Project submission check list
Spreadsheet based projects need to look professional, be well presented and look organised. This is especially important when distributed to an important client or management team. If the recipient opens the workbook to see some selection on a rough workarea, it will not create a favorable first impression. With a bit of thought, care and attention, the workbook presentation can be an important tool to success in the business proposal or presentation. Depending on the circumstances, a newly distributed workbook should normally open to a welcome page, including introduction, executive summary, and a linked table of contents.
Here is a short check list of points that business students and spreadsheet practitioners should consider before submitting or distributing a professional business workbook.
Worksheets
Some points about worksheet collections and individual worksheets.
- The first worksheet is normally the welcome and introduction sheet
- Set the first worksheet Worksheet(1) as the active sheet
- Park the active cell in the home cell of every worksheet.
- Ensure that the active cell is the only selection.
- Reset the zoom level to 100%.
- Ensure that Normal has been set from the View > Workbook Views tab.
- Is the tab order logical and easy to follow?
- Would coloured tabs improve the layout of groups and sections?
- Many users are accustomed to Excel's default fonts. For Excel 2013 and 2010 the default is Calibri font 11 point.
Workbooks
These points also encompass worksheet and VBA module checks.
- Is the workbook version, functions, and code compatible with the users system requirements?
- Check the details in the workbook properties section. Title, Company, Comments, Author, etc. In Excel 2013 see File > Info > Properties.
- Check for data links, and links to other workbooks. These may become broken when separated from files.
- Will parts of the workbook be printed? Check print headers and footers. Page Layout > Page Setup.
- Save the workbook with all the worksheet items set up. This means that the workbook will open to the right setting.
VBA code
Code modules are a special case. Some of the following points apply when a team is working on the workbook.
- Option Explicit in every module.
- Use the Private keyword to limit items on the Macro list, and User Defined function list.
- Appropriate use of comments.
- Is the order of code logical? Does the layout assist the reader's understanding?
- Will error trapping code eliminate Debug errors?
- Has test code been deleted?
Prepared by; Ian O'Connor