ASP, the art and science of practice: Increasing productivity and minimizing errors in operations research spreadsheet models

Operations research practitioners often write spreadsheet software that is used, modified, and transferred to other people over time. They need techniques that enable them to quickly write error-free code whose accuracy can be easily verified and tested. Practitioner spreadsheet models often must be suitable for transfer to others and be robust in the sense that inadvertently introducing errors during reuse and updating is difficult. We examine some problem areas for spreadsheet design and programming and suggest techniques intended to increase productivity and reduce the risk of errors, especially in situations in which someone other than the original author is using or maintaining the spreadsheets.