Forecasting Software against Excel, interesting article
Forecasting software appears is becoming a hot topic at the moment. Maybe it is something to do with the forthcoming budget or could be that businesses are now looking to take every advantage possible. So I was interested when I came over a blog titled “Forecasting Software V Excel - Which is Better?” posted on www.bukisa.com. Here is summary of his blog on forecasting software.
Forecasting
Forecasting is a powerful management tool, although it is something often over looked. Forecasts can be prepared using Microsoft Excel or specialised forecasting software, but which is better?
Forecasting Options
Preparing financial forecasts can be a challenge but there are two tools available to help, which is forecasting software or Microsoft Excel. Ok to be fair there is nothing new there and chances are everyone has used Excel at some stage. There are no doubts that Microsoft Excel is a very powerful tool suitable for a whole range of financial and numerical applications. He does go on to say that there are not many people who have the required knowledge of Excel to be able to efficiently prepare linked forecasts. So does that leave the option open for forecasting software?
Forecasting Software
He is quick to point out that there are many different types of off the shelf forecasting software available to business owners, we specialise in Forecast Pro or Quantrix as our preferred forecasting software. But is the additional cost of forecasting software actually worth the investment?
Forecasting Software Opinion
Over the next few paragraphs he goes back and forth about the positives and negatives of Excel and forecasting software. Most of them are very valid expect maybe one which states that the Excel manual might be hard to understand, Excel has made big leads in improving the quality of their help function, but that aside his summary is quite valid. When preparing financial forecasts it is best to use dedicated forecasting software, even if you have the knowledge, experience and ability to prepare the forecasts on Excel. The additional features of forecasting software, i.e. the ability to print off a linked profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flow that is suitable for distribution at the press of a button, makes the process so much quicker which gives the business owner more time to focus on running the business.
Forecasting Software
So there you have a separate view on Forecasting software, the key take away is that forecasting software provides an integrated solution. And that alone is worth the investment. What is your view?