Light touch, Audit quality spreadsheet compliance & governance.

Diligence for Excel

Implementing Diligence For Excel ….

For small companies, the entire process of taking control of your spreadsheets with Diligence for Excel can usually be accomplished in a single afternoon, however for larger corporates there are additional steps.

Here we briefly discuss the six stages of implementation from start to finish, namely Spreadsheet Policy, Spreadsheet Discovery, Approvals/Testing, Training, Software Implementation and Monitoring... Some or all of these may be applicable to your organisation, and we offer bespoke consultancy services to assist and/or completely undertake any or these steps on your behalf. Please contact us for additional details.

1) Spreadsheet Policy

It is important to have a well defined spreadsheet policy within your organization that is reasonable, workable, and appropriate to the risks that a material error in your company’s spreadsheets could cause. At a minimum we suggest that spreadsheet users must declare any spreadsheet that could cause a significant material loss to your company. Some policies go significantly further and incorporate definitions and rules on …

· Documentation & Testing

· File Locations (Usually must reside on network and not personal drives)

· Passwords (Open, Read Only, Worksheet & Macro Passwords)

· Importance & Complexity (Different rules often apply to important / complex files)

· Permitted Links & References

· Permitted Use of Macros & VBA Code

· Key Man Dependency

· Backups & Archiving

· File Naming Conventions

We can advise on an appropriate policy for your organisation, or review and update your current policy if required, however the most important aspect of any policy is that it is understood and supported by its users.

2) Spreadsheet Discovery

Once your policy has dictated which types of spreadsheet need to be controlled, the applicable files need to be located and recorded. This can be achieved in two ways ...

1)  Use an automated discovery tool which will list all spreadsheets on your computers/servers. Depending on the tool used the result may be a raw list of files that need to be filtered manually, or a suggested list based on the file’s location, contents, or last opened/saved dates.

2)  A communication to all managers or users requesting a list of spreadsheets that meet the given criteria.

A combination of the two methods is often used, and usually a degree of filtering and discussion takes place, resulting in fine tuning of both the spreadsheet policy and resultant inventory.

3) Approvals & Testing

Before the installation, it is normal for both users and the IT department to undertake a series of acceptance tests. We will work closely and openly with your users and technical staff to ensure that you are completely happy with the software’s performance and reliability, and that all your security and testing standards are met.

4) Training

Diligence For Excel is extremely simple to operate and manage, but we offer inclusive on-site training for users, managers and administrators. We also offer advanced and refresher training courses and of course online / email support for any queries or issues before, during and after the installation.

5) Software Implementation

Diligence for Excel can be installed on local PCs or thin client servers, via a simple executable with location options. We are able to assist on-site with installations if required. A defined support service level agreement is included in our service, as is unlimited online technical support and software updates.

6) Ongoing Monitoring

The Diligence Monitoring reports can be run at any time by spreadsheet owners, and an aggregated view for managers and administrators. These reports can be used as the basis for self-compliance or compliance analysis to subsequently contact the spreadsheet owner. We also offer bespoke reporting to automatically monitor and act upon un-compliant spreadsheets.  We recommend that an annual review is undertaken to makes sure all necessary spreadsheets are being monitored.