Introduction
Finance professionals transform data into decisions, manage organizational risk, and communicate complex findings to stakeholders. Microsoft Copilot can help connect these activities by supporting analysis, modeling, collaboration, and communication across Microsoft 365 apps.
In this module, you complete two connected exercises that demonstrate how Copilot can support a finance workflow:
- Optimize financial reporting and acquisition modeling. Analyze product costs with Copilot in Excel, summarize reporting discussions with Copilot in Teams, evaluate a potential acquisition with Copilot Chat, and model acquisition scenarios with Copilot in Excel.
- Streamline contract analysis and negotiation. Compare vendor contracts with Copilot Chat, create an executive presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint, organize recommendations with Copilot in Loop, and request stakeholder feedback with Copilot in Outlook.
As you complete the exercises, review Copilot's output for accuracy, financial relevance, appropriate use of source information, and alignment with organizational policies.
Copilot prompting
The quality of a Copilot response depends in part on the instructions and information you provide. An effective prompt includes four key elements:
Goal. State what you want Copilot to do.
Context. Explain why you need the response and who or what is involved.
Sources. Identify the documents, data, messages, or other information Copilot should use.
Expectations. Describe the desired format, tone, length, or level of detail.
Use these elements as you write and refine prompts throughout the exercises. Always review the response and verify important figures, assumptions, and sources before using the output.