Spreadsheets Are Useless for Asset Management

We’ve all used them, spreadsheets, whether it’s to do a simple list of items, or whether you are looking to create advanced sums for business forecasts. Even though they don’t come will all the feature we would want plus they can be annoying to use, we still force ourselfs to use them. This is mainly because the majority of people would put up with a free one that comes bundled in when you buy your pc, rather than forking out the cash for a decent package.

Even though spreadsheets come with a number of problems, they do have some useful features. The major ones are that they are able to create simple calculations, create graphics and manage your business forecasts. We generally find use of these at some point. However, because of the amount of downsides they have, they aren’t useful for tasks like tracking your companies’UK fixed assets.

Even though spreadsheets intially sound useful for managing asset data, they can’t compete against anasset tracking software UK package.

Up until a certain point, a spreadsheet would prove to be useful for asset management, however, as obtain more and more assets and you wish to store more data about the assets, the spreadsheet becomes redundant.

Here is a list of a few features that every asset management software package should contain.

  • They must be able to store enough data and be detailed enough for use. Although a spreadsheet can store alot of information, it may not be enough. The data that’s stored may not provide enough detail.
  • They must be able to match the complex structure of the company. If the asset sites in a number of sectors within the company, a spreadsheet cannot reflect this type of structure.
  • They should be very flexible and be able to restructure very easily. Altering the structure and data of a spreadsheet is easy, but once it becomes complex, the task automatically becomes difficult.
  • They must be able to manage different price depreciation levels on seperate items. If items were bought at different points in time, for example a computer and a monitor. The software should be advanced enough to calculate a range of price depreciation factors.
  • They should be able to manage re-lifeing of company assets. If an asset is re-assed and is found to be of use, the depreciation level on the item must be altered.
  • Must be able to create structured reports. It’s not easy to create a structured data report using a spreadsheet.

Those are just a few features that should be contained within any software package designed for asset management. Plus it’s why a standard spreadsheet package is not suitable for storing company asset data and adding the data to afixed asset register.

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