32-lesson course · about 10 hours

Set up an AI chief of staff for your finance team: it prepares, you approve

For CFOs, controllers, FP&A teams, accountants and finance operations professionals

Everything for Finance teams

Build a read-only assistant that prepares a sourced morning brief, meeting prep, follow-up drafts, a decision log and a weekly review. Nothing is sent, booked, paid or posted until a named person approves it.

Try lesson 1 freeSee what you’ll learn

What you’ll be able to do

By the end, you can…

Standing instructions you can stand behindWrite and version the agent's instructions: your priorities, VIPs, permitted sources and source tags. They also cover 'not found' instead of guessing, the rule that email and document content is data rather than instructions, and a never list: no payments, postings, transfers, signatures or sends.
A platform that fits your plan, region and accountCheck what your plan, region and work or personal account allow. Pick a first-choice tool and a fallback that is generally available, then set it up with read-only connections and ask-first approvals.
A morning brief for closeSchedule a weekday brief that tracks close tasks, audit and lender requests, deadlines and suspicious payment or bank-detail requests. Every item carries a source tag, and a 'Could not check' section appears every time.
Meeting prep and follow-ups held as draftsProduce prep notes, agendas and follow-up drafts for close, audit-committee and lender meetings. Draft variance-explanation requests that keep measured variances apart from explanations. Nothing goes out until you approve the exact text and recipients.
A decision log and delegation tracker people confirmLog accounting judgments and track reconciliations and audit or lender requests. The agent proposes. Only a named person confirms a decision or marks work 'done (verified)'.
A weekly review and a tested two-week rolloutRun a weekly review, a prompt-injection drill and a monthly permission audit. Score brief precision, source coverage and safety events, then make a go or no-go call on each routine.

How it works

A tutor that meets you where you are

  1. Lessons that adapt to your levelEach of the 32 lessons is a tutorial you follow with your tool open: the goal, what you need first, numbered steps, copy-paste prompts written for finance, a worked example and a checkpoint. The AI tutor adjusts the explanations to where you are, whether this is your first scheduled agent or you've already connected one to your mail.
  2. An AI tutor you can ask anythingAsk questions typed or out loud as you work. For example, how to word the never list for your close, why a scheduled run didn't arrive, or which fallback fits a UK work account.
  3. Quizzes and flashcards for each lessonShort quizzes and flashcards tied to each lesson check the points that matter: which statuses only a person may set, what never to connect, and what a source tag must contain.
  4. Progress tracking and a certificateYour progress is saved as you go, so you can work through the setup over your own close calendar. You get a certificate of completion when you finish.

Curriculum

The curriculum

Thirty-two lessons in eight modules follow the order you'd set this up in real life: define the job, choose a platform, write the instructions, connect sources read-only, run the morning brief, handle meetings and drafts, keep the logs, then review and roll out over two weeks.

Module 1The Job: What a Finance Chief of Staff Does3 lessons

  1. 1What a Chief of Staff Does for a Finance Leader
    • List the standing duties of a chief of staff and match each one to a finance task
    • Name the five things a good chief of staff does not do
  2. 2What to Hand an AI and What Stays With People
    • Sort a list of finance chief-of-staff tasks into 'may do alone', 'ask first' and 'never'
    • Explain why an agent's summary is not audit evidence
  3. 3Map What the Agent May Do Alone and Set a Baseline
    • Write a one-page job description with decision rights and a never list
    • Record a day-0 baseline of daily triage and prep minutes

Module 2Choosing Your Platform4 lessons

  1. 4Check Your Plan, Region and Account Type
    • Identify which tools your plan, region and work or personal account allow
    • Choose a first-choice tool and a fallback from the brief's table
  2. 5Set Up the Claude Path: Project, Scheduled Tasks and Duet
    • Create a Claude project and set the permission setting to Manual
    • Decide whether Duet or Claude scheduled tasks fits your situation
  3. 6Set Up the ChatGPT Path: Scheduled Tasks and OpenAI dots
    • Create a ChatGPT project and a scheduled task
    • Set the four dot custom-rule behaviors for finance actions
  4. 7Set Up the Microsoft 365 Copilot or Google Workspace Path
    • Schedule a Copilot prompt or plan a Workspace Studio agent on a work account
    • Name the fallback for your work suite

Module 3Writing the Standing Instructions4 lessons

  1. 8Write the Role, Priorities and People Sections
    • Write a role statement that ends 'You prepare. [Name] decides and sends.'
    • List priorities, VIPs and always-sensitive parties for your finance function
  2. 9Sources, Source Tags and 'Not Found'
    • Write permitted sources and a source of truth for times, decisions and owners
    • Apply the source-tag format to a sample brief item
  3. 10The Content-Is-Data Rule and the Never List
    • Write a never list covering payments, postings, transfers and signatures, plus a rule that nothing is sent without approval
    • Write the content-is-data rule so injected instructions are quoted under 'Suspicious or unusual'
  4. 11Version the Instructions and Start a Corrections Log
    • Save version 1.0 of the standing instructions in a document you control
    • Add a Corrections Log entry with date, error and new rule

Module 4Connecting the Right Sources5 lessons

  1. 12What Never to Connect and Why
    • List the sources to keep out of the agent
    • Spot sensitive data in a draft prompt before it is sent
  2. 13Build the Decision Log, Delegation Tracker and Deadline Register
    • Create the three logs with the brief's fields
    • Explain which status values only a person may set
  3. 14Connect Email and Calendar Read-Only
    • Set your tool's starting permission, then connect email and calendar with write tools off or approval-gated
    • Verify the agent lists its connected sources correctly
  4. 15Add the Close Checklist and Team Channel
    • Connect the close checklist and team channel read-only
    • Load close tasks into the Delegation Tracker with owners and dates
  5. 16Set Ask-First Approvals and Run a Dry Run
    • Configure approval rules for sends, calendar changes and file shares in your tool
    • Run the permission-audit and dry-run prompts and fix any mismatch

Module 5The Morning Brief During Close6 lessons

  1. 17Write and Run the Finance Morning Brief by Hand
    • Write a morning brief prompt with seven fixed sections
    • Score each item correct, wrong, missing or wrong priority
  2. 18Close Calendar Control in the Brief
    • Run the close-status prompt against the checklist and channel
    • Draft a five-line close status note for the CFO
  3. 19Track Audit and Lender Requests and Deadlines
    • Extract audit and lender requests into the tracker
    • Draft a status reply with unconfirmed dates marked [TO CONFIRM]
  4. 20Screen Payment Requests and Bank-Detail Changes
    • Run the screening prompt and list each flag with sender, request and reason
    • Draft an internal note to the AP lead requiring call-back verification
  5. 21Run a Prompt-Injection Drill
    • Run the injection drill and check the result
    • Respond to a failed drill by holding the schedule and fixing the rule
  6. 22Schedule the Brief and Check the First Run
    • Schedule the brief for weekday mornings with the time zone stated
    • Diagnose a silent failure from a missing or incomplete run

Module 6Meetings, Follow-Ups and Drafts for Approval4 lessons

  1. 23Prep Notes and Agendas for Close Meetings
    • Produce a sourced one-page prep note for a close meeting
    • Draft a timed agenda with DECIDE items and a Decision Log recap
  2. 24Prepare for Audit-Committee and Lender Meetings
    • Build an audit-committee countdown in the Deadline Register
    • Produce prep for a lender meeting listing open requests and commitments
  3. 25Follow-Up Drafts You Approve Before Sending
    • Generate a recap draft and proposed log rows from meeting notes
    • Approve or edit the exact text and recipients before anything is sent
  4. 26Draft Variance-Explanation Requests to Line Owners
    • List variances over threshold with owners and existing explanations
    • Compile draft commentary that marks 'explanation needed' and lists owner disagreements

Module 7The Decision Log and Delegation Tracker3 lessons

  1. 27Log Accounting Judgments as Proposed
    • Propose a judgment row quoting the guidance the author cited
    • List proposed judgments and triggers due this close
  2. 28Track Reconciliations and Requests: Claimed vs Verified
    • Check a claimed deliverable against its definition of done
    • Record a 'done (verified)' status only with a source
  3. 29Draft Check-Ins and Nudges for a Person to Send
    • Draft check-ins under 60 words for due or stale items
    • Mark which items need a conversation rather than a reminder

Module 8Weekly Review, Guardrails and the Two-Week Rollout3 lessons

  1. 30Run the Weekly Review
    • Run the weekly review prompt with sources on every fact
    • Compare two weeks to find stalled items
  2. 31Monthly Permission Audit and Approval Rules
    • Run a monthly permission audit and remove unneeded access
    • Tune approval rules without loosening approval on sends, calendar changes or file shares, keeping payments outside the agent
  3. 32Score It and Plan the Two-Week Rollout
    • Score brief precision, source coverage and safety events
    • Follow the day-by-day rollout to version 2.0 and a go or no-go per routine

Who it’s for

Made for you if…

Made for: CFOs, controllers, FP&A teams, accountants and finance operations professionals

CFOs and finance directors

Your name is on what leaves the finance function. You get a brief that narrows the week to what needs you, and you stay the one who decides and sends.

Controllers

You run the close calendar and chase owners for reconciliations. You'll get close status from the checklist and team channel, with 'done (claimed)' kept apart from 'done (verified)'.

FP&A leads

You collect variance explanations and prepare for reviews. You'll draft requests to line owners that mark 'explanation needed' and list disagreements instead of smoothing them over.

Accountants and finance operations managers

You handle auditor and lender requests and watch for payment fraud. You'll track every request with an owner and date, and screen bank-detail changes for call-back verification.

Questions

Good to know

Which AI tool do I need?

You need at least one supported tool on a suitable plan, such as Claude Pro, ChatGPT Plus, a Microsoft 365 Copilot license or Google Workspace with Gemini. The course covers Claude scheduled tasks, ChatGPT scheduled tasks, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Gemini. It uses OpenAI dots and Claude Duet where your plan, region and waitlist allow, and gives a fallback for each. Tool subscriptions are separate from the course.

I work in the UK or EEA, or only have a work account. Will this work for me?

Yes, with the right tool. As of 28 October 2026, OpenAI dots on ChatGPT Pro aren't offered in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK. Claude Duet is a US-only research preview for Pro and Max users, by waitlist. Gemini Task needs a personal account and isn't available in the EEA, Switzerland, Nigeria or the UK. Claude scheduled tasks, ChatGPT scheduled tasks, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Google Workspace are the paths the course gives for these situations. Availability changes, so check the official pages before you start. The course does not cover ways around these limits.

Will the agent post entries, make payments or touch the ledger?

No. You connect email, calendar, the close checklist, the team channel and the logs read-only. Bank portals, payment wallets, payroll, card and customer account numbers, tax IDs and nonpublic results stay out. Payments, postings, transfers and signatures go on the agent's never list. Sends, calendar changes and file shares all wait for a person's approval.

What do I need before I start?

You need your organization's approval, or its policy on approved AI tools, for connecting work email and calendar. You also need to know your close calendar, your close checklist and who owns each reconciliation and variance explanation. You should be comfortable keeping a simple log in Excel or Google Sheets and have some experience with an AI chat tool.

How long does it take?

About 10 hours of lessons, self-paced. The final module walks you through a day-by-day two-week rollout on your own work. It ends with version 2.0 of your instructions and a go or no-go decision on each routine.

Does it teach forecasting, variance analysis or building reporting agents?

No. This course sets up the chief-of-staff layer: brief, meetings, follow-ups, decisions and the weekly review. Intake, reconciliation, variance and driver-update agents are taught later in the Finance track, and so is coordinating teams around the management pack. Forecasting and variance-analysis technique aren't covered here either.

Are the menu names and prices current?

The menu names and prices come from the vendors' own pages as read on 28 October 2026. Screens and prices in this category change often, so the label on your screen may differ. Each lesson tells you to check the official page.

Set up a finance AI chief of staff that prepares and never acts alone

$197

One payment · lifetime access

  • 32 hands-on lessons in 8 modules, about 10 hours, self-paced
  • Copy-paste prompts and standing-instruction templates for close, audit and lender work
  • Setup paths for Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Google Workspace, each with a fallback
  • Field layouts for the decision log, delegation tracker and deadline register
  • An AI tutor you can ask typed or out loud, plus quizzes and flashcards for each lesson
  • Progress tracking and a certificate of completion

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Refunds: Full refund if you ask before you open your first lesson. Once you’ve started, purchases aren’t refundable, except where the law gives you that right.

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