spreadsheet-audit-edit-validate

Spreadsheet Audit Edit Validate

Use this workflow whenever you need to modify or generate an Excel workbook and the task depends on matching an expected workbook structure. The goal is to avoid editing the wrong file, writing into the wrong sheet, or delivering a workbook that does not satisfy the user's required tabs, columns, or counts. Use this workflow whenever you need to create or modify an Excel workbook and the task depends on matching an expected workbook structure. The goal is to avoid editing the wrong file, writing into the wrong sheet, or delivering a workbook that does not satisfy the user's required tabs, columns, or counts.

Important: This workflow has two distinct modes depending on the task type:

Task Type	Pre-edit Audit	Post-write Validation
Modify existing workbook	Full audit required (Phases 1-2)	Full validation required (Phase 4)
Create new workbook from source/reference data	Skip pre-edit audit (no existing file to audit)	Full validation required (Phase 4)

This is a workflow skill, not a tool-specific recipe. Apply it with any spreadsheet-capable tooling.

When to use

Use this workflow when:

• You are modifying an existing workbook AND the workbook path is uncertain or must be discovered from the filesystem
• The workbook path is uncertain or must be discovered from the filesystem
• Multiple similar .xlsx or .xlsm files may exist
• The user specifies required sheet names, row counts, sample counts, or populated columns
• A silent structure mismatch would cause downstream errors

Before proceeding, determine which workflow mode applies:

Mode A: Modify existing workbook - Use the full workflow (all phases) when there is an existing workbook file that must be updated in place, the user references an existing file, or the task requires preserving existing data/formulas/formatting.

Mode B: Create new workbook from source/reference data - Skip Phase 1 (locate) and Phase 2 (pre-edit audit) when the task requires generating a new workbook from scratch, source data exists elsewhere but the target workbook does not exist, or the user asks to "create", "generate", or "build" a report. Phase 4 (post-write validation) is still MANDATORY for create mode.