When Spreadsheets Stop Working for Maintenance Tracking
Your spreadsheet was fine at first. Now it's a source of frustration. Here are the signs it's time to upgrade.
Warning Signs Your Spreadsheet Has Outgrown Its Purpose
You've missed maintenance because nobody checked the spreadsheet
Impact: Equipment failures, warranty issues, safety risks
People avoid updating it because it's too cumbersome
Impact: Outdated records, unreliable data
You've had formula errors that caused wrong due dates
Impact: False confidence, missed services
You've lost work due to version conflicts or overwrites
Impact: Wasted effort, data loss
You can't easily see what's due this week across all equipment
Impact: Poor visibility, reactive instead of proactive
It takes more than 5 minutes to update after completing work
Impact: Team avoids updating, data quality suffers
What Good Looks Like
With the right tool, maintenance tracking should be:
- Quick to update (30 seconds, not 5 minutes)
- Accessible from anywhere (phone, tablet, computer)
- Proactive (it tells you what's due, you don't have to look)
- Reliable (no formula errors, no version conflicts)
- Shared (team sees the same, current information)