Reporting automation 4h Returned each week
The Monday report that used to take four hours
One analyst spent every Monday morning rebuilding the same workbook by hand. It now lands at 6am, finished.
Reporting automation
The report that takes someone four hours every Monday, rebuilt so it is finished before they arrive.
What it looks like
Someone spends hours every week rebuilding the same report by hand: exporting, pasting, fixing, formatting, sending. It works, but only because that person is careful, and only when they’re in.
I sit with whoever does it now and write down every step, including the ones they don’t think of as steps. Then I rebuild it so it runs by itself, using tools you already have wherever possible: scheduled queries, Power Query, Apps Script, or a small scheduled job.
What you get
The report arrives on time and finished. Anything the automation can’t be sure of is flagged rather than guessed. The commentary, the judgement, and the decision about what to send stay with your people.
You also get a one-page runbook: what runs, when, where it lives, and what to check if a number looks wrong.
Good fit if
- A recurring report eats half a day or more
- Holidays and sick days mean the report goes late
- The manual steps are well understood but tedious
Bad fit if
- “Temporary” really is temporary
- The report design keeps changing