8 Reasons to Use Microsoft Lists ASAP (Episode 56 Transcript)

If you’re like almost every other business, you track a lot of stuff in spreadsheets. You most likely use Microsoft Excel, but perhaps you use Google Sheets or some other alternative. Spreadsheets are easy to understand and use because table rows and columns are almost as old as the written word itself.

Spreadsheets are a great way to track items of almost any kind and you don’t have to be a computer whiz-kid to understand them.

Today, I’m going to tell you eight reasons why Microsoft Lists may be a much more useful alternative than your spreadsheet program.

I’m Annie Rynd, your faithful hostess of the 1,001 Business Problems solved with Microsoft Teams podcast. Let’s get right to it.

If you’re not familiar with Microsoft Lists, they’ve been around for over twenty years as a part of SharePoint. Lists became available as a stand alone app – that is, separate from SharePoint – a couple of years ago.

Before you race out to build your own lists however, you might want to wait on next week’s episode. I’ll tell you how to hit it out of the park with your very first list.

The first reason to use lists is that you get a single source of truth. In many organizations, data is shared and updated by multiple people.

When using Excel, it's easy to end up with multiple versions of the same file, leading to confusion and errors. SharePoint lists solve this problem by ensuring that there's only one version of the data.

Everyone accesses and updates the same list, so you always have the most current information. This is crucial for maintaining data integrity and avoiding the headaches that come with version control issues.

Secondly, we have enhanced collaboration. SharePoint lists allow multiple users to simultaneously update the data without the risk of creating conflicting versions. This makes collaboration more efficient and reduces the likelihood of errors.

Imagine working on a project where team members are constantly updating information. With Excel, you might have to wait for someone to finish their updates before you can make yours.

But with SharePoint lists, everyone can work together in real-time, making the process smoother and more productive. We’ve seen dozens of employees working in a single list at the same time before…

Third, data integrity and control. SharePoint lists offer better control over your data.

You can set permissions to control who can view or edit specific parts of the list. This reduces the risk of accidental changes or deletions.

For example, you might want certain team members to only view the data, while others have the ability to edit it. SharePoint makes it easy to manage these permissions, ensuring that your data remains secure and accurate.

Fourth, is automation and integration. SharePoint lists integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 tools like Power Automate, allowing you to automate workflows and processes.

This can save time and improve efficiency.

For instance, you can set up automated notifications for when new items are added to the list or when certain conditions are met. This level of automation can significantly streamline your operations and reduce manual tasks.

The fifth reason to use lists is the ability to build custom views using automatic filtering, sorting, and grouping.

SharePoint lists offer powerful features for sorting, filtering, and creating custom views of your data. This makes it easier to find and analyze the information you need.

Whether you're looking to view data by specific criteria or create a dashboard that highlights key metrics, SharePoint lists provide the flexibility to tailor your views to your needs. This is especially useful for large datasets where finding specific information quickly can be challenging.

The sixth reason is notifications and alerts.

You can set up notifications and alerts in SharePoint lists to keep track of changes or updates. This ensures that you stay informed about important data changes.

For example, you can receive an email alert when a new item is added to the list or when someone makes an update. These notifications help you stay on top of your data and respond promptly to any changes.

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The seventh reason is data visualization. SharePoint lists can be used to create charts and graphs, helping you visualize your data more effectively and make informed decisions.

Visualizing data can provide insights that are not immediately apparent from raw numbers. Whether you're presenting data to stakeholders or analyzing trends, the ability to create visual representations of your data is a powerful tool.

And finally, you can link several lists together and build awesome high level dashboards that can cut hours off your decision making time. You and your employees can simply glimpse at the dashboard for important information rather than digging through multiple Excel spreadsheets.

Dashboards and customized views are perhaps our favorite use of Lists.

So, there you have it — eight compelling reasons to consider using SharePoint lists instead of Excel for managing your data. From enhanced collaboration to powerful data visualization, SharePoint lists offer a range of features that can improve your workflow and help you maintain data integrity. If you haven't explored SharePoint lists yet, now might be the perfect time to give them a try.

Next week, I’ll give you an introduction to using lists. I’ll also give you several examples where we’ve used Lists in the past to get your creative juices flowing.

…If you found this episode useful, please consider sending it to your business owning bestie and leave us a review. Until then, stay curious and keep exploring!

This is Annie, signing off!