This approach, giving each supervisor a focused view of their own team's check-ins while keeping a single source of truth, is exactly the kind of practical, human-centered design that spreadsheets should deliver. The request is straightforward, but the solution is not. And that is the real story here.
The user has already done the hard work: supervisors are separated into their own sheets, each formatted as a table. That is a strong foundation. The problem is not the data structure; it is the tool's inability to enforce permissions and workflow without complex workarounds. Power Query is a capable tool for merging and transforming data, but it does not solve the core need, controlling who sees what and when. The user is essentially asking for a database with row-level security, a submission workflow, and a final approval step, all inside a spreadsheet. That is a mismatch between the task and the tool.
What this reveals is a common tension in operational teams: the spreadsheet is familiar, accessible, and easy to set up, but it was never designed for multi-user permissions, role-based views, or sequential approvals. The user's instinct to try Microsoft Lists was correct, it is closer to the right model, but it still fell short. The real takeaway is not that spreadsheets are bad, but that the expectation for what a spreadsheet should do has evolved. Teams no longer just need a grid; they need a system that mirrors their actual workflow, with the right information visible to the right people at the right time.
For any supervisor facing this same challenge, the practical path forward is to shift thinking from "spreadsheet with filters" to "data platform with views." Tools like Power Apps, Google Apps Script, or even a shared database with a simple front end can deliver exactly what is described: supervisors see only their rows, submit their check-ins, and a designated person keys the final column before submitting the full set. That is not a technology leap; it is a design choice. And it is one that saves time, reduces errors, and respects each person's role in the process. The user's effort to organize the data into tables is half the battle. The other half is choosing a tool that matches the workflow, not the other way around.