Software development and consulting

FICTIONAL EXAMPLE: UPDATING SUPPLIER PRICES

This is an example of a written recommendation, not a client case study or a tested solution. No client files, formulas, code, or systems were inspected.

The decision
Should the team replace its pricing spreadsheet, automate the supplier-price update, or keep doing it manually?

The workflow described
A supplier sends a spreadsheet each month. An operator matches product codes, copies prices into a master workbook, and approves the changes before anyone uses them in quotes. The workbook otherwise suits the team. This example is based on that description and a process diagram.

My recommendation
Keep the workbook and the approval step for now. First, check whether the spreadsheet software can import the supplier file and show the proposed changes beside the current prices. If an existing feature can do the job, try that before commissioning custom code. The import problem alone isn't a reason to replace the workbook.

The alternatives
- Keep a manual checklist if updates are quick or infrequent. Copying errors will still be possible.
- Use an existing import feature if it meets the requirements. Someone needs to maintain the product-code mapping and handle rejected rows.
- Build a small importer if the existing features can't handle the agreed rules. Changes to the supplier's format could create more maintenance work.
- Consider a replacement application if other requirements justify it.

Is automation worth the cost?
Measure the time spent preparing and correcting representative updates, and record recurring mistakes. Compare the work automation could remove with the cost of setup, training, checking, and maintenance. Without those measurements, I can't say whether buying automation would be worthwhile.

What still needs checking
Confirm that the workbook's calculations are suitable and that product codes identify items consistently. Decide how to handle unit or currency changes, effective dates, missing prices, and potentially duplicate rows. The software shouldn't guess those rules. Identify who will approve updates and maintain the mapping.

The next step
Prepare a non-sensitive supplier file, a correctly updated result, and examples of bad input for whoever implements the change. Agree on these checks before building:
- Product codes, prices, and units match the reference result.
- Missing mappings and ambiguous rows are explained before an update proceeds.
- Rejected input leaves the approved price list unchanged.
- Running the same import again doesn't create duplicate records.
- The operator can preview changes and recover from an error using written instructions.

These are proposed checks; they haven't been carried out. Resolve disputed pricing rules before building.