The problem is that someone creates a sheet, locks all the cells, forces a bunch of people to use it via some process, and then either a) never touches it again

The problem is that someone creates a sheet, locks all the cells, forces a bunch of people to use it via some process, and then either a) never touches it again or b) leaves the organisation and doesn’t tell anyone the unlock password. Example: a lookup list for “hardware models” which is protected. So you can’t add a new model, but some cretin forces you to keep using the sheet. With great power comes great responsibility.