Over the years I have noticed a few conventions that make spreadsheets easier to read from a model perspective. - Inputs should have their own tab and ideally a name. Should also be a color-coded font (blue is popular). - A worksheet should work left to right, top to bottom. I am always frustrated when I try to work through someone else's spreadsheet and the formulas just drift across a tab rather than working in a pattern toward a conclusion/summary - Pretty print sections should be separate from the actual engine. Do the calculations in a manner that is easy to understand. Create an output tab to create the pretty report. - Flag with a bright background color when a formula changes (yellow is popular). This frequently happens when your boss asks you to create a scenario where you override a formula with a constant. I cannot tell you how many hours of my life have been lost tracking down an overridden formula.

These types of conventions make spreadsheets easier to inherit from someone else. They do not change the fact that there can be a lot of calculations happening through a multi-tab that you simply cannot see the bigger picture.