The alternative to a profitability spreadsheet only its author understands
Almost every consultancy has run its business from a spreadsheet, and for a while it works. The problem is not Excel: it is that the number arrives late, depends on someone consolidating it, and nobody can fully audit the formulas underneath.
The same control, calculated on its own: hours, real cost, project margin, utilisation, invoicing and P&L.
If you are a handful of people with two or three concurrent projects and comfortable margins, Excel is enough and switching would be over-engineering. The signals that it has run out of road are specific: someone spends days on the close, decisions get made on last month’s data, and there has already been a scare from a formula dragged wrong.
Why consultancies start looking for a Excel alternative
The number always arrives late
The sheet updates when someone consolidates it, usually at month end. By then the project that was drifting has already been delivered, and all that is left is explaining why the margin did not land.
A broken formula can survive for months
A range dragged wrong or a row inserted in the wrong place changes the result silently. Nobody truly audits a spreadsheet, so the error surfaces once it has already backed several decisions.
It depends on one person
There is always someone who "owns the spreadsheet". Their holidays, sick leave or departure are a real operational risk, and the model is almost never documented outside their head.
It does not scale with the portfolio
With three projects it copes fine. With thirty, every close is an archaeology exercise: duplicated tabs, versions by email and a consolidation that gets more fragile each month.
Excel and Tenki, point by point
| What you need | Excel | Tenki |
|---|---|---|
| Licence cost | Practically nil: you already have it installed | Per-user subscription, with a 14-day trial |
| Real cost | The hours someone spends every month maintaining and consolidating it | Maintenance, improvements and support included in the subscription |
| Data reliability | A broken formula can go months undetected | System calculation, identical across every project and auditable |
| Freshness | Whenever someone consolidates, usually at month end | Real time, as the team logs hours and expenses |
| Recording hours | Everyone fills in their tab when they remember | Timesheet and timer, with automatic detection of who has not filled in |
| Versions | Copies by email and "_final_good" files living side by side | One source of truth, with history and traceability |
| Permissions | All or nothing per file: whoever opens the sheet sees everything | Granular roles and permissions by profile and project |
| Alerts | None: you find out when you sit down to look | Automatic warning on negative margin or excess overtime |
| Scalability | Copes well with few people and few concurrent projects | Built for portfolios of dozens of projects and growing teams |
This comparison is based on Excel's public documentation and on our own experience migrating consultancies and agencies. Excel and every other brand mentioned belong to their respective owners; this page is not affiliated with them. Spotted something out of date? Write to info@soamee.com and we will fix it.
When to switch and when to stay
Stay on Excel if…
- You are two or three people, with few concurrent projects and a simple business model.
- Your way of working changes so much that no tool captures it, and you prefer the total freedom of a sheet.
- You need to model very specific scenarios that no standard product contemplates.
- You are still defining how you work and locking the process into a platform would be premature.
Switch to Tenki if…
- Month-end close costs you days of consolidating hours, expenses and invoicing by hand.
- You discover loss-making projects once they have been delivered and there is no room to manoeuvre.
- There has been at least one scare from a formula dragged wrong or an outdated version of the file.
- Only one person understands the model, and their absence leaves the company blind.
- You need management, account leads and the team to see the same thing, each with the right permissions.
What migrating from Excel looks like
We analyse your current sheet
We review how you calculate margin today: which costs you include, how you allocate overheads and what decisions you take with that number. It is the best way not to lose anything on the way.
We replicate your model
We set up clients, projects, rates, expense categories and utilisation targets so the margin you see in Tenki is comparable with the one you were calculating.
We load the history
Bulk CSV import of hours, projects and expenses from your sheets. If the format is irregular, we normalise it before uploading.
We reconcile and go live
We compare a month already closed in Excel with the same month in Tenki until the numbers match. From there, the spreadsheet stops being maintained.
The modules that close the loop
Weekly timesheet, daily timer, bulk CSV import and automatic compliance.
Real-time project margin, burn rate, scope creep and utilisation.
Expenses, invoicing, projected cashflow and automatic P&L.
More than 20 connected modules: team, clients, projects and KPIs.
Pick who we compare ourselves against
Compare it against your real projects, not a generic demo
Tell us how you handle hours and profitability today, and we will walk you through Tenki with your projects, your team and your margins. No commitment, no cost.
Book a free demoFAQs about migrating from Excel
Can you import my spreadsheets?
What if my Excel calculates very specific things?
How do I know the numbers will match?
Can I still export to Excel?
Is it worth it if we are only a few people?
How long until we drop Excel entirely?
Tell us your challenge. We'll propose a solution.
No commitment. Within 24 hours, you'll receive a proposal with scope, timeline and budget. No fine print.