1. The Error Alerting System: When you find an error in your Excel work, you take three steps:
(1) Correct the error in your workbook.
(2) Add a test to your workbook's Error Alerting System to alert you to other errors like that in the future. (Determining what "like that" means for a new error can be a challenge, of course!)
(3) Correct your workbook's template—and all other workbooks that used the template—in a similar way
By following these steps methodically, you'll eventually ratchet down to zero the errors that other people see in your Excel work—with the exception that I mention at the right.
2. No-Edit Updating: Because you'll refresh your data without editing your workbooks, you deny yourself the opportunity to add new errors to your workbooks!
3. Consistent Account Definitions: Specifically, what GL accounts in your company define Net Sales? Other Assets? Free Cash Flow? Are all Excel users in your company using exactly the same definition? Are you certain? You can ensure that your productive users do so when you all use named account groups for summarized accounts.
4. Templates: By starting your new Excel work with proven templates, you start with fewer errors.
5. Long Experience Curves. By your using no-edit updating, and Excel templates, your workbooks have a much longer life than normal—which lets you ratchet your errors down to zero!