Stop using Excel for managing applications

Challenge

Organizations without a system to manage applications and packages often face a proliferation of “lists,” typically created in Excel. Though Excel is helpful, it’s insufficient for managing extensive lists (e.g., hundreds of applications with associated information across dozens of columns). As a result, team members often neglect to update these lists, leading to outdated information. Moreover, copying parts of these lists to create specific lists for particular insights only exacerbates the issue.

The common problems include:

1. Shared Excel sheets cause corrupt files when multiple people work on them.
2. Excel sheets are prone to errors, such as incorrect calculations due to accidental cell deletions.
3. No history is preserved; overwriting a cell erases previous values.
4. Interaction with other systems (e.g., ITSM, SCCM, or Active Directory) is limited and challenging.
5. There’s no link between spreadsheet data and documents, packages, folders, etc.
6. Reporting is often manual, time-consuming, incomplete, or incorrect.
7. Securing information is complex.
8. Excel sheet proliferation risks confusion about current information.
9. Information is always a snapshot, as it’s not automatically updated.
10. The application packaging process is not transparent, unclear to employees, unsecured, and not apparent to users outside the process.

Solution

SparkleFlow eliminates this chaos by creating a “Single Source of Truth” using a central data model tailored to the customer’s needs. This customized setup ensures that all information finds its place. In addition, the data model automatically exchanges information about applications and packages with other systems and documents, enhancing the application packaging process:

1. All employees participate in the process from their perspective without interference.
2. SparkleFlow’s flat, robust, foolproof data model prevents errors and corrupt data.
3. The history of each application and associated package is saved and easily reportable.
4. Data exchange between systems is fully automated, saving time.
5. All information, documents, packages, and source files are automatically secured and organized.
6. Reporting is real-time and fully automated, saving time weekly.
7. Storing application information is configurable and easy to manage.
8. A “Single Source of Truth” ensures clarity and eliminates ambiguity about information currency.
9. Information and reports are always real-time and up-to-date.
10. With all engineers using SparkleFlow, process tracking is guaranteed, providing real-time KPIs for management.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL

“SparkleFlow streamlines the application packaging process, enabling better performance and monitoring. Previously, we had no overview of applications except for a few Excel lists. SparkleFlow provides insight into available applications, their status, and whether a new application can be requested. Consequently, we reduced the number of applications from 6,500 to 550, resulting in significant cost and time savings—an investment well worth it.”