In today's military, do leaders (at any level) still frequently use Microsoft Excel for tracking various aspects of unit readiness?

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:07:07 -0400

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

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 3 at 2024 7:29 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 19:29:59 -0400

Yes. Many Leaders still do. I've seen Company AND BN level Excel tracker sheets still to this day

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 3 at 2024 10:25 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 22:25:13 -0400

Have an ancient sealed copy from back in the day that = still serving as an excellent doorstop. Also doubles as an oversized paperweight!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 4 at 2024 2:40 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 02:40:23 -0400

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.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 4 at 2024 9:48 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 09:48:04 -0400

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.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2024 12:22 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 00:22:57 -0400

My friend, you are living in the days of the past. There is a new system all vantage. This is what the Army says about it.
"Army Vantage is the Army’s data-driven operations and decision-making platform. By joining and enriching millions of data points into artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)-capable applications, Army Vantage improves and accelerates decisions on everything from personnel readiness to financial return on investment. Today, thousands of operators across the Army — including senior leaders, Soldiers, staff and analytic communities — use Army Vantage to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their work.

Army Vantage is designed for speed, flexibility and impact — turning insights into actions and AI into outcomes faster than any other system."

This system pulls from 15 different systems. Just last week I had a Soldier get a speeding ticket and I was notified by Vantage. I can look at ACFT by platoon and pull who is due by 30/60/90 days. I can look at this for just about anything that is tracked by readiness. I can even see equipment status of lateral transfers.

The Army wants live data. I agree. We need to stay current with this. Using excel is great but it is a current as you saved it. If a Soldier is due for dental and has an appointment on base Vantage will show they are scheduled for an appointment.

https://www.eis.army.mil/sites/default/files/2022-01/Vantage%20Fact%20Sheet%20FINAL%20%2814%20Jan%2022%29.pdf

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