The file everyone depends on
Sales are in one tab, stock in another, and a few columns have names no one remembers. The sheet still works, until two people change the same row or a formula breaks before a monthly report.
Notice when the tool becomes the workflow
Warning signs include several competing copies, repeated manual imports, complex permissions, fragile formulas, and a person who has to remember what happens next. Each one adds a little risk and maintenance.
Promote the job, not the file
Write down what the spreadsheet is doing: who adds information, who checks it, which decisions depend on it, and what other systems need the result. Then decide whether a shared database, an existing service, or a focused piece of software fits the job.
Keep what still works
The goal is not to replace every spreadsheet. It is to give a growing process better ownership, access control, validation, and reporting when the current setup can no longer provide them.