--- title: FMCG ERP and The Beatles.......? Spreadsheets cause damage. description: FMCG spreadsheets undermine your S&OP - a little known song by Lennon & McCartney image: https://supplychain.enchange.com/hs-fs/file-52043979-jpg/blog_images/beatles_erp_spreadsheets-resized-600.jpg --- [Login](https://www.enchange.com/login/) - - - - [![Enchange](https://supplychain.enchange.com/hubfs/Enchange_October2019/Image/logo.png)](https://www.enchange.com/) # Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog # FMCG ERP and The Beatles.......? Spreadsheets cause damage. Posted by Dave Jordan on Wed, Jul 04, 2018 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Some time ago I wrote about the way [spreadsheets were undermining expensively assembled ERP’s ](http://bit.ly/dpdIZe)in FMCG, Brewing and Pharmaceutical companies. They still are, by the way. Not too long ago a paper on[ Public Debt and Austerity published by 2 eminent Harvard Professors was found to contain errors in the Excel coding.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22213219) Several significant countries were excluded from the data analysis and therefore the conclusions could not be accurate. The glitch was spotted by a student who like everyone else, believed he and not the professors must be wrong. If you can make mistakes at this level then think what may be happening in your demand planning office. A decimal point in the wrong place or a misplaced cell could lead to market place challenges in stock availability or indeed, excess.![Beatles_ERP_Spreadsheets](https://supplychain.enchange.com/hs-fs/file-52043979-jpg/blog_images/beatles_erp_spreadsheets-resized-600.jpg?width=192&height=128&name=beatles_erp_spreadsheets-resized-600.jpg) The bug in that Public Debt spreadsheet leads me to the Beatles – what a segue! Here is what Lennon & McCartney might have written about spreadsheets and ERPs. Yesterday, an IT man took my Excel away Now I have to plan a different way How I wish it was yesterday Certainly, I’m not as comfortable as I used to be There's a new ERP in front of me. How yesterday came shockingly Why Excel had to go I don't know, IT wouldn’t say Did I plan something wrong? How I long for the Excel way. Yesterday, spreadsheet planning was the only way Now I need to learn a different way I need to believe in our ERP Why Excel had to go I don't know, IT wouldn’t say Did I plan something wrong? How I long for the Excel way. Yesterday, poor planning was the only way Error riddled spreadsheets everyday Now I don’t believe in yesterday Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm *You can catch up with the classic Beatles track by[ clicking here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S09F5MejfBE)* If you do not run an ERP that relegates spreadsheets to useful and reliable supporting tools then you are risking poor planning in your business.  If you are running an ERP you might check exactly where the data comes from, where critical calculations are really made and how secure is the information. *Image courtesy of artur84 at[ freedigitalphotos.net](http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Signage_g309-Abbey_Road_Sign_p151870.html)*   Tags: [Dave Jordan](https://supplychain.enchange.com/topic/dave-jordan), [CEO](https://supplychain.enchange.com/topic/ceo), [Pharma](https://supplychain.enchange.com/topic/pharma), [ERP/SAP](https://supplychain.enchange.com/topic/erp-sap), [Supply Chain](https://supplychain.enchange.com/topic/supply-chain), [Forecasting & Demand Planning](https://supplychain.enchange.com/topic/forecasting-demand-planning), [ERP](https://supplychain.enchange.com/topic/erp) ### Subscribe Here! ## Implementation Guide - 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