Use AI to make faster financial decisions — without being a CFO

Reading reports, building budgets, substantiating investments and communicating clearly. One day. One consistent approach.

Does this sound familiar?

You make financial decisions and have budget responsibility, but financial reports take up too much of your time, you work in spreadsheets without gaining real insight, budgeting feels slow and uncertain, and your reports are barely read.

You are not alone. And it is not your fault. As a manager today, you are expected to understand numbers and move faster — but nobody has taught you how, least of all with AI as a tool.

What changes after this day

Before: reading reports takes hours, building budgets takes weeks, variance analysis means manual calculations, you search for insights, reporting is numbers without a story.

After: AI summarises reports in minutes, you build budgets up to 3× faster, variance insights instead of calculations, you ask better questions and get direct answers, you communicate with clear insights — not just numbers.

The day structure — from understanding to communicating

The day follows the natural thought flow of a manager. We work through a realistic SME case and build step by step: each phase builds on the previous one.

Block 1 — What do the numbers say? Quickly interpreting P&Ls, balance sheets and cash flows with AI. Calculating KPIs and ratios and connecting the dots between figures. Result: you extract the key insights from any financial report in minutes.

Block 2 — Why is it deviating? Variance analysis without manual calculations. AI as a sparring partner: recognising patterns, spotting risks, asking better-substantiated questions. Result: professional variance commentary in just a few minutes.

Block 3 — What am I going to do? Building budgets with scenarios. Substantiating investments: ROI, NPV and business cases without complex models. Result: compelling budgets and investment proposals with AI.

Block 4 — How do I explain it? Translating financial information into clear narratives. Writing reports that are actually read and used by your stakeholders. Result: communication that convinces, not just informs.

Block 5 — How do I do this regularly? Designing your personal AI workflow, building a prompt library, drawing up a concrete 30-day plan. Result: you leave with a working workflow and a concrete plan.

Workflows and prompt techniques you will learn to apply 

Not as standalone theory — each technique is introduced at the moment it is most relevant: 

•  COSTAR(-F) → best for clear structure & communication
•  Chain-of-Thought → best for reasoning
•  ReAct → best for AI agents / tools
•  CoVe → best for accuracy
•  Prompt chaining → best for complex workflows???????

Are you ready for the EU AI Act?

Since February 2025, Article 4 requires organisations to demonstrably train employees who use AI systems — including those who use AI for financial analysis and decision-making. This course helps you meet that obligation while making your managers immediately more productive.

What makes this different?

No theory, but direct application. No finance jargon, but clear insights. No isolated AI tricks, but one consistent way of working.

This is not a finance training. It is a decision-making training with AI as the accelerator.

Ready to take control of your numbers?

Stop wasting time on spreadsheets and uncertainty. Start steering on insight, speed and confidence. Register now and experience the difference.

Your AI journey

• Level 1 — AI for Managers: From Prompts to Productivity
• Level 2 — AI for Financially Confident Managers: AI applied to financial decision-making
• Level 3 — AI in Finance & FP&A: Advanced applications for finance professionals

• Managers with budget responsibility who want faster, smarter financial decisions.
• Department heads who need to understand reports without relying solely on finance teams.
• Business unit leaders responsible for planning, performance, and resource allocation.
• Operations managers seeking better budgeting, scenario planning, and cost insight.
• Project managers preparing investment cases, ROI proposals, or business justifications.
• Finance-aware non-financial managers who want stronger confidence with numbers.
• Entrepreneurs and SME owners who need quicker financial insight and control.
• Team leaders responsible for KPIs, variance explanations, and performance reviews.
• Professionals who want to use AI to improve reporting and decision-making quality.
• Organisations needing practical AI training for financially responsible managers under the EU AI Act.

Introduction & orientation (09:00–09:30)

Welcome, objectives of the day and overview of the SME case that serves as the common thread.

• AI & Finance: where do we stand today?
• AI as a research and analysis tool in a financial context
• Comparing the AI frameworks: Claude, ChatGPT & Copilot, Gemini, Grok
• Self-assessment: where do you currently lose the most time on numbers?
• Overview of the day: from understanding to communicating

Result: you know where you stand today and understand the common thread of the day.

Block 1 — AI workflows, prompts & techniques (09:30–10:15)

How do I work with AI in a structured way?

Before diving into the content, we first build the toolkit. The prompt techniques you learn here will be used in every subsequent block.

• What is a workflow in a financial context?
• From individual prompts to structured processes
  • COSTAR(-F) → best for clear structure & communication
  • Chain-of-Thought → best for reasoning
  • ReAct → best for AI agents & tools
  • CoVe → best for accuracy
  • Prompt Chaining → best for complex workflows
• Steps: input → analysis → interpretation → output
• Practical exercise: building a standard workflow

Result: you have a reliable method for getting consistent and usable AI output — ready to apply in every subsequent block.

Block 2 — Financial report analysis (10:30–11:30)

What do the numbers say?

We apply the workflow from Block 1 to the SME case: AI reads the reports, you interpret and adjust.

• Structure of P&L, balance sheet and cash flow (refresher)
• Using AI to read and summarise reports
• Detecting trends and deviations
• Formulating the key insights

Prompt technique in use: COSTAR(-F) and Chain-of-Thought

Result: you extract the essence from any financial report in minutes — without drowning in details.

Block 3 — KPIs and ratios (11:30–12:15)

Where do I need to adjust?

We go deeper into the reports of the SME case: from raw numbers to actionable indicators.

• Overview of relevant KPIs per business type
• Interpreting liquidity, profitability and solvency
• Using AI to detect connections and deviations
• Adding benchmarking and context

Prompt technique in use: Chain-of-Thought and CoVe

Result: you immediately see where adjustments are needed and make better-substantiated decisions more quickly.

Lunch break (12:15–13:00)

Block 4 — Budgeting & scenarios (13:00–14:00)

What am I going to do?

Now that we understand the situation, we start planning. We build the budget for the SME case with three scenarios.

• Establishing realistic assumptions
• Working with different scenarios: best / base / worst case
• Using AI for calculations and structure
• Validating and refining assumptions

Prompt technique in use: Prompt Chaining

Result: you build budgets up to 3× faster, with more structure and less uncertainty.

Block 5 — Variance analysis (14:00–14:45)

Why is it deviating?

Reality always deviates from the plan. We analyse why — and learn to articulate it clearly.

• Types of variances: price, volume, mix, costs
• From numbers to explanation
• Structure of a strong variance commentary
• Using AI for initial analysis and formulation

Prompt technique in use: CoVe and Chain-of-Thought

Result: you write professional variance commentary in just a few minutes that is immediately ready to use.

Block 6 — Investment analysis (15:00–15:45)

How do I substantiate my choice?

The SME is considering an investment. We build the business case — supported by AI.

• Core principles: ROI, NPV, IRR (conceptual)
• Structure of a compelling business case
• Using AI for calculations and substantiation
• Evaluating risks and assumptions

Prompt technique in use: ReAct

Result: you quickly develop compelling investment proposals, supported by numbers and a strong narrative.

Block 7 — Decision-making with AI (15:45–16:15)

How do I make better decisions?

Now that all analyses are complete, we practise making better decisions with AI as a sounding board.

• AI as an analytical sparring partner
• Asking questions that lead to insights
• Comparing scenarios and assessing risks
• Thinking critically about AI output: when do you trust it — and when do you not?

Prompt technique in use: Chain-of-Thought and CoVe

Result: you uncover patterns and risks you would otherwise miss, and make better-substantiated decisions.

Block 8 — Financial communication (16:15–16:45)

How do I explain it?

The final step: translating the insights of the day into a clear narrative for your stakeholders.

• From numbers to narrative
• Structure of clear reporting
• Writing for different stakeholders
• Using AI for clear and concise communication

Prompt technique in use: COSTAR(-F)

Result: you produce reports that are not only accurate, but are also read and used.

Wrap-up & personal plan (16:45–17:00)

What do I do tomorrow?

• Summary of the key insights
• Concrete next steps: which task will you apply tomorrow?
• Your personal 30-day plan
• Q&A

Result: you leave with a concrete plan and know exactly how to deploy AI in your own role next week.

What you take away

Concrete deliverables: personal prompt library, your own AI workflow for financial tasks, concrete 30-day plan, governance framework for responsible use.

Skills: 5 prompt techniques applied to finance, reading financial reports quickly with AI, building budgets and business cases, communicating financially tailored to your stakeholders.

This is not a finance training. It is a decision-making training with AI as the accelerator.

• "I always felt that finance was my weak side as a manager. After this day, no longer. Not because I suddenly became a financial expert, but because with AI I can ask the right questions and understand the answers. That changes how I sit at the table during budget conversations." — Business Unit Manager, industrial group

• "The SME case was a smart choice. You work through a realistic company, from report to business case, and at every step you see exactly how AI helps in concrete terms. No abstract exercises — everything was immediately recognisable from my own working week." — Commercial Director, distribution company

• "I was expecting a financial refresher course with an AI twist. It was the opposite: a decision-making training that makes financial insights accessible through AI. That distinction sounds subtle, but makes all the difference in how you experience the day and what you take away from it." — Regional Manager, retail chain, 18 locations