Practice
Why the spreadsheet stops working at about forty suppliers
Everyone starts in Excel and it is the right first move. Here is where it breaks, and the signals that you have reached that point.
5 August 2026 · 5 minute read
Starting in a spreadsheet is correct. It is fast, everyone can use it, and it forces you to work out what you actually need to track before anyone spends money.
It stops working at a fairly predictable point, and the tell is not the row count.
- Two people edit it in the same week
- The moment procurement and sustainability both update the sheet, you have two versions and an argument about which is current.
- You cannot answer "why"
- A cell says IN SCOPE. It does not say which rule decided that, on what date, under which version of the Annex. Twelve months later that is unanswerable.
- Chasing becomes a second job
- Someone keeps a list of who owes what and sends emails from their own inbox. When they go on holiday, the programme pauses.
- Evidence lives elsewhere
- The sheet has a column saying a certificate arrived. The certificate is in an inbox. Nobody can find it under pressure.
- The status is typed, not derived
- Somebody decides an order is ready and types it. Nothing checks that against the evidence actually held.
Sources
- Operational supply chain projects, PainKiller Consulting Group
General information, not legal advice. Requirements change. Verify against the current official text before acting.
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