I recently came across a post by Helen Wall on LinkedIn, featuring an image of an iceberg—10% visible above water, with the remaining 90% hidden below. It’s a powerful metaphor that’s been used to explain many concepts. When Helen shared it, I’m sure most people interpreted it as a reflection of how, in our work, what people see is only the surface, while much more remains hidden underneath. From a social media engagement perspective, this image is perfect—it’s open to interpretation, and no matter how it’s understood, people tend to agree with it.
But I’d like to develop this metaphor further, especially in the context of Excel spreadsheets, which can resemble icebergs more than we might realize. When you look at a spreadsheet, you see the front end—the visible 10%—but beneath the surface lies an ever-growing complexity, which over time becomes risky and fragile. The more you build on it, the deeper the iceberg sinks, weighed down by external links, formulas, and complexity that remain hidden from view.
The worst case I’ve seen had 307 million external links and a tangled web of unnecessary and overly complex formulas. At this point, the spreadsheet becomes an iceberg ready to crack. And when the bottom half breaks, the top half doesn’t just stay afloat—it sinks too. Everything above the surface—your visible solution—depends on what’s below, and when that fragile complexity collapses, the entire solution crumbles.
What we need is a way to stop spreadsheet solutions from behaving like icebergs. Instead of resting on this unstable, invisible mass, they should be built on solid ground. We want solutions that are reliable, scalable, and not prone to collapse under the weight of complexity.
In practical terms, this means reducing the number of moving parts, eliminating fragile mechanisms, and creating a robust foundation. For example, in the WP Annual Budgeting Challenge, the key was simplifying the process and removing unnecessary dependencies, resulting in a more scalable and reliable system.
When we build on icebergs, adding more layers of complexity only makes them sink deeper. Likewise, in spreadsheets, piling on new features and requirements without simplifying the underlying structure leads to more instability. What’s more, hidden risks often lurk in the connectivity between systems. Changes in one system can break links in another, leading to cascading failures across your entire solution.
There’s also a cultural aspect to consider. Those who built the original complexity—who perhaps rely on it for their jobs—often resist changes that make things simpler and more reliable. They may feel that their work is being undermined or made obsolete. But the truth is, eliminating fragility and complexity doesn’t just remove problems; it creates opportunities for greater scalability and efficiency.
By reducing complexity, we transform the iceberg into solid ground. Imagine the iceberg becoming an island—no longer fragile, but stable and capable of expanding. Now, the work happening below the surface isn’t adding fragility—it’s strengthening the solution. The complexity that once made the system brittle is replaced with a solid, scalable foundation. The iceberg paradigm is replaced by an island, built to support what’s above ground and ready to grow.
In essence, we need to stop firefighting the constant problems that arise from complex, fragile spreadsheets and start building solutions that are scalable, self-testing, and dependable. The invisible 90% beneath the surface should support the solution, not threaten to sink it. It’s time to break away from the iceberg paradigm and create something more stable, scalable, and ultimately, more valuable.
Add comment