A financial analyst’s day, with Copilot.
A day of numbers and documents, from sorting cost data to modelling what-if scenarios, and the prompts that take the grind out of each step. Copy them, fill in the brackets, and use them on your next analysis.
Six moments. 11 prompts.
Copy a prompt, press Open Copilot to start Microsoft 365 in a new tab, and paste it in. Words in [brackets] are yours to fill in.
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Agent Mode in Excel8:00
Get the data into shape
The latest cost estimates for a new product need sorting before anyone can read them. Describe the view you want and let Copilot do the filtering.
Copy-paste promptSort this data by [product feature], then filter out the [Priority 2] features.
Go furtherAdd a column showing each feature’s share of the total cost, and highlight the five most expensive.
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Copilot in Teams9:30
Capture the new requirements
A meeting with your manager and IT brings new reporting requirements from sales. Copilot in Teams makes sure none of them get lost.
After the meetingSummarise this meeting and list every reporting requirement that was mentioned, with who asked for it.
Turn those requirements into a checklist I can share with [the IT team], with a suggested owner for each.
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Copilot Chat10:00
Summarise the due diligence pack
Reviewing a potential acquisition means reading several long documents side by side. Copilot summarises them together and shows where each point comes from.
Copy-paste promptSummarise the information in [the financial data file], [the operations analysis] and [the integration plan]. Show the key figures, the risks and the open questions.
Check for gapsWhere do these documents disagree with each other? Cite the file for each point.
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Word, then PowerPoint11:00
Turn the overview into a deck
Once the overview is written in Word, Copilot in PowerPoint can turn it into a first draft of the presentation for the business development team.
Copy-paste promptCreate a presentation from [acquisition overview.docx] for the [business development] team, about ten slides.
Add the risksAdd a slide with the three biggest risks of this acquisition and how we plan to manage each one.
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Copilot Chat14:00
Catch up on the morning’s thread
The chat you started this morning has moved on without you. Copilot shows you what changed and what you need to do.
Copy-paste promptSummarise this thread. Point out where my name is mentioned and list any actions for me.
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Agent Mode in Excel16:00
Model the what-if scenarios
The acquisition numbers need updating with the latest scenarios, and the charts need to be ready for the business planning deck.
Copy-paste promptWhat is the impact on monthly revenue if we double the [IT integration] budget?
Create a chart comparing the base case with that scenario, ready for the business planning presentation.
Agent Mode in Excel, and Copilot creating whole decks in PowerPoint, depend on your Microsoft 365 Copilot licence and the features your IT team has switched on.
- Handle more workSorting, summarising and first drafts take minutes, so more cases get the attention they need.
- Faster answersWhat-if questions get answered in plain language, with the chart ready for the deck.
- Time to learnThe hour you get back can go on building skills, not formatting spreadsheets.
Three habits that make every prompt better.
- Be specificName the customer, the file, the meeting and the deadline. Copilot only knows what you point it at.
- Check the sourcesOpen the references Copilot gives you before anything goes to a customer or the board. You own what you send.
- Ask againIf the first answer is close, tell it what to change: shorter, a table, a chart, a different audience.
Prompts for other roles.
One day is the start, not the finish.
Get your first win with the Quick Win Checklist, then turn it into a habit across your team with The Copilot Playbook.
Want prompts like these for your own team?
We’ll look at how your people actually spend their day and build the prompts and habits that fit it.
