APIS IQ-Tools – Why NOT Excel

Jürgen Eilers
sales@apis.de

IQ-Version 5.1 - 2007

MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

1 MS Excel
Description (Wikipedia)
Summary

2 APIS IQ-Tools
Description and Features (Manual)
Summary

3 Conclusion
Advantages APIS IQ-Tools
Summary
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

1 MS Excel
Description (Wikipedia)
Summary

2 APIS IQ-Tools
Description and Features (Manual)
Summary

3 Conclusion
Advantages APIS IQ-Tools
Summary
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

MS Excel
Wikipedia (1/3)

Microsoft Excel [...] is a spreadsheet application [...]

It features calculation and graphing tools [...] one of the
most popular microcomputer applications to date.
[...] the cells are organized in rows and columns, and
contain data or formulas with relative or absolute
references to other cells.
Excel was the first spreadsheet that allowed the user
to define the appearance of spreadsheets (fonts, character
attributes and cell appearance). [...] Excel has extensive
graphing capabilities.
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

MS Excel
Wikipedia (2/3)

[...] Since 1993, Excel has included Visual Basic for

Applications (VBA), a programming language based on
Visual Basic which adds the ability to automate tasks in
Excel and to provide user defined functions (UDF) for use
in worksheets. VBA is a powerful addition to the
application which, in later versions, includes a fully
featured integrated development environment (IDE).
Macro recording can produce VBA code replicating user
actions, thus allowing simple automation of regular tasks.
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

MS Excel
Wikipedia (3/3)

VBA allows the creation of forms and in-worksheet

controls to communicate with the user. The language
supports use (but not creation) of ActiveX (COM) DLL’s;
later versions add support for class modules allowing the
use of basic object-oriented programming techniques.
The automation functionality provided by VBA has
caused Excel to become a target for macro viruses. [...]
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

MS Excel
Summary - Excel

Microsoft Excel:
is a spreadsheet tool with cells for calculation and referencing
to other cells
has extensive graphing capabilities
has an integrated programming language based on Visual
Basic called VBA
VBA allows the creation of forms and in-worksheet controls to
communicate with the user
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

1 MS Excel
Description (Wikipedia)
Summary

2 APIS IQ-Tools
Description and Features (Manual)
Summary

3 Conclusion
Advantages APIS IQ-Tools
Summary
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
QM-Document

QM Documents [...] are specified in standards and

publications [...] purpose of APIS IQ-RM is to
comfortably provide consistent QM Documents.
[...] most important QM Documents that can be
created:
FMEA Formsheet, Process Flow Diagram, Control
Plan, Structure Tree, Function Net, Parts Functions
Matrix, Failure Net, Fault Tree, Variants Matrix,
Deadlines Overview, Statistic Evaluations, Request
Structure, Request check list
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Complete Integration - Redundancy-free

Within an IQ-Document several Projects / Structures

can be saved, [...]
Because of the redundancy-free, object-oriented
approach of APIS IQ-RM, a QM Document is not
different from one view to another view because it
contains the same data, i.e. the IQ-Document with all its
IQ-Objects and relationships. Views like the FMEA
Formsheet, Process Flow Diagram, Control Plan, [...] are
always completely integrated and thus contain the same
information. Changes made to IQ-Objects in one view
automatically have effects on all other forms that contain
the same information.
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Terminology Control and Intelligent Re-Use

The information in an IQ-Document is controlled by a

general Terminology Control and makes the intelligent
re-use of information possible.
Certain information [...] affects all IQ-Objects and
views in this Document. Particularly these are:
- Valuation Catalogues: [...] used by default
everywhere where risk valuations are to be assigned
- Symbol Palettes: [...] used by all views that use
Symbols, e.g. in the Process Flow Diagram
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Terminology Control and Intelligent Re-Use

APIS IQ-RM supports the direct input not only in the

various Formsheet Editors (for FMEA, Control Plan,
Process Flow Diagram), but also in all other Editors.
User administration is integrated into APIS IQ-RM.
The System saves different information about a specific
user (name, department, telephone numbers and E-mail
addresses).
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Multilingual Documents

[...] storing the contents of an IQ Document in

several languages. [...] a reference language must be
given. [...] translated into the target language [...] in the
translation mode of the Forms Editor, or by using the
translation dialogue box
[...] supports synchronisation of different language
versions in comparison to the reference language. APIS
IQ-RM recognizes:
- Whether there is already a term for the object in the
translation language
- Whether the term is current in the translation language
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Function Nets

Functions Nets describe how subordinate Functions

cooperate in a System in order to ensure main functions
[...] a cause-effect relationship [...] The number of steps
between a Basic-Function and a Top-Level-Function is
unlimited [...]
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Failure Nets

Failure Nets describe the failure linkages in a System

[...] a cause-effect relationship. [...] can have an
unlimited number of causes and effects and/or
consequences. [...] (in addition to the FMEA way of
thinking) The Failure Nets of APIS IQ-RM describes how
Top-Level Failures develop in steps from elementary
failures (Fault Tree View) or which effects are caused by
an elementary failure in a System (Event Tree View).
The number of the steps between an elementary failure
and a Top-Level failure is unlimited [...]
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Continuous Improvement - Action Groups

[...] a Current-State analysis is performed (What

Actions currently exist? [...] ) and a Target-State is
added to oppose it (What new Actions shall be
introduced? [...]
planned for a certain Deadline (and Responsibility)
[...] documentation of a continuous improvement process
possible. [...] attach as many Revision States as desired
[...] Actions Groups contains one or more Preventive
and Detection Actions and rate them with a common
RPN.
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Summary - IQ-Tools (1/2)

APIS IQ-Software:
different consistent QM-Documents (FMEA, PFD, CP)
redundancy-free, object oriented approach
terminology control
intelligent re-use of information
valuation catalogues are integrated
symbol palettes are integrated
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools
Summary - IQ-Tools (2/2)

APIS IQ-Software:
user friendly input with catalogue support
documentation of logged-in user actions
multilingual documents
support of the translation process
function and failure nets do support the analysis process
continuous improvement process support
(unlimited number of revision states)
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

1 MS Excel
Description (Wikipedia)
Summary

2 APIS IQ-Tools
Description and Features (Manual)
Summary

3 Conclusion
Advantages APIS IQ-Tools
Summary
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools vs. MS Excel

Advantages APIS IQ-Tools (IQ-FMEA / IQ-RM) (1/3)

QM Methodology aspects
There is the requirement to work with function and failure
nets – this can not be realized within Excel.
Automatic checking of consistency and rule based analysis
support will be extremely difficult to realize with Excel.
IQ-Tools do have this integrated
APIS IQ-Tools are well established in the world of FMEA and
Risk Management. There will be the necessity to explain
Excel based solutions.
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools vs. MS Excel

Advantages APIS IQ-Tools (IQ-FMEA / IQ-RM) (2/3)

Practical aspects
Intelligent re-use
Multilanguage support
Specialized views with graphics (Process Flow, Statistics, etc.)
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools vs. MS Excel

Advantages APIS IQ-Tools (IQ-FMEA / IQ-RM) (3/3)

Strategical aspects
Usage of a full functional, object oriented programming
language, not trying to misuse MS Excel. It has been proved
dozenz of times that MS Excel with its VBA will lead to a
dead end situation with respect to performance, functionality
and time for maintaining self developed solutions.
More than 800 customers with several thousand installations
do use the APIS IQ-Tools. A programming team with about
20 software engineers is exclusively developing the IQ-Tools.
MS Excel APIS IQ-Tools Conclusion

APIS IQ-Tools vs. MS Excel

Summary

Summary
1 Because of methodology, practical and strategicaly aspects the
APIS IQ-Software should be used.
2 (Self developed) MS Excel solutions will – sooner or later –
lead to a waste of time.
3 Investments for additional software (APIS IQ-Tools) and
training will give a good return.