A Guide to Model‐Building Etiquette
Johnathan C. Mun · 2012
This chapter lists some model building blocks that every professional model builder should at least consider implementing in his or her Excel spreadsheets. One of the major considerations in model building is its documentation. Although this step is often overlooked, it is crucial in order to allow continuity, survivorship, and knowledge transfer from one generation of model builders to the next. Inheriting a model that is not documented from a predecessor will only frustrate the new user. The recommended approach is simply to provide each workbook and worksheet a descriptive name. However, one should always consider brevity in the naming convention but yet provide sufficient description of the model. If multiple developers work on the model, when the model is saved, the changes, tweaks, edits, and modifications should always be documented such that any past actions can be undone should it become necessary. Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a powerful Excel tool that can assist in automating a significant amount of work.