Working with Inherited Spreadsheets

Friday 20 November

09:30-10:30 Book Your Place

Can't make this date?

Further dates will be added in 2027

Please note: This Masterclass uses Microsoft 365 Excel features. Some features demonstrated may not be available in older versions of Excel. 

Bookings are non-refundable and non-transferable. Please ensure you can attend before booking. View Booking & Cancellation Policy 

All times shown are UK time.

A colleague has left. You've inherited responsibility for their workbook. Management still expect it to be updated — but nobody can explain exactly how it works.

Where do you start?

Making changes before you understand a workbook can introduce new problems or affect calculations elsewhere.

This Masterclass gives you a practical process for investigating an unfamiliar workbook first, so you can understand its structure, follow the calculations and spot potential risks before you start making changes.

Investigate the workbook structure

Use workbook statistics and other clues to understand the size and complexity of a workbook, including identifying worksheets that may be hidden.

Understand how the data is organised

Recognise the differences between Excel Tables and ordinary ranges and understand why formulas and references can look different.

Uncover named ranges

Use Name Manager to identify named ranges and understand how they may be used within formulas and calculations.

Follow the logic

Use Show Formulas, Evaluate Formula, Trace Precedents and Trace Dependents to investigate where values come from and where they're being used.

Identify common data problems

Recognise issues such as numbers stored as text and understand how apparently small data problems can affect calculations.

Spot workbook risks and errors

Investigate common Excel problems including #NAME?, #REF!, circular references and #SPILL!, and understand what they can tell you about the workbook..

This session is designed for Excel users who need to work confidently with spreadsheets created by somebody else.

It's particularly useful if you've ever:

Inherited a colleague's workbook · Taken responsibility for an existing spreadsheet · Struggled to understand unfamiliar formulas · Worried about changing something that might affect something else · Been asked to fix a workbook you didn't create

You don't need to understand every Excel function. The focus is on developing a practical process for investigating what you're looking at.

The learning doesn't have to stop when the Masterclass ends. You'll also receive practical resources designed to help you revisit the key techniques and apply them in your workplace.

Masterclass Companion Guide

A practical reference guide covering the key techniques from the session, so you can revisit what you've learned when you need it.

7-Day Productivity Challenge

Simple follow-up activities designed to encourage you to apply what you've learned in your own workplace over the following week.

Certificate of Attendance

A PDF certificate confirming your attendance at the Workplace Productivity Masterclass.

Learn it | Apply it | Make it part of the way you work.

This is a live, instructor-led session built around a realistic workplace scenario. You'll see an unfamiliar Excel workbook step by step, seeing practical techniques for understanding how it works and identifying potential problems.

Live online

Join from wherever you're based.

Practical demonstrations

See Excel's investigation and auditing tools being used on a realistic inherited workbook.