Spreadsheet Error & Human Error

Today seemed like a good day to post this, since we were just talking about Excel yesterday...

Apparently errors are almost inevitable in spreadsheets, and those who research spreadsheet errors (I am dying to ask if these people have a hobby, but then I remember I read grammar books for fun) have wildly varying opinions on the problem, ranging from It's bad to think to Spreadsheet error correction and audit cost more than the original error.

Having seen some of those error rates and their numeric impact, I have a hard time with the latter.

However, since I am not a statistician or a true numbers gal, if you want the real scoop, start with the accountingweb article I read, then you can move on to the research page for the gentleman quoted in the article. If that confuses you as much as it does me, check out the last link to Louise Pryor's blog. She breaks it down in a way that makes the whole error issue a little more comprehensible.

Spreadsheet error research: Wasted time worse than mistakes

Ray Panko's SSR (spreadsheet research) Site

Louise Pryor on Spreadsheet Error Rates