Course Outline
Welcome and Objectives
A live poll assessing current AI usage and verification of each participant's Copilot licence type to tailor the pace and examples appropriately.
Copilot for Finance – Moving from Occasional Use to Consistent Daily Practice
Topics
•••• Differences between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot: benefits of each edition.
•••• Utilising Copilot across the Microsoft 365 applications most frequently used by finance teams.
•••• Where the Premium edition enhances capabilities and when an upgrade is justified.
•••• Establishing a personal daily usage routine.
Practical exercise (identical for Basic and Premium)
•••• Participants audit their everyday finance tasks to identify immediate opportunities for Copilot application.
Advanced Prompting for Finance Tasks
Topics
•••• Prompt structure for ensuring financial accuracy.
•••• Providing Copilot with appropriate context and constraints.
•••• Iterating and refining outputs.
•••• Avoiding common errors in numeric outputs.
Practical exercise (identical for Basic and Premium, conducted in Copilot Chat)
•••• Participants rewrite weak prompts into strong ones using their own finance scenarios and compare the resulting outputs.
Excel – Data Reconciliation and Cleaning
Topics
•••• Using Copilot to identify mismatches and anomalies.
•••• Cleaning and standardising messy datasets.
•••• Automating repetitive checks (full functionality available only in Premium).
Practical exercise (dual workflow)
•••• Premium: Reconciling a two-source dataset directly within Excel using in-app Copilot.
•••• Basic: Uploading the .xlsx file to Copilot Chat, generating a mismatch report, and applying corrections in Excel based on the guidance received.
•••• Shared deliverable: A documented, reusable process to implement immediately upon return to the workplace.
Excel – Forecasting and Budgeting
Topics
•••• Building forecast scenarios with Copilot assistance.
•••• Testing budget assumptions.
•••• Explaining variance drivers in plain language.
Practical exercise (dual workflow)
•••• Premium: Building and adjusting a simple forecast model directly in Excel, testing two scenarios with Copilot.
•••• Basic: Uploading the model to Copilot Chat, generating and comparing the two scenarios within the chat, then transferring the results into the Excel model.
Financial Reporting and Executive Communication
Topics
•••• Transforming raw analysis into clear management reports.
•••• Summarising financial results for non-finance stakeholders.
•••• Drafting executive-ready commentary using Copilot.
Practical exercise (dual workflow)
•••• Premium: Drafting the executive summary directly in Word, utilising in-app Copilot.
•••• Basic: Generating the commentary in Copilot Chat and finalising the document in Word.
•••• Shared deliverable: A one-page executive summary based on a dataset used earlier in the session.
Recap, knowledge check, and personal action plan
Outcomes
By the end of the day, participants will be able to:
•••• Write consistently strong prompts for financial tasks.
•••• Reconcile and clean data more efficiently with Copilot, regardless of licence type.
•••• Build and test forecast and budget scenarios with AI support.
•••• Produce clear, executive-ready reports and summaries.
•••• Clearly understand what can be achieved with their current licence and when upgrading to Premium is justified.
•••• Apply a personal action plan and reusable prompt examples immediately at their desk.
Requirements
- Active Microsoft 365 business/enterprise account with access to the Copilot Chat app (mandatory for all participants, whether using Basic or Premium).
- Optional: Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) licence enabled in Excel, Word, and Outlook for the in-app workflow.
- Intermediate Excel proficiency: including formulas, tables, and pivot tables.
- Basic familiarity with AI chat tools.
- Stable internet connection (the session is delivered online).
Audience
Finance professionals currently utilising AI in their roles, including financial analysts, FP&A specialists, controllers, and accountants. The content accommodates mixed experience levels, ranging from confident occasional users to daily users seeking to deepen their expertise.
Custom Corporate Training
Training solutions designed exclusively for businesses.
- Customized Content: We adapt the syllabus and practical exercises to the real goals and needs of your project.
- Flexible Schedule: Dates and times adapted to your team's agenda.
- Format: Online (live), In-company (at your offices), or Hybrid.
Price per private group, online live training, starting from 1300 € + VAT*
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Testimonials (1)
Trainer was very knowledgeable and easy to speak to
