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Streamlined Reporting

Yandeez

Member
This isn't an excel question directly but ultimately boils down to Excel from a reporting perspective. In many organizations, sales teams are often inundated with tons of reports that may be distributed by 5+ more departments; all with their own look and feel. In your expert opinion, how would you make the reporting more streamlined and consistent? Any success stories? Please keep in mind the sales team as they are often travelling with a laptop or ipad. Thanks.
 
I'm not sure I fully understand your question. Could you elaborate on the setup, or what portion of the process you want to improve? Are we changing how the reports get sent out (which sounds like they are coming from X different sources), or change how we handle the inputs?
 
Thanks for the prompt response Luke. Let me elaborate. The reports currently are exported from a variety of sources (Qlikview, Crystal, etc.) and are formatted in excel and sent out. Other departments may export from their own reporting tool and format to their own taste in excel and then will send it. It results in 15+ reports, all with different formats/colors/structure to the sales team. I've been tasked with streamlining the reports so to answer your questions, I believe we're changing both how the reports get sent and/or the inputs. I suggested having a data input sheet that spits out to an excel template of some sort; this way the reports would be consistent in their structure and format.
 
Sounds like you're already thinking the route I would take. The real "item" that should be getting transfered is the data in essence. It should be a single table of table, on one worksheet. Let's call this "the block". Each team should be able to take the block, import it into their pre-built template/tool, and get the reports they need to see in desired format.

As presumably each dept has different needs to get from the block, this method would let each group see what they need to see, but you're all working from a common source.
 
Can you elaborate on "the block"? Do you mean a template or would each dept have their own template/tool that feeds into the block?
 
The method I was describing was is one group/source produced data, and multiple other groups wanted to use it. But that may be wrong...are multiple groups producing the raw data, and then these same/different groups are using the data?
 
And all these groups contribute to a central repository of information that is then queried in turn, or is the question more to just standardize all the reports? Aka, how many hands touch the data before it gets to "end user"
 
More of just standardize all the reports. Say we have 5 departments. Each department has 2 analysts. Each analyst sends monthly, on average, 5 reports. That's 50 reports a month that's sent to the sales guys. 50 separate reports and I'd like to make them consistent.
 
Hi ,

My suggestion would be to look at the data collection ; starting with the reports is starting at the inefficient end , since a report is an output.

When streamlining a process , always start at the input end , because if this is not done , then inefficiencies which are present will just add up , and removing an inefficiency at a later stage is always more costly than removing it at an earlier stage.

If all of the data is first listed , giving the name of the data item , the source from where it originates , the recipients who are likely to benefit from it , and the format in which they would like to receive it , you can analyse this , and arrive at the bare minimum number of reports which will satisfy all the recipients.

You need to discuss with every data originator and every data recipient to see what are their actual needs ; a lot of reports are legacies , and in quite a few cases , especially where IT is concerned , recipients might like to change reports to suit their purposes , but have been told by their IT departments that this is not possible. Thus , discussing with both the sales people and the managers is a good way of weeding out the bad , and getting all the stakeholders involved in change.

Only after all this is done , should you start with where this central repository of data can or will be stored , how data entry can be done.

Report generation is the last stage , and if the earlier stages have been done properly , should be painless.

Narayan
 
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