Analyse a spreadsheet with an assistant and verify every number

Is it the right skill?

Before you start

• The spreadsheet, with a header row.
• One clear question, such as which region grew fastest last quarter.

Steps

Do not move on until the checkpoint holds.

1. Describe, do not paste

   Describe the columns, types and row count to the assistant. Paste a few made-up example rows if structure is unclear.

   Checkpoint No real records were shared unless policy allows it.

2. Ask for the method and formulas

   Ask how to answer the question and which formulas to use, not for the answer itself.

   Checkpoint You have formulas you can paste, not numbers you must trust.

3. Compute in the sheet

   Apply the formulas in new columns or a pivot table.

   Checkpoint Every number in your answer traces to a cell.

4. Cross-check

   Add a row that recomputes a total a second way, such as a sum of groups against the grand total.

   Checkpoint The two totals match exactly.

5. Chart honestly

   Label axes and units, start bar charts at zero, and title the chart with the finding.

   Checkpoint A colleague can read the chart without you.

What can go wrong

• Accuracy Assistants can state numbers confidently and wrongly. The rule is that numbers come from cells.
• Privacy Column descriptions are usually enough. Real rows are rarely necessary.

Worked example Demo

Fictional input, written for this demo entry. It shows the shape of the result, not a real case.

Input

Fictional sheet: columns region (text), quarter (text), revenue (number); 48 rows.

Result

Suggested method: a pivot table with region as rows, quarter as columns, sum of revenue; growth as (Q4 minus Q3) divided by Q3.

Related entries

• FM-01 Summarise a long document with checkable citations
• FM-03 Extract invoice fields into a spreadsheet that checks itself

Revision history