use AI in parts of our development to keep timelines and costs down. We may also be able to take on modifications to systems built by other companies, depending on the details.
Example of a task write-out sheet
Organising the write-out from Step 1 in the format below makes it easier to discuss with a development company.
| Task name | Excel file used | Person entering data | Frequency | Problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creating quotations | quotation_ledger.xlsx | Sales staff | A few times a week | Takes a long time to find past quotations |
| Order management | order_list.xlsx | Admin staff | Daily | Staff cannot open it at the same time and have to wait |
| Issuing invoices | invoice_management.xlsx | Accounting staff | End of month | Data is copied by hand from the order list |
Replace the rows with your own operations. The “Problems” column becomes the purpose of systemization.
Measure the results of systemization in numbers
Count and compare these four things before and after introduction.
- Time taken to process one record
- Number of input errors
- Time spent searching for things
- How much work stalls when the person in charge is away
It is important to record the figures before introduction. Without numbers, you cannot tell whether it made a difference. One week's worth of measurements is enough to start with.
FAQ
It depends on the scope. The flow is organising requirements, design, development, review, and release, and we will give you a detailed timeline during our meeting. The narrower the scope, the sooner you can start.
Yes, it can. However, if there are many inconsistent notations or blank cells, the data will need to be tidied up first.
After hearing about your workflow, we will advise whether an off-the-shelf service is enough or development is needed.
Yes. We handle fix requests for any inconveniences that come up as you use the system.
Yes. We can connect it as a system that works from the same admin screen as your website.
Get in touch once you have written out your current tasks
Business system development starts with writing out your current tasks and narrowing the focus down to one problem task. You are welcome to consult us even at the write-out stage.
We handle everything from organising requirements to design, development, and post-launch fixes.
