Excel dashboard

How to analyze variances and build a dashboard with Copilot?

  • Microsoft Copilot
  • Microsoft Excel

1250 € per session, excl. VAT

In short

This training is for finance, controlling, procurement, or management professionals. Participants learn to use Copilot and Excel to analyze variances, identify trends, and select appropriate charts. They develop an annotated dashboard with indicators, thereby improving their analytical reporting for decision-making.

Why this training?

The problem
Teams struggle to effectively analyze financial and operational variances.
What it costs today
Decisions are made based on incomplete analyses, leading to errors or frequent adjustments.
Why this skill
This skill is necessary now to quickly produce reliable variance analyses and relevant dashboards using Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Excel.
What you gain
The participant and the company gain an increased ability to produce quality analytical reports and support more reliable decisions.

Objectives of this training

  • Define key indicators and business questions for variance analysis.
  • Ask Microsoft Copilot to group data and identify significant trends.
  • Verify calculations produced by Microsoft Copilot through targeted sampling.
  • Choose the most appropriate charts and data summaries to communicate results in Microsoft Excel.
  • Draft clear insights and their limitations from the analyses.
  • Control the dashboard's relevance using a new period of data.

Who is it for and what are the prerequisites?

Roles and tasks concerned

  • Financial Performance Manager
  • Management Controller in charge of reporting
  • Buyer who analyzes supplier cost variances
  • Operational Manager who monitors activity
  • Executive who drives company strategy

Prior skills

  • AI Fundamentals and AI Prompting completed, or equivalent experience (a learning prerequisite, not a registration condition).
  • Understanding of key performance indicators
  • Knowledge of financial reporting principles
  • Familiarity with business data analysis
  • Ability to formulate precise business questions
  • A paid subscription to an AI solution offering the features used, the organisation’s authorisation for third-party tools, and the actual accounts and access rights.

To prepare before the session

  • Have an individual computer with functional Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Excel tools.
  • Verify necessary accesses, licenses, and authorizations for the tools.
  • Prepare a concrete business case to work on during the session.

What you will work on

  1. Frame the Analysis

    The participant defines indicators and business questions for comparable analysis.

  2. Explore the Data

    The participant identifies groupings and trends and verifies calculations.

  3. Visualize Results

    The participant selects charts and summaries for effective presentation.

  4. Present the Dashboard

    The participant drafts clear insights and validates the dashboard with new data.

What you take away

  • An annotated dashboard with indicators and controls.
  • An action plan for applying the methods.

Method and assessment

  • Demonstrations with explanations using a concrete case
  • Guided exercises followed by application to your role
  • Peer review of results and source verification
  • An individual or team action plan

Assessment is formative: participants complete and review a practical case linked to the intended deliverable (An annotated dashboard with metrics and checks). Criteria include meeting the brief, accuracy, checks performed and the ability to explain decisions. Each participant identifies an application to test in their own work.

Frequently asked questions

What will be the concrete outcome for my team after this training?

Your team will be able to analyze variances more quickly and accurately. They will be capable of building relevant and annotated dashboards, facilitating better decision-making. This will improve the overall quality of your analytical reporting.

Who should attend this session and what knowledge is required?

This session is intended for roles involved in performance analysis, such as management controllers or operational managers. Participants should understand key indicators and be familiar with their organization's activity data. No specific prior knowledge of the tool is required.

What data or documents will we use and how is confidentiality ensured?

We will work on concrete business cases provided by participants, using fictional or anonymized data. The confidentiality of information is strictly respected, and no sensitive company data will be processed without prior anonymization. The work environment will be secure.

What type of exercise will be conducted during the session?

You will work on your own business case to analyze variances and build a dashboard. The exercise will include defining indicators, exploring data with the tool, verifying results, and creating relevant visualizations. You will leave with a draft dashboard for your context.

What are the limitations of the tool in this context and who validates the analysis results?

The tool is a powerful assistant but requires human verification. It is essential to understand its limitations regarding interpretation and calculation validation. The validation of final results remains the responsibility of business experts and decision-makers within the organization.

How will the training adapt to the specifics of my business or my organization's cases?

The training is designed to be practical and uses concrete business cases brought by participants. Trainers will guide the application of methods to your own data or representative cases. This ensures direct relevance to the realities and challenges of your organization.

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