The problem with Excel-based monitoring

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

Excel is familiar, flexible, and on most laptops. If you don’t have much to track and you just want to get going, it can work. But as the backbone of a monitoring system, Excel creates problems that show up in implementation and reporting. Three stand out:

1. Scattered systems

I recently had the pleasure of introducing my daughter to Gremlins. Like the movie's green antagonists, Excel files have a tendency to multiply when you’re not looking and cause havoc. Theories of Change, measurement plans, and data end up scattered across spreadsheets and tabs. Field notes, testimonies, photos, and other evidence, fragmented across folders and email threads. “Final” versions sit next to “Copy of” versions.

Managers waste time chasing the right file:

• “Can you email the most current version?”
• “That field note you mentioned, where is it?”
• “The link in the spreadsheet is broken – can you just send me the doc?”

2. Poor visibility on data being collected

When files are scattered, it’s hard to know the status of data collection. Has it been done? Did the site visit happen? Is the agreed method followed? Oversight and quality control slip.

The following (lived through personally) horror movie ensues: When you need data, it’s missing, incomplete, or low quality. Time has passed, so fixing these issues is costly or impossible. “Can we go back and ask for this?!”.

3. Painful reporting

A funder asked for a briefing. Your director wants an update. In an Excel-based setup, pulling together a clean, accurate view together is a slog.

Hours go into chasing down spreadsheets, reconciling numbers, formatting tables, and creating charts. Instead of asking “What story does the data tell?”, you’re asking “what can I get my hands on?”. Confidence drops – within the team and with funders.

This is why we built Paths

The premise of Paths is simple – to replace the headaches of Excel with a system built for monitoring:

• To help you keep everything in one place. ToCs, measurement plans, data and evidence all clearly linked.
• Make status visible. Clear ownership, timelines, and progress for each indicator and source.
• Ensure traceability. Every number links to its method and evidence.
• Produce usable views fast. Automatic charting and exports – so your data is ready for reporting and use.

This is our mission at Paths. In future blogs, I’ll share more about how we make it happen.

My blogs come from my own experience and the people around me. I’m still figuring it out, so if you have a different perspective, please let me know. I’d love to learn from you! mark@hellopaths.com