A UN Programme Perspective
If you told me close to five years ago that 'changing' the world one United Nations programme at a time would consist mostly of Excel rather than hanging out with dignitaries, flying across the world, driving flashy cars and giving speeches at high level events I would not have believed you. They missed out on this when teaching us History back in high school :').
The reality of working in an INGO outside the traditional 'tech' field has taught me how essential, important and at times fun working with spreadsheets, rows, columns, tables, texts and numeric values can be or simply put, working with Excel. Around two years ago I recall it being something associated mostly with businesses and enterprises, however I do not recall a week going by since without donors, programme managers, stakeholders and I circling back to the same question... is the decision we are making informed by evidence?
Well, how exactly does Excel apply in my industry, one might ask. First, let's understand what Excel is. It's a spreadsheet software that allows users to collect, organize, analyse and visualize information through text and numerical values. It is primarily used to:
- Analyse challenges through data collection.
- Inform business, organization or programme decision making.
- Develop financial plans outlining required budgets and monitor expenditure.
- Monitor, evaluate and report on performance and outcomes.
My first week studying Excel at LuxDev enhanced my knowledge and skill set considerably. I got familiar with the core structure, rows, columns and cells, and the different data types including text, numerical values, currency and dates. I learned how to sort and clean raw data, removing inconsistencies and duplicates, and standardizing formats. On the formulas side, I explored SUM to calculate totals, AVERAGE for the mean value, MIN and MAX for the lowest and highest values, and COUNT to tally the number of values in a range. Beyond formulas, I picked up practical tools like filters to focus on specific criteria, freezing panes to keep headers visible when scrolling through large datasets, and data validation to restrict what can be entered into a cell and ensure consistency.
Personal Reflection
Learning Excel has shifted how I see data. Before, a spreadsheet felt like a static record, something to store and submit. Now I see it as a living document full of questions that, once addressed, inform impactful decision making or flag gaps that require change.
Top comments (1)
Excellent article. It feels original, personal, and engaging. Just polish small grammar/punctuation issues and consider adding screenshots or practical Excel examples to support the strong story.