This is the question I asked myself yesterday as I read the latest message from strategy+business, a magazine published by the business consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton.

Some time ago, s+b asked their readers to look back at the conceptual breakthroughs that have appeared in the magazine over the past ten years and to vote on which ideas are most likely to affect the way businesses are conducted in the long run.

Several of the winning ideas obviously could benefit from improved use of Excel. For now, I'll examine the idea that s+b readers named most frequently. But in the next few months I'll examine several of the ideas in greater depth.

Nearly half of the strategy+business readers said that execution is the most important idea. The reason for this ranking makes sense: It's not your strategic choices that drive success, but how well you implement them. A mediocre strategy superbly implemented probably will bring superior results to a superior strategy badly implemented.

This critical need to turn plans into action should affect management reporting in significant ways. If execution is the most critical quality, then management reports must track how successfully managers have achieved their plans.

Unfortunately, at many companies, yesterday's failed plans are discarded like yesterday's garbage. Instead, if reports include yesterday's plans, managers get a much more accurate picture of their ability to execute.

For example, each plan in this Excel display is like a hockey stick. Each says, "we're going to succeed like crazy, Real Soon Now."

Taken together, these failed plans resemble the rib bones of a long-dead fish. They are a testament to failure. But the testament is invisible if the prior plans are removed from this display.

Excel is a powerful tool for reporting managers' ability to execute business plans, for at least two reasons.

First, Excel reports aren't limited to data provided by your IT department. In fact, Excel can contain and contrast virtually any data, from any source, all in one report...even in one figure in one report.

If the plan is real, managers' progress can be measured...one way or the other. And if progress can be measured, those measures can be reported in Excel.

Second, Excel can present the data using charts and tables in virtually any format. Not only can these displays make the data easily understood, they can make it interesting. The chart, for example, displays five data series that contain a total of 60 numbers. With one glance, most readers can understand the implications of the chart. Few other programs could present the information so easily.

In short, if execution is important to your company's success then Excel probably is the most effective tool you have to monitor your success.

Querying Text Files in Excel

Today, I posted our second article about using MS Query in Excel, Use MS Query with Text Files For Dynamic Excel Reporting.

MS Query is a powerful, but frustrating tool to work with. This is because the program is based on technology originally developed for Microsoft Access, Version 1.0. Even the first Access was a powerful product. But it had many bugs, some of which survive in MS Query today. 

However, I think we've got most of the bugs worked out for querying text files from Excel. If you run into any problems with our methodology, please let me know.

In the next few months I'll write more about two new Office-related projects. Both projects will be designed to improve the way that people in business use Excel and other Office products.

I discuss one of these in my article, Are You a Business Pro Who Can Write About Excel? If you know how to use Excel in ways that would benefit other Excel users, and if you can communicate your knowledge on paper, in English, then I would like to hear from you. The article provides details.

You'll see indications about the second project in the next few weeks. Soon, I'll ask you to tell me about the biggest problems you have when you try to use Excel and other Office products in your work.

Don't send me anything yet. In several weeks, after I'm set up to track your answers, I'll ask again in more detail. Then, within two months, I hope to be begin to offer solutions to many of the problems you tell me about.

Enough for now.