Cheap and Cheerful Toolkit vs ProVal: When Excel Becomes a Lifestyle Choice

Let’s start with a confession.

Some development teams use spreadsheets.
Some organisations run on them.

Excel is the Swiss Army knife of appraisal: familiar, flexible, and capable of doing almost anything, provided the person holding it knows what they’re doing, remembers what they did six months ago, and doesn’t accidentally delete column J.

For years, the “cheap and cheerful spreadsheet” has been the quiet hero of development viability. And to be fair, it might still have its place.

But there comes a moment in every organisation’s life when Excel stops being a tool... and starts being a liability.

That’s usually when ProVal enters the conversation.

Why Spreadsheets Refuse to Die

Spreadsheets are popular because they:

• Cost nothing (apparently)

• Let you “just tweak one thing quickly”

• Make everyone feel in control

• Can be emailed around endlessly with filenames like: Final_FINAL_v7_USE_THIS_ONE.xlsx

They are also:

• Personally owned

• Highly customised

• Held together by institutional memory and healthy dose of optimism

For early feasibility work or one-off schemes, this is usually fine. Excel does not cause problems.
It simply waits patiently for scale, scrutiny, or staff turnover.

The Spreadsheet Danger Zone

Things tend to unravel when spreadsheets move from helpful to mission critical.

1. The "Only Dave Understand IT" Model

Every organisation has one.
A spreadsheet so advanced, so delicately balanced, that only its creator can safely open it.
Dave goes on holiday.
Dave wins Lotto.
Dave leaves.
The spreadsheet remains.

2. Version Control by Guesswork

At some point, the question is asked:
“Which appraisal are we approving?”
No one is entirely sure.
There is a working version, a Board version, a revised Board version, and a version that was “just adjusted for one assumption” but never made it back into the master file.
Everyone nods. The meeting moves on.

3. Governance by Trust

When challenged, spreadsheet assurance usually sounds like:

• “That’s how we’ve always done it”

• “The formula’s always worked before”

• “I’m pretty sure nothing changed there”

This is the natural outcome of using a tool that was never designed for governance, auditability, or institutional resilience.

What ProVal does (other than lower everyone's blood pressure)

ProVal doesn’t try to replace Excel’s flexibility.
It replaces Excel’s unwritten rules.

1. Structure without the Straitjacket

You still control assumptions, but within a consistent, proven framework.
No creative interpretations of NPV.
No “bespoke” cashflow logic that only exists in one file.

2. One Version of the Truth (Radical Concept)

Schemes are appraised consistently:

• Same methodology

• Same parameters

• Same Assumptions

Comparisons become meaningful. Boards become calmer.

3. Audit Trails that don't require Power of Deduction

ProVal makes it obvious:

• What changed

• Why it changed

• What the impact is

This turns “trust me” into “see for yourself’

4. Scenario Testing Without Emotional Damage

Instead of duplicating spreadsheets and hoping for the best, ProVal lets you test:

• Costs

• Rents

• Grant

• Timing

• Mix

Quickly. Repeatedly. Safely.

"But Excel is Cheaper..."

Excel is free in the same way a RSPCA puppy is free.

The real costs show up as:

• Time spent maintaining fragile models

• Time spent explaining them

• Time spent reconciling differences

• Conservative decisions driven by uncertainty

• And, occasionally, very expensive surprises

ProVal costs money.
It also buys back time, confidence, and sleep.

When to stick with Excel (No Judgement)

Spreadsheets are still perfectly acceptable when:

• You’re testing early ideas

• The scheme is small

• The risk is limited

• The consequences of being wrong are manageable

But when appraisals underpin:

• Board approvals

• Business plan capacity

• Regulatory confidence

• Long-term investment decisions

Excel stops being “cheap and cheerful”
and starts being brave and reckless

Final Thought

When development becomes too important to be held together by a workbook last edited at 11:47pm.

ProVal is Salvation.