The monthly import
Exports pasted in, columns tidied, lookups rebuilt. Power Query does it in seconds, the same way every time.
Keep the spreadsheet. Lose the ritual.
Not every useful system needs replacing. We automate imports, lookups, duplicate checks, refreshes and report creation around the Excel files your team already knows.
The repeat-issue workbook
Before
- Exports6 files pasted in by hand
- Clean-upDuplicates removed by eye
- TimeAbout 2 hours
After
- ExportsCollected by Power Query
- Checks3 rows flagged, with reasons: Needs a look
- TimeOne refresh: Settled
Spreadsheets are often where the process ended up. They don’t have to stay there.
Spreadsheets are flexible, familiar and quick to change, which is why processes end up in them. The trouble starts when they become the system: manual imports, broken links, versions by email. We fix those parts first.
Excel is not the problem. Everything around it might be.
- Copy and paste. The same columns are moved between files every week.
- Hidden logic. A complex workbook depends on the person who built it.
- The wrong version. One late file or broken formula derails the entire report.
Where it helps
Three spreadsheets we see a lot.
The tracker everyone emails
Several copies, nobody sure which is right. One shared source, with updates captured from forms or email.
The one-person workbook
Macros and formulas only its author understands. Documented, simplified and made safe to hand over.
One reliable refresh, with checks you can see.
Illustrative data-preparation journey
- CollectFiles and approved exports
- CleanTypes, duplicates and joins
- CheckMissing values and rule exceptions
- DeliverUpdated workbook with traceability
See it run: Tina sketches this workflow, step by step, and shows which parts a person keeps.
What we do
- Power Query to clean, combine and refresh data automatically
- Office Scripts and Power Automate for the steps that repeat
- Checks that flag bad or missing data before it’s used
- Replacing fragile VBA where it has become a risk
- Moving data to SharePoint lists, Dataverse or a database when a spreadsheet has outgrown it
- Power BI on top when the spreadsheet is really a report
- Python automation where it makes sense
- Auditable checks, protected logic and handover guides
What stays with your team
- The judgement the spreadsheet supports
- Adjustments and overrides
- Signing off the numbers
AI prepares. People decide. Routine actions run only within limits you agree.
Usually built with
- Excel
Power Automate
Power BI
Python
Technologies we work with. Product names and logos belong to their owners, who do not endorse Boring Future.
The evidence. Each with where it came from.
Founder experience · employed role
Source → workbook
Delivered preparation workflow; no quantified saving or error reduction claimed.
A repeat-issue workbook prepared from source reports.
- The problem
- Operational teams needed repeat-issue information assembled from recurring system exports in a consistent spreadsheet format.
- What was built
- Built a repeatable script-driven process that transforms report extracts into an Excel workbook for review and reporting.
- What changed
- A repeatable workbook-generation path replaced repeated manual preparation steps. No specific time saving is claimed for this workflow.
When to leave it alone
- If a spreadsheet works and nobody loses time to it, leave it be.
- We won’t rebuild something into a new system just because we can.
- Some VBA is best left running until there’s a real reason to change it.
How it works
- Free conversationFree
- Discovery & Design£2,500 + VAT, fixed
- CompleteFixed scope and fee
- OperateOptional, monthly
Running a business of 5 to 50 people? Essentials starts with a £395 + VAT half-day session
Questions. Anything else, just ask.
Ask us directlyDo you still work with VBA macros?
Yes, mostly to understand them and decide whether they stay. Office Scripts and Power Automate are easier to share and maintain in Microsoft 365.
Can you automate a spreadsheet without changing how people use it?
Often, yes. The aim is to remove the manual steps around it, not to retrain everyone.
When should a spreadsheet become an app or a database?
When several people edit it at once, when it’s the system of record for something that matters, or when mistakes in it are expensive. We’ll tell you if it’s time, and if it isn’t.
Is this affordable for a small business?
Yes. For businesses of 5 to 50 people, our Essentials packages start with a half-day workflow session at £395 + VAT.
Can you fix an existing spreadsheet instead of rebuilding it?
Yes. We examine what works, what breaks and which steps are genuinely worth automating.
Will staff still be able to edit the file?
Where appropriate, yes. We distinguish inputs from calculations and keep sensible safeguards.
What if the source format changes?
The process should flag the change clearly and provide a route to resolve it.
Where it’s used. Where to go next.
Nobody has ever said, “I wish I could paste this into six more tabs.”
Start a free 30 to 45 minute conversation. No deck, no obligation.