Spreadsheet Models for Managers

Getting Access to Spreadsheet Models for Managers

f you use Excel to model businesses, business processes, or business transactions, this course will change your life. You'll learn how to create tools for yourself that will amaze even you. Unrestricted use of this material is available in two ways.

As a stand-alone Web site: It resides on your computer, and you can use it anywhere. No need for Internet access.
At this Web site: If you have access to the Internet whenever you want to view this material, you can purchase on-line access. Unlimited usage. I'm constantly making improvements and you'll get them as soon as they're available.

To Order On Line

Order "Spreadsheet Models for Managers, on-line edition, one month" by credit card, for USD 69.95 each, using our secure server, and receive download instructions by return email.

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Or order via Google Checkout.

Order "Spreadsheet Models for Managers, on-line edition, three months" by credit card, for USD 199.00 each, using our secure server, and receive download instructions by return email.

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Or order via Google Checkout.

Order "Spreadsheet Models for Managers, downloadable hyperbook edition" by credit card, for USD 199.00 each, using our secure server, and receive download instructions by return email.

Add this item to your order

Or order via Google Checkout.

To Order by Mail

Make your check payable to Chaco Canyon Consulting, for the amount indicated:

For the download: USD 199.00
For access online for three months: USD 199.00
For access online for one month: USD 69.95

And send it to:
Chaco Canyon Consulting
700 Huron Avenue, Suite 11J
Cambridge, MA 02138

To use the course software you'll need some other applications, which you very probably already have. By placing your order, you're confirming that you have the software you need, as described on this site.

Spreadsheet Models for Managers

Frequently Asked Questions

ll of the questions below are drawn from actual questions asked by students in the past. They're edited a little, sometimes to make them clearer and sometimes to make them more general than the original form in which they were asked.

We offer this FAQ in the hope that by anticipating your questions, you'll spend less time hunting around for the answers.

If you have a question that you don't find here, and you think it's a question that will occur to many others, please send it to Rick.

General Questions

General Questions

1. My job requires that I travel, and I probably will miss some classes. Will this affect my grade?: Not directly — even though we take attendance, attendance doesn't enter the grading computation. It could have indirect effects, though. For example, you'll miss the class presentations and discussions, and that might contribute to some difficulty in understanding some of the material we cover. But as long as you're able to access the Internet, you should be OK — you'll have access to all course materials, you'll be able to submit your homework and project, you'll be able to download solutions, and you can participate in the course email discussion list, rbrenner@ChacoCanyon.com.
2. How will we know about weather cancellations?: Harvard rarely closes for weather, but if they do, they'll post a notice on the Extension School Home Page. Full details
3. I joined the course late. How can I get full credit for the assignments I missed?: You can get full credit for any assignments for which we have not yet posted solutions, if you submit them by the due date. But since we do post solutions, we can't give full credit for assignments you submit while you have access to the official solution. We will give you partial credit, though, for any assignments you turn in late (approximately 50%, depending upon how late).
4. I won't be able to attend the next class. How should I let you know?: We do appreciate your telling us in advance. Please send mail to rbrenner@ChacoCanyon.com and/or to Rick Brenner. Please don't send your note to the course discussion list, because it annoys your fellow students.
5. I would like to use a version of Excel in another language other than American English. Is that acceptable?: No. Please use an American English version of Excel.
6. I haven't taken the prerequisite course ISMT E-110. My Excel and Word skills are OK, but nothing special. I have no knowledge of PowerPoint. Would I be able to successfully take this class?: I think so, though it's difficult to say for sure. You won't need to construct any PowerPoint documents, because we use it only for reading. You'll have to construct some Word documents, but they're pretty simple. The only issue might be Excel. If you know what a spreadsheet is, and you know how to enter formulas, and how to navigate around a workbook, and you're willing to use on-line help, you should be OK.
7. Do I need to have special math knowledge to take this course?: Probably not, depending on what you mean by "special." You won't have to solve equations, and you won't need calculus or trigonometry. You'll have to think, and you'll have to learn how to use some of Excel's worksheet functions. The mathematics you'll need is fundamental, in the sense that you must be able to think clearly about mathematical concepts, but you won't have to perform calculations yourself.
8. I can't find "SMM menu" in Excel on my computer. What should I do?: Apparently, you haven't yet installed the special tools for this course. Read Special Tools for this Course, and read the material in Getting Started, while you're at it.
9. Do I have to work through the sessions in order?: Yes and no. I'd recommend that you do Sessions 1-4 first, in order. After that, you can resequence the following sets of sessions in any order: 5, 6, 7, 8-10, 11, 12, 13-15. That is, for example, you should work through 13-15 in order and 8-10 in order. But other than that, you can mix them up.
10. How much time is involved in working through each session: They do vary, of course, but the average is about 7-9 hours per week. I recommend that you do one per week.

11. Do I have to do a project?

Since you're working on your own, no. But there are tremendous benefits to doing a project. You'll learn what's really involved in working on a model that isn't related to any particular lesson. The "lesson" constraint provides a big hint about what techniques to use to solve the problem. When you work on a project, the absence of that constraint removes the hint. That's what makes real life so difficult.

12. What kinds of projects are acceptable?

Take a look at the page of information about the course project and the archive of past course projects.

13. I'd like to do a project that I can use at work. Do you have any special advice or cautions about trying that?

Be very careful about such an approach. The risk you're taking is that it can be much more work than we require for this course. "Real" projects often require real historical data, and much more detail than would be necessary for a class project. They also tend to be tools rather than models, and they sometimes call for using worksheet functions and capabilities (such as macros) that are not approved for the course project.

Here's another approach. Create something simpler, focusing on concepts covered in this course. But do it in such a way that you can later elaborate it so that it becomes something you actually could use at work.

14. Is it permissible to use the X feature of Excel for the project?

Read the requirements for projects.

For more about my spreadsheet consulting and training services, visit SpreadsheetAce.com.

Spreadsheet Models for Managers

Getting Access to Spreadsheet Models for Managers

Spreadsheet Models for Managers

Frequently Asked Questions

Instructor Contact Information

Author Contact Information