Digitaly sign a cell/password protect a cell

[Ian Murray]

Trusting some one can assist.
I am trying to set up a worksheet that records a persons
competency at a particular task. When the "subject person"
has completed the task it is recorded in the worksheet.

To allow the "subject person" to be signed off on it the
supervisor is required to sign off on the task. Currently
we print the sheet off and it is manually signed.

Is it possible to insert a digital signature into the cell
that would identify the supervisor. or allow the
supervisor to type his name in a cell and then loch that
cell with his password.

Thanks Ian

 

[Harlan Grove]

Trusting some one can assist.
I am trying to set up a worksheet that records a persons
competency at a particular task. When the "subject person"
has completed the task it is recorded in the worksheet.

To allow the "subject person" to be signed off on it the
supervisor is required to sign off on the task. Currently
we print the sheet off and it is manually signed.

Is it possible to insert a digital signature into the cell
that would identify the supervisor. or allow the
supervisor to type his name in a cell and then loch that
cell with his password.

Not in any robust fashion. You could embed, for example, a uuencoded binary
digital key in a cell, but there's no completely secure way to ensure it's never
modified or copied. Excel isn't unusual among spreadsheets - they all have
minimal security features. Light idiot-proofing tools rather than defenses
against knowledgeable and determined abusers.

If your company has an e-mail system of its own, you may have the foundation for
a home-grown, nonspreadsheet alternative that provides built-in (rather than
hacked on) digital singature functionality.

 

[Gord Dibben]

Ian

The supervisor could type his name in a cell then Protect the sheet with a
password so's no one could delete it.

But, the person taking the test could do this as well.

Also, Sheet protection passwords are easily cracked.

My experience as a supervisor dealing with documenting testing for
task-competency and legal "due diligence" items has been to get the testee and
the supervisor to sign a hard-copy of the paper.

Governmental regulatory bodies usually will recognize only a signed copy as
proof of the testee's training and your compliance with "due diligence".

No way do you want to face the legal issues that arise when the employee is
injured or is disciplined and states "I was not trained" and all you have is a
worksheet with no signatures.

Gord Dibben Excel MVP