One long sheet full of raw figures, totals, and chart space quickly becomes hard to read. Real workbooks split the job: a data sheet for the rows you type, a summary sheet for answers a reader can scan, and a charts sheet for the visuals. Today you will rename, colour-code, copy, move, and delete sheets, then restructure your Something Real workbook into three clear named sheets.
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Open {{code:Project_Portfolio}} → {{code:09_specialism}} → {{code:sm3}} and find {{code:sm3_from_template}} (or your latest cleaned sm3 spreadsheet). If you are not sure which file, ask before we start.
Think about that spreadsheet. If a Work Experience supervisor, club treasurer, or customer only had thirty seconds to find the answer they care about, would they know which part of the sheet to look at first?
Use these ideas when you decide how to organise a workbook for a real reader, not just for yourself.
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| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Worksheet (sheet) — one tab inside a workbook where a block of related data or output lives | Readers find answers faster when raw rows, totals, and charts are not fighting for the same space | A Work Experience hours log on a data sheet, with take-home totals on summary |
| Rename and colour-code — give each tab a clear name and a tab colour so the purpose is obvious before anyone clicks | Generic names like Sheet1 waste time; colour helps when you jump between tabs mid-task | Blue tab for data, green for summary, purple for charts on a GAA kit stock workbook |
| Copy, move, delete — duplicate a sheet, drag tabs into a better order, or remove a sheet you no longer need | Copy lets you trial a layout safely; delete clears clutter before a print or Key Assignment hand-in | Duplicate data before a big edit, then delete the trial copy once the live sheet is correct |
| Split versus one table — keep one sheet when everything is one simple list; split when different audiences need different views | Extra sheets add value only when each sheet has a job; empty decoration sheets confuse people | One contact list can stay on a single sheet; a side-hustle cost tracker needs data, summary, and charts |
Jamie's working sheet starts as one messy tab. After restructuring:
Tab order left to right: data, summary, charts. That order matches how a reader thinks: facts first, answers second, picture last.
Same pattern on a different project type. Before: one sheet with week, date, hours, notes, and a total mixed together.
You will mirror this pattern on your own Something Real workbook: rename the sheet that already holds your rows to data, add summary and charts, and put short answer labels on summary. Do not rebuild the whole file from scratch.
Practise multi-sheet operations on a short worked example workbook for Jamie's custom-print side hustle. The practice file already has headings and three product rows on Sheet1, so you start straight on the tabs: rename, colour-code, add sheets, copy and move, then delete a trial copy.
If you colour the wrong tab or make an extra sheet, that is normal — rename, recolour, or delete and keep going; the finished three-tab layout is what counts.
Your own project restructure comes next in Independent Practice.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I renamed the whole file, not the sheet | Sheet names live on the tabs along the bottom of the window. Double-click a tab (or right-click the tab and choose Rename). Chromebook: two-finger tap the tab. The filename is only the title at the very top. |
| I cannot find Tab colour / Change colour | Right-click the sheet tab itself, not a cell (Chromebook: two-finger tap or Alt+click). Colour options sit in that tab menu in both Excel for the web and Google Sheets. |
| Delete is greyed out or I am scared to delete the wrong sheet | You cannot delete the only remaining sheet in a workbook. Duplicate first if you need a safety copy, check the tab name carefully, then delete. If you delete by mistake, use version history in OneDrive or Drive to restore. |
| My sheets are in a random order | Click and drag tabs left or right. Put reader-facing order first: data, then summary, then charts. |
| I think I must cut and paste all my project rows onto a new sheet | Usually you do not. If the live rows are already on the first sheet, rename that sheet to data so the rows stay put. Only copy or paste if data is split across tabs or on the wrong sheet. |
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