Posted on Jul 3, 2024
In today's military, do leaders (at any level) still frequently use Microsoft Excel for tracking various aspects of unit readiness?
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When I was in the Army at the company/battalion level, Microsoft Excel was one of the most commonly used tools for keeping track of various things, organizing status updates, doing training schedules, etc. Do lots of people in the DoD still use Excel today, and if so, what are common examples of what they use it for? Thanks <3
Readiness
Leadership
Microsoft
Posted 4 mo ago
Responses: 5
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I use Excel, all day, every day.
One example is a custom report I developed in a system of record.
It is a complete roster that includes unit/BN/BDE of assignment, DOR, PEBD, BASD, active status code, security clearance date and level, last eval date, ACFT and HT WT dates and results, PHA date, ETS/MRD, flags, pretty much any question that can be asked is on there.
I don't even have to log in and download the updated report, it's an email subscription.
I used to use the same thing with more data points per name (about 120 or so) as a base table in Access at unit and BN level, then just created the form on the fly as the question was asked, and provided the form. I actually wrote it during a long command and staff after the second or third bizarre question came up, as a means to shorten future meetings. The database also saved me about an hour or two every day at unit and BN level jobs, of just not having to log into a system of record to copy paste some information that I needed about 20 times a day.
I also subscribe to some pre-defined reports like dwell time, ETS next six months, and a few others.
I use data from AFAM and IPPS-A, and a lot of VLOOKUP, to develop an Excel report of enlisted PME for the state. I could also just get a predefined report for that but it lacks the details, like time in grade without PME, current ETS date, future PME reservations, and administrative eligibility for school.
Those are just the most frequent examples. There are a few more that are even more boring.
One example is a custom report I developed in a system of record.
It is a complete roster that includes unit/BN/BDE of assignment, DOR, PEBD, BASD, active status code, security clearance date and level, last eval date, ACFT and HT WT dates and results, PHA date, ETS/MRD, flags, pretty much any question that can be asked is on there.
I don't even have to log in and download the updated report, it's an email subscription.
I used to use the same thing with more data points per name (about 120 or so) as a base table in Access at unit and BN level, then just created the form on the fly as the question was asked, and provided the form. I actually wrote it during a long command and staff after the second or third bizarre question came up, as a means to shorten future meetings. The database also saved me about an hour or two every day at unit and BN level jobs, of just not having to log into a system of record to copy paste some information that I needed about 20 times a day.
I also subscribe to some pre-defined reports like dwell time, ETS next six months, and a few others.
I use data from AFAM and IPPS-A, and a lot of VLOOKUP, to develop an Excel report of enlisted PME for the state. I could also just get a predefined report for that but it lacks the details, like time in grade without PME, current ETS date, future PME reservations, and administrative eligibility for school.
Those are just the most frequent examples. There are a few more that are even more boring.
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1SG (Join to see)
Would you be willing to share your product out at least the skeleton to learn from?
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Yes. Many Leaders still do. I've seen Company AND BN level Excel tracker sheets still to this day
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Ugh................ I came from banking and investment management before the USAR, and I consider myself a power user of Excel since the 90's.
The most frustrating thing I am finding in the army is there is no standardization of trackers or even logistical planning. If it is out there, we are not using it.
I had a battalion commander make trackers for all his companies and each company had a 104 sheet excel file down to the individual soldiers. It was 104 sheets because Height would be one sheet, then weight would be another sheet, then dental would have it's own sheet, then PHA would have it's own sheet, and on and on and on. I don't understand why it couldn't be one sheet per company, and a each item to track would be it's own column.
Anyway.......................
People default to excel because it can be used for anything, but get's abused when folks try to use it as a database.
There are much better ways, but we all give up, whatever the higher rank wants is the way it goes, and we all just get through the day.
***************
Before the army I was using Excel to recalculate the market/present value of Mortgage Loans that were underwater and adjust for the market value loss relative to the changes in market interest rates and applying those changes to the reported balance sheet values on our financial statements across tens of thousands of loans.
Now............. I use excel to track NCOER/ORE evaluation due dates, and battle assembly training schedules.
The Army's use of Excel is akin to using a tactical nuke to take out an enemy platoon position.
The most frustrating thing I am finding in the army is there is no standardization of trackers or even logistical planning. If it is out there, we are not using it.
I had a battalion commander make trackers for all his companies and each company had a 104 sheet excel file down to the individual soldiers. It was 104 sheets because Height would be one sheet, then weight would be another sheet, then dental would have it's own sheet, then PHA would have it's own sheet, and on and on and on. I don't understand why it couldn't be one sheet per company, and a each item to track would be it's own column.
Anyway.......................
People default to excel because it can be used for anything, but get's abused when folks try to use it as a database.
There are much better ways, but we all give up, whatever the higher rank wants is the way it goes, and we all just get through the day.
***************
Before the army I was using Excel to recalculate the market/present value of Mortgage Loans that were underwater and adjust for the market value loss relative to the changes in market interest rates and applying those changes to the reported balance sheet values on our financial statements across tens of thousands of loans.
Now............. I use excel to track NCOER/ORE evaluation due dates, and battle assembly training schedules.
The Army's use of Excel is akin to using a tactical nuke to take out an enemy platoon position.
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SGM (Join to see)
Standardization goes out the window once the BC explains how he wants it to look.
But even then, at least in my experience, you can show the BC something that meets his intent, but faster and more detailed.
What you described could have been one sheet (and company would also have to be a column), that could provide charts by company for HT-WT, PHA, dental, etc. AND also provide pivot tables for company commander hit lists. Because it sounds like the BC wanted the COs to have the by-name, by-item hit lists for everything to fix, and the BC only needs to see the current status and recent trend to develop that updated guidance.
The one sheet could have been a custom report download from a single source, then pasted into an existing workbook with all the current chart and pivot table sheets. A two minute task to update everything. Maybe 10 more minutes to update a dozen charts in a slide deck.
Typically, when a BC asks for a bad idea in Excel, it's because they have never really "used" Excel, and they don't know what it can do.
But even then, at least in my experience, you can show the BC something that meets his intent, but faster and more detailed.
What you described could have been one sheet (and company would also have to be a column), that could provide charts by company for HT-WT, PHA, dental, etc. AND also provide pivot tables for company commander hit lists. Because it sounds like the BC wanted the COs to have the by-name, by-item hit lists for everything to fix, and the BC only needs to see the current status and recent trend to develop that updated guidance.
The one sheet could have been a custom report download from a single source, then pasted into an existing workbook with all the current chart and pivot table sheets. A two minute task to update everything. Maybe 10 more minutes to update a dozen charts in a slide deck.
Typically, when a BC asks for a bad idea in Excel, it's because they have never really "used" Excel, and they don't know what it can do.
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