FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I bring a laptop and ask you to have one as well, so it's all hands-on right from the beginning. There are so many things you can do with Excel, so I first ask about some of the things you would hope to be able to do with it. If you don't know yet or if you've never used Excel, I give you the basics--entering and manipulating data--and then a sampling of things you can do--graph the data, summarize it, sort and filter, calculate from it. We go from there based on your needs and interests.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
PhD in mathematics, extensive self-study of applications of Excel to real-world decisions.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I was a mission analyst for Hughes Electronics for more than 20 years. We built large "systems of systems" that combined computers, sensors, communications, and people to perform a mission, such as the real-time management of a regional highway system. My job was to evaluate alternative approaches, before any of this was built, to predict how well they would perform. I built complex mathematical models to do this, but very often fell back on Excel to make quick comparisons. I later used Excel for financial analysis for myself and family members. The more I used it, the more powerful it became. At the same time it became simpler as I discovered great short cuts and techniques. I wanted to learn more about it, but found that almost all Excel books and classes were focused on reporting static data. I'm now filling a huge gap in Excel education.