# Brightmoor Education — Claude Cowork for Finance: Run of Show
**Audience:** 20-30 Finance (Accounting, Payroll, Bursar + Strategic Finance) — non-technical, very busy, beginner (5-10% intermediate)
**Tool:** Claude Cowork ONLY. No Claude Code Desktop / Terminal. + Claude in Excel where noted.
**Duration:** 3.5 hr delivery in 4 hr block (30-min buffer for setup overrun)
**Goal:** Each attendee leaves having done 3 repeatable workflows on NetSuite-shaped data: (1) Excel → HTML dashboard, (2) financial analysis / reconciliation, (3) Excel → PowerPoint monthly update

## Assumptions (from call notes)
- Data source of truth: NetSuite (Oracle) → Snowflake. Live Snowflake connection is OPTIONAL for session — we use local synthetic files to avoid IT friction (2-hr provisioning noted).
- Monthly pain: ~15-page PowerPoint from Excel export + commentary/charts = ~8 hrs/person. Dashboard pain: Excel formatting is painful; want clean modern view for senior leadership.
- Dana/Strategic Finance already do: data cleaning in Claude, basic dashboards, some modeling in Claude + Claude in Excel. Rest are rookies for financial analysis.
- No volunteer TAs (team too busy). No theory — practical only.
- NDA / provisioning of Claude access to be confirmed pre-session. Invoice headcount day-before.

## Non-goals (say this upfront)
- No Claude Code, no terminal, no GitHub, no deployment, no API/MCP. No speculative AI strategy.
- We will NOT leave with a perfect one-shot template. We WILL leave with a repeatable process + checked outputs.

---

## Pre-work / Facilitator checklist (Mon–Thu)

**Monday – send agenda + pre-work email (5 min for attendee):**
1. Confirm Claude Cowork access for all 20-30 attendees. Test login.
2. Ask attendees to bring laptop + have Excel + PowerPoint desktop available. No installs needed beyond Cowork.
3. Optional: Snowflake access — explicitly marked OPTIONAL. Session works without it.
4. Send synthetic data pack download link (4 files below). Also preload in Cowork shared folder if org supports it.

**Synthetic Data Pack — NetSuite-shaped (prepare Tue, QA Wed):**
All fake numbers, real shapes. Campuses as left-hand dimension (per Dana demo). Dates: FY25 + FY26 YTD through Mar.

1. `BE_NetSuite_TrialBalance_FY25-FY26YTD.xlsx` — Sheets: `GL_Detail` (JournalID, Date, Period, Subsidiary/Campus, Dept, Account_No, Account_Name, Account_Type, Debit, Credit, Memo, Source=NetSuite), `CoA` (chart of accounts), `README` (period close status)
   - Include intentional mess: duplicates, unmapped Dept `999-TBD`, intercompany imbalance in one period, negative payroll accrual.
2. `BE_Campus_Enrollment_Revenue_Monthly.xlsx` — `Enroll` (Campus, Program, Month, Headcount, Starts, Withdrawals), `Revenue` (Campus, Month, Tuition_Billed, Discounts, Net_Revenue) — 5 campuses: e.g., Bayview, Crosstown, Ideal Info Center, Northgate, Online.
3. `BE_Monthly_Close_Package_MAR.xlsx` — The "ugly" starting point: 3 raw tables (P&L by campus, Opex variance, Cash recon) with merged cells, inconsistent formatting — this is Build 1 + 2 input.
4. `BE_Monthly_Deck_TEMPLATE.pptx` — 6-slide template (not 15, to fit time): 1 Cover, 2 KPI tiles, 3 Revenue by Campus bar, 4 Opex variance table, 5 Enrollment trend line, 6 Commentary/Next steps. Branded with Brightmoor placeholder colors/fonts. Notes section has source cell references.

Keep all files <5MB, no external links, no macros.

**Room setup:**
- Projector + screen share. One facilitator drives, one floats chat/Q&A.
- Cowork folder structure demo: `Brightmoor-Finance/inputs/`, `outputs/`, `archive/` — tell attendees to mirror this.
- Timer visible. No breakout TA rooms — use neighbor-pair share only (team too busy for formal TA role).

---

## Core framing to keep (5 min, plain English)

> Difference between ChatGPT/Gemini chat and Claude Cowork: chat only *talks* about your file. Cowork *sees your folder, reads Excel, runs Python to do the math, and writes new files back* — dashboard HTML, cleaned Excel, updated PowerPoint. You check the numbers before you send to leadership.

Do NOT do ASCII-map icebreaker. Replace with Excel starter (below) — immediately practical.

---

## Run of Show — 3.5 hr (210 min)

| # | Time | Block | What happens | Facilitator script / prompt | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0:00-0:15 (15) | Welcome + Cowork in 3 ideas | Why now for Finance: put financials together faster, reconciliations, trends, repeatable compliance reports; FP&A: clean Snowflake pulls, models, dashboards, exec decks. 3 ideas: (1) Cowork sees files, (2) runs code for math, (3) writes files you keep. Trust rule: AI drafts, you reconcile. | Live demo (2 min): point Cowork at empty folder, show it listing files. Say: "If it can't see the file, it can't help — put it in the folder first." | Everyone has Cowork open + data pack in folder |
| 1 | 0:15-0:30 (15) | Starter: Fix my NetSuite export | Everyone does same tiny win. No Plan Mode jargon — use: Tell → Check → Fix. | Copy-paste prompt: `In BE_Monthly_Close_Package_MAR.xlsx, sheet P&L_by_Campus: unmerge cells, fix headers in row 1, add Totals that tie to GL_Detail in BE_NetSuite_TrialBalance file, and save as outputs/MAR_cleaned.xlsx. Show me any rows that don't tie, don't overwrite my input.` | `outputs/MAR_cleaned.xlsx` + tie-out list |
| 2 | 0:30-1:10 (40) | Build 1: Excel → HTML Dashboard (for senior leadership) | Guided, all together. Input: `MAR_cleaned.xlsx`. Output: single-file `dashboard_mar.html` with KPI tiles (Net Revenue, Opex, Headcount), revenue-by-campus bar, enrollment trend, variance callouts. Brightmoor clean style. Then Tune: horizontal bar, filter by campus. | Prompt 1: `Using outputs/MAR_cleaned.xlsx, build a single-file HTML dashboard (dashboard_mar.html) for senior leadership: KPI tiles at top, revenue by campus bar chart, enrollment trend line, top 3 variances vs budget. Clean modern style, Brightmoor blue/gray, readable on laptop. No external dependencies. Data stays as displayed values — show source sheet + month in footer.` Tune prompts (do live): `Change campus chart to horizontal bar` / `Add a Campus filter dropdown` / `Make it printable to PDF on one page` | `dashboard_mar.html` open in browser. Publish note: save to shared drive / internal site — no external login needed today; IT publishes later |
| 3 | 1:10-1:50 (40) | Build 2: Financial analysis + reconciliation (Python does math, Excel keeps proof) | Same files. Three tasks, do in order: (a) tie-out/recon, (b) variance & trend, (c) write-back to Excel with formulas visible. Emphasize verification. | Prompt 2: `Using BE_NetSuite_TrialBalance_FY25-FY26YTD.xlsx GL_Detail + BE_Campus_Enrollment_Revenue_Monthly.xlsx: (1) Find duplicates, unmapped Dept 999-TBD, and intercompany imbalance by period. (2) Compute Mar YTD Net Revenue, Opex vs Budget variance by campus, and 3-month enrollment trend. Use Python, then write outputs/MAR_analysis.xlsx with sheets: Recon_Flags, Variance_by_Campus, Trend, Method (list every formula/assumption). Keep all $ ties to GL_Detail totals — flag if off by >$1.` Follow-up: `Explain the top 2 variances in plain English for a controller, 3 bullets each, with Campus + $ + likely driver from Memo/Dept.` | `outputs/MAR_analysis.xlsx` (4 sheets) + 6-bullet commentary to paste into deck |
| — | 1:50-2:00 (10) | Break | — | — | — |
| 4 | 2:00-2:45 (45) | Build 3: Excel → PowerPoint monthly update (the 8-hour saver) | Guided. Input: `MAR_analysis.xlsx` + `BE_Monthly_Deck_TEMPLATE.pptx`. Output: `BE_Monthly_Deck_MAR_DRAFT.pptx`. Teach mirror-chart + repeatable update. | Prompt 3: `Open BE_Monthly_Deck_TEMPLATE.pptx and outputs/MAR_analysis.xlsx. Create outputs/BE_Monthly_Deck_MAR_DRAFT.pptx: keep template fonts/colors/layout. Update Slide 3 bar with Mar Net Revenue by Campus, Slide 4 table with Variance_by_Campus, Slide 5 line with enrollment trend. Add slide numbers + footer "Source: MAR_analysis.xlsx, Mar FY26". Do NOT invent numbers — leave placeholder text [CHECK] if a value is missing. List every slide you changed in chat.` Then: `Mirror Slide 3 style to make 2 more charts: Opex vs Budget by campus, Discount rate by campus. Match colors/fonts exactly.` | Draft deck + change log. Show how next month = swap input file + rerun same prompt |
| 5 | 2:45-3:15 (30) | Open apply: your close / your campus | Attendees pick ONE: (a) their own ugly Excel → dashboard tweak, (b) recon on own export (redacted), or (c) template their own 1-slide update. Neighbor-pair share at 3:10. Float support. No new concepts. | Provide 3 one-line prompts on slide. Rule: work on copy in `outputs/`, never original. | 1 file improved per person |
| 6 | 3:15-3:30 (15) | Verify + What's next | Trust checklist (below). Claude in Excel 1-min demo: `=CLAUDE("summarize variance in plain English", range)` alternative when Cowork not available. Close: repeatable folder + prompt library. | Handout: 1-page Prompt Library + Verification Checklist (print/slide). Homework: run April close with same 3 prompts, bring one failure to office hours. | Checklist + next steps |

Total: 15+15+40+40+10+45+30+15 = 210 min.

### If time runs short
Cut Build 2 commentary bullets (keep Recon_Flags + Variance). Cut mirror-chart second chart. Never cut verification (Block 6).

### Troubleshooting — ASK Ladder (Cowork wording for non-technical)
1. **Ask to fix:** `That's not right — [what you see] vs [what you expected]. Fix only that and show me the file you changed.`
2. **Simplify:** `Explain what you just did like I'm new to Excel. Show the formula.`
3. **Start fresh:** Duplicate prompt in NEW Cowork session with only the 2 files it needs. Cluttered context = wrong numbers.

Common failures + fixes:
- Cowork invents numbers → add `Do NOT invent numbers, use [CHECK]` + require `Method` sheet.
- HTML chart wrong → ask for `horizontal bar` + `show data table under chart` to verify.
- PPT layout breaks → `Keep template master, only replace chart data and text boxes, don't resize`.
- File not found → move file into Cowork folder first, then retry same prompt.

---

## Verification Checklist (teach explicitly, 5 min in Block 6)
1. Totals tie: `outputs/*` totals = `GL_Detail` Debit-Credit totals. Off by >$1 = stop.
2. Method sheet exists: every calc lists source sheet + period + assumption.
3. No hidden edits: input files untouched in `inputs/`, all work in `outputs/`.
4. Human signs: controller initials + date before deck goes to leadership.
5. Snowflake note: if you later connect Snowflake, same prompts work — just point to fresh export. No live connector needed today.

## Prompt Library (give as slide/handout)
- Clean: `Clean [file] headers/totals, save copy to outputs/, list untied rows. Don't overwrite input.`
- Dashboard: `Build single-file HTML dashboard from [cleaned file] for senior leadership, show source + month, printable.`
- Reconcile: `Flag duplicates/unmapped/intercompany by period in [trial balance], write Recon_Flags sheet.`
- Variance: `Compute YTD vs Budget variance by campus, top 3 drivers, plain-English bullets with $ + Campus.`
- Deck update: `Update template [pptx] charts/tables from [analysis xlsx], keep style, mark missing as [CHECK], list slides changed.`

## Follow-up
- 45-min office hours following week: bring April data, debug live.
- Optional advanced (for Dana/Greg + 1-2 others): Snowflake connector setup with IT + Claude in Excel for repeatable compliance reports. Not in main session.

## What changed vs Nvalo run
- Removed: Claude Code Desktop/Terminal, GitHub, ASCII icebreaker, vacation planner, PM tools, deployment, Q&A with CEO.
- Added: NetSuite-shaped synthetic pack, Excel-starter, HTML dashboard styling + print/filter tune, Python-backed recon/variance with Method sheet, PPT template mirror + monthly rerun, verification checklist, Claude in Excel bridge.
- Tone: no "builders/extensions" theory. Language: folder, Excel, PowerPoint, tie-out, close.