This is the second installment in a three-part series on the role of Microsoft Office in local government.
Many local government employees are probably familiar with the basics of Microsoft Excel. The spreadsheet program has been around for thirty years – ten more than I have!
Since its original release in 1985, Excel has allowed users to store their data in spreadsheets and use formulas to gain new insights. Later, Microsoft added the ability to create graphs and charts.
Over the past three decades, Excel has grown into a more powerful platform than ever before. Through this presentation, I demonstrate some of the new ways Excel can help city governments.
I hope to emphasize that a more powerful Excel does not mean a more confusing Excel. I dedicate a portion of my presentation to explaining the “Ribbon,” the central feature of the user experience. For government employees who are less familiar with Office, the Ribbon provides them with a consistent look and feel across all of the Office applications. It’s easy to learn and even easier to use.
Cities can also take advantage of Excel within the Office 365 model. Office 365 is a Microsoft service that enables individuals and organizations to bring their work into the “cloud.” City employees can easily collaborate on a spreadsheet in the full desktop version of Excel. Changes are automatically synced across all users.
Finally, I touch upon Power BI, a collection of tools and services for Excel that enable cities to optimize their collection, analysis, and visualization of data. Best of all: no programming or database experience is required. I’ll discuss Power BI more thoroughly in my next presentation.
Take a look to start learning how Excel can help your city — download the Powerpoint below: