From spreadsheets to software
Replace Excel with software built around the way you work.
Are planning, records or reports scattered across Excel files? We look at which data and steps belong together and, where needed, build one application for your team to work in.
When does replacing Excel with software make sense?
Replacing Excel with software makes sense when a spreadsheet has become a shared business process: several people enter data, information needs to flow between systems, or permissions and follow-up become important. Excel may still be perfectly adequate for a simple list, calculation or one-off analysis. We first look at what is getting in the way of your work before suggesting another tool.
Does this sound like your daily work?
One person works in a local copy, another in the shared folder. Before a meeting, someone has to work out which figures are the latest.
A request arrives by email, is entered in Excel and later entered again in another system. Each step takes time and can introduce errors.
The file works as long as the right person is available. New staff do not know what they can change, and small adjustments have unclear consequences.
Not everyone should be able to see or change everything. You also want to know who is handling a case, what is still missing and which steps have already been completed.
FoodWIN: from paper and Excel to a measurement platform
At FoodWIN, food waste measurements were recorded on paper and then transferred manually to Excel. For Rikolto, we built a web platform that brings together measurements per meal and department, with statistics and exports for further analysis.
The platform accounts for how kitchen teams work. Teams can enter measurements digitally or use printable measurement forms first. Rikolto is testing it with the first organisations. The transition does not have to mean that every employee works in the same way from day one.
What changes when you digitise the process?
We do not simply recreate every worksheet as a screen. We examine which data belongs together, who works with it and which steps need checks. The example below shows how a request process could change; it does not describe a specific client project.
| Today, in separate files | How an application could work |
|---|---|
| A request arrives by email and is retyped | The request is recorded directly with the required information |
| A colleague searches files for the latest status | The case shows the agreed steps and current status |
| The entire file is shared | Each role has access to the data and actions it needs |
| Reports require copies and exports every time | Reports use central data; an export remains possible |
Bringing your existing data with you
We start with an inventory: which files exist, which data is still needed and where are there duplicate or incomplete records? Together, we decide which data to migrate and which to keep as historical records.
We then prepare the conversion and checks. A trial import lets us verify that the data arrives correctly and that your team can work with it. We only schedule the final transition once it is clear how missing data, exceptions and the launch will be handled.
Helping your team make the transition
The people working with the files today often know the exceptions that are not documented anywhere. We involve them in the analysis and ask them to test the main tasks.
We assess whether a first version for one process or a small group makes sense. Instructions, support and agreements on the old files are also part of the transition. That makes it clear where new information is entered and which system remains the source of truth.
Does everything need to be custom-built?
Not necessarily. Sometimes a better setup of existing software or an integration between two systems is enough. Custom software becomes useful when your processes, roles and data do not fit the available tools well.
We compare these options before defining the scope. Excel can remain useful for one-off analyses and exports, while everyday data entry and follow-up move into an application.
Questions about replacing Excel
No. We focus on files that support an important process and have become vulnerable or cumbersome as a result. Spreadsheets for a one-off calculation or analysis can stay.
We examine which data is available, how reliable it is and what you still need it for. Based on that, we decide what to import and what to retain as an archive you can consult.
Yes, an export can be part of the application. We agree which data it needs, who may export it and how the export will be used. Everyday data entry can remain centralised.
A first version can often support one clearly defined process. Whether that is sensible depends on its links to other processes and systems. We define that boundary together before building starts.
The number of processes, user roles and integrations, plus the quality and volume of existing data. Preparing the transition also takes work. You receive a proposal for a first version, with separate agreements on maintenance and any extensions.
No. For an initial conversation, a description of the process and what is difficult is enough. If we need to examine files, we agree which examples are needed and how you will share them with us.
Which Excel file is holding your operations together?
Tell us who uses it, what data it contains and where things go wrong. We will assess whether an integration, an existing tool or custom software is the best next step.
You do not need to design a solution. Start with what is difficult today.