Field note · 3 May 2026
Before you automate a spreadsheet ritual
Some workbook habits encode vendor quirks on purpose. Automating them blindly freezes a bad compromise.
Operations teams often ask for Python to “just do what the spreadsheet does.” Sometimes that is right. Sometimes the spreadsheet is a museum of workarounds.
Questions we ask first
- Which columns does a human still eyeball every time?
- Which step exists only because a vendor renames files weekly?
- Who would notice if the color codes disappeared tomorrow?
If the answers show active judgment, we keep a human checkpoint and automate the mechanical merge. If the answers show fear of changing a fragile formula, we migrate carefully and document assumptions in comments the next planner can read.
Programming consulting for operations teams earns trust by refusing to enshrine accidents.