[chrisjj]

> with a column above explaining what they each do.

Then hide the intermediate columns.

> This doesn't even need to be on the same sheet

... provided you can tolerate every cell reference burdened by a sheet name.

[jack_ruru]

Yeah, that’s usually what I do as well. Breaking formulas down into smaller pieces with clear intent helps a lot.

What I’ve been thinking about lately are cases where large formulas already exist, and changing the sheet structure (adding helper columns or moving things around) isn’t always practical.

In those situations, it feels useful to first understand what the existing formula is doing structurally, before deciding whether and how to refactor it.

I’m not convinced this is a better approach yet — just exploring the space.