Once information is loaded into a spreadsheet, it acquires properties that it may not deserve – a process called reification.
Spreadsheets have errors like dogs have fleas. Nine out of every ten spreadsheets suffer some error, and consequences can be severe.
The twenty principles for good spreadsheet practice aims to reduce the amount of time wasted and the number of errors.
Every study that has looked for errors has found them in considerable numbers. Spreadsheeting's childhood is over.
Only a quarter of survey participants were satisfied with their spreadsheet testing. Their techniques are largely manual and lack formalism.
The cascading structure of typical spreadsheet formulae means that just about every spreadsheet is almost certainly wrong.
See our bibliography of spreadsheet best practice, risk management, errors and testing, and methods for improving spreadsheets.
Overconfidence is one of the main causes of spreadsheet errors. Being informed about overconfidence leads to more accurate spreadsheets.
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