If the formula works in conditional formatting but fails to display the word "OVERDUE" in a cell, that is not a bug, it is a misunderstanding of what conditional formatting does. Conditional formatting changes a cell's appearance. It does not write text. The user who posted this question, u/Strange-Asparagus540, has the logic right but is asking the wrong tool to do the job. The fix is straightforward: move the logic out of the formatting rule and into a separate column using an IF formula. That is where text output belongs.
Here is what that looks like in practice. In a helper column, say column K, write `=IF(AND(N16="Order placed", TODAY()>J16), "OVERDUE", IF(AND(N16="Order placed", TODAY()=J16), "DUE TODAY", ""))`. That single formula checks both conditions: whether the order is past its date and whether it is exactly due today. If neither applies, it returns an empty string. No conditional formatting needed for the text itself. Then, if you still want the cell to turn red when overdue, layer a conditional formatting rule on top of that helper column. The two methods work together, not in place of each other.
This distinction matters more than it might seem. Spreadsheet users often treat conditional formatting as a catch-all for any visual or textual change. It is not. Conditional formatting is a display layer. It highlights, shades, and colors. It does not generate content. Trying to force it to produce text is like asking a highlighter pen to write a sentence. The moment you separate the logic from the appearance, the solution becomes cleaner, easier to debug, and more scalable. You can add more statuses, "SHIPPED", "DELAYED", "PENDING REVIEW", without rewriting formatting rules.
The real insight here is about precision. The user's original AND formula was correct. The IF wrapper was almost correct. The only missing piece was understanding which part of the spreadsheet engine handles which job. That is not a failing of the user; it is a gap in how spreadsheet tools teach their own capabilities. We think the best response is not just to hand over a corrected formula, but to explain the architecture beneath it. Once you know that conditional formatting formats and formulas compute, you stop guessing. You build. And that is the kind of transformation we want to see: not a workaround, but a clearer mental model.