Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 5th Edition

USEFUL SPREADSHEET TIPS

This section provides a brief list of tips that will help you to be a more effective and efficient spreadsheet modeler. Some of these tips have been mentioned in the context of the previous examples.

1. Lay out the data and the model in a logical and consistent way. This allows you to take advantage of the ability to copy formulas. Many seemingly complex spreadsheet models really comprise only a handful of truly distinct formulas.
2. Name each worksheet of the workbook. Do not leave them as “Sheet1,” “Sheet2,” etc. Give each worksheet a descriptive name, and delete the unused ones.
3. Learn to use Relative and Absolute References for cells. This is vital to being productive when modeling.
4. Use Cut (Ctrl-X) and Paste (Ctrl-V) to move formulas, not Copy (Ctrl-C) and Paste. Cutting and Pasting will keep the cell references correct in the formula(s) you are moving. Copying and Pasting will consider the relative and absolute referencing of cells within the formula and adjust the references accordingly.
5. Using the Shift + Arrow keys will select cells in a range, just like the mouse Click + Drag. Using the keyboard is easier for many people when precision is needed.
6. Learn to use keyboard shortcuts to select cells and menu items. While the mouse is a great tool, keyboard shortcuts can greatly cut the time it takes to develop a model and perform routine operations. Find out more about keyboard shortcuts by searching in Excel's help system for “keyboard shortcut.”
7. Set up printouts ...