Frequent questions answered
I get these questions very frequently across countries, industries, and roles. Let's handle them upfront. Just browse through the questions and clarify your thoughts.
Which apps/tools are we covering?
Whenever I refer to Microsoft 365, I am referring to all the apps available on the platform at the time of writing this book.
Do not let the number of tools scare you. At this stage, do not say, "I do not need all this."
Figure 1.14 – Microsoft 365 apps
As you go through the book, you will understand which app to use when and why. You will learn the most key features for each of these apps. You can then decide which ones are relevant to your work.
How can you cover so many tools in one book?
There are two reasons.
Firstly, we need to at least know what each app does, what need it is serving, and when to use it.
Secondly, we are not covering each app in detail. That would make the book too long and boring. The purpose of this book is to cover the "must-know" features from each of these tools. The objective is not to make you a pro in one tool but make you an expert in using the right tool in the right way.
More importantly, you will learn how to learn. This will empower you to learn on your own for the rest of your life!
Is this a tips and tricks book?
No. Tips and tricks are isolated, quick solutions.
This book is not a quick fix. It is a process. It is a mindset change. It is empowerment.
The aim of this book is to make you more efficient and more effective. The topics in this book are handpicked to ensure that they will be relevant to common work needs.
You will learn how to use the tools in an integrated manner to minimize manual work and eliminate wastage of precious time.
What will we not cover?
The two Office apps we will not cover are as follows:
- Access
- Publisher
Why not? Because in a typical business context, they have lost practical utility. Agreed, Access is a great database, but nowadays very few people have the requisite knowledge of proper database design. They tend to use Access like Excel, which defeats the purpose of using it. Furthermore, in the early days, Excel could manage a limited number of rows, so Access was the natural external database. Now, with Power Pivot and data models, the Excel row limit and scalability constraints no longer apply. Therefore, the most common need for using Access no longer exists.
Publisher is designed for creating print and web graphics. It is a great tool. But nowadays, more popular tools exist – Canva, Spark, even PowerPoint. Therefore, I decided not to cover Publisher.
Why are there so many apps? Do I need all of them?
All these apps have a purpose. Microsoft is a professional, smart, and profitable company. You can be rest assured that they will not put effort to make apps that have no purpose or benefit.
How to use this book
This book will help you find solutions to your needs.
Each topic in every chapter starts with a need and then shows the solution. If it is your need (requirement/use case), continue reading the topic. If not, go to the next topic.
Also, think about whether someone else around you (colleague, boss, subordinate) has that need. If yes, refer them to the solution.
Do not limit your thinking to the original need or scenario. Think more and find other situations where the same solution/feature may be applicable.