What to do when only one person understands your estimating spreadsheet
Key-person risk sits in the workbook, not in the software brand. Here is how to make the pricing logic usable by the whole team.
6 min read · Published 2026-10-30
If quoting stops when one estimator is on leave, the business does not have a system. It has a person who remembers how the file works.
Find the sheets only they will touch
Sit with the file and list the sheets, named ranges and manual steps that nobody else will change. Those are the places a holiday becomes a missed tender.
Make the next person safe
Lock calculated cells, name the rate sources, and write a one-page map of how a quote moves from takeoff to output. The goal is that a second estimator can price a normal job without a guided tour.
This shows up in construction, fabrication and any trade where the workbook grew with one senior estimator.