🎯 Learning Objectives
- Draft structured operations memos using Copilot in Word with file references
- Analyze production data, build charts, and surface insights using Copilot in Excel
- Generate leadership-ready presentations from Word documents using Copilot in PowerPoint
- Use Pages and Loop for real-time collaborative operations work across facilities
- Build a Sales Assistant agent using Agent Builder (no code required)
Part 1: Copilot in Word — Draft Operations Memos
💡 Why This Matters: Operations and supply chain writing is structured: situation → analysis → recommendation. Copilot gives you a strong first draft grounded in your actual data, so you spend time refining the strategy — not staring at a blank page.
Getting Started
- Open a new Word document: navigate to word.new or launch Word from your desktop
- You’ll see the “Draft with Copilot” prompt area at the top of the blank document
Prompt 1: Draft an Operations Memo from Scratch
Draft a 1-page operations memo to the Ardent Mills leadership team on the following topic: "Q2 wheat procurement outlook — supply risks and mitigation strategies"
Use this structure:
1. Executive Summary (3 sentences)
2. Current situation (bullet list — hard red winter wheat prices up 6% QoQ, Southern Plains drought reducing projected yields by 12%, rail logistics constraints in Great Plains corridor)
3. Key risks (3 bullets)
4. Recommended actions (3 bullets, each with an owner placeholder)
5. Asks of leadership
Tone: confident, data-driven, no jargon. Length: under 400 words.
Prompt 2: Draft from Your Own Files
Draft an operations commentary memo summarizing the key production targets from this document. Pull facility throughput, extraction rates, and quality metrics directly from the file. Add a section on the top three operational risks and how we'll monitor them.
/[reference: your production report or operations plan file]
💡 Tip: Use / in the prompt box to reference files from OneDrive or SharePoint. Copilot will ground the draft on your actual operational data — not generic content.
Refine Before You Keep It
Shorten the executive summary to exactly 2 sentences and make the recommended actions more specific with measurable targets.
Rewrite the tone to be more suitable for a board presentation — more assertive and less conversational.
✅ Self-Check: Part 1
Part 2: Copilot in Excel — Analyze Milling Data
💡 Why This Matters: Instead of building formulas and pivot tables from scratch, you can talk to your milling data in plain English. Copilot can analyze production yields, cost variances, and quality metrics — and every output uses real Excel formulas you can inspect and edit.
📋 Prereq: Copilot in Excel works best with formatted Excel Tables (select your data and press Ctrl+T). Header row, no merged cells, no blank rows.
Prompt 1: Quick Analytical Summary
Looking at this production data, give me:
1. The top 3 takeaways a VP of Operations should know
2. Which facility has the highest extraction rate and which has the lowest
3. A theory on why the yield variance exists between our top and bottom performers
4. Two follow-up questions I should investigate
Prompt 2: Add a Calculated Column
Add a new column called 'Cost Per Metric Ton' calculated as Total Production Cost divided by Flour Output (MT). Show me the formula you used so I can verify it.
Prompt 3: Build a Chart
Create a clustered column chart comparing Flour Output and Wheat Input for each facility. Title it 'Facility Throughput: Wheat Input vs. Flour Output'.
Prompt 4: Conditional Formatting
Conditionally format the Extraction Rate column so anything below 74% is highlighted red, 74–76% is amber, and above 76% is green.
Prompt 5: Insight, Not Just Numbers
If I want to improve our overall extraction rate by 1.5 percentage points across all facilities, which mill should I focus on first based on this data, and what specifically would you investigate to build the case? Walk me through your reasoning.
⚠️ Important: Always verify formulas and figures. Copilot is a brilliant assistant, not an auditor. Click any cell in a new column and check the formula bar to confirm.
✅ Self-Check: Part 2
Part 3: Copilot in PowerPoint — Memo to Deck in 60 Seconds
💡 Why This Matters: Operations decks follow predictable patterns — situation, drivers, risks, recommendations. Instead of building slides one by one, let Copilot generate a full deck from your Word memo and then refine it.
Getting Started
- Open PowerPoint (web or desktop)
- Create a new blank presentation
- Click the Copilot icon in the ribbon
- Select “Create presentation from file” and pick your Word memo (from Part 1 or any saved memo)
💡 Pro Tip: Apply your team’s PowerPoint template before generating slides — Copilot will respect your fonts, colors, and slide masters.
Prompt 1: Generate the Deck
Create a 6-slide executive presentation from this Word memo. Include:
- Title slide with topic and "Ardent Mills | Operations Review"
- Executive summary slide (3 takeaways)
- A slide showing the key supply chain drivers with a placeholder for a chart
- A slide on operational risks
- A slide on recommended actions with owners
- A closing "Asks of leadership" slide
Keep text minimal — at most 4 bullets per slide.
Prompt 2: Refine a Slide
For slide 3, add a column chart showing wheat price trends by class (HRW, HRS, SWW) over the last 4 quarters. Show the net change clearly and add a subtitle explaining the time period.
Prompt 3: Add Speaker Notes
Add speaker notes to each slide with the key talking points a VP of Operations would need to present this to the executive team. Keep each note under 4 sentences.
✅ Self-Check: Part 3
Part 4: Pages & Loop — Real-Time Operations Collaboration
💡 Why This Matters: Operations reviews across 40+ facilities need real-time collaboration. Pages and Loop let multiple people co-author with Copilot — no more “let me send a follow-up email with the updated numbers.” Everyone sees the same live content.
A. Pages — Turn Copilot Answers into Shared Documents
When Copilot gives you a useful response in Chat, click “Edit in Pages” at the bottom of the response.
Build a Page titled "Facility Performance Comparison — Q2 Review". Include:
1. A short executive summary (3 sentences)
2. A comparison table of extraction rates, throughput, and downtime by facility
3. A "What we know" section and a "What we need to investigate" section
4. A list of follow-ups with placeholders for owner and due date
Make it ready for me to share with the regional operations managers.
💡 Tip: After creating a Page, share it with your team. They can co-edit, add comments, and use Copilot within the page to expand sections — all in real time.
B. Loop Components in Teams
In a Teams chat or channel, you can paste Loop components (tables, task lists, checklists) that everyone edits live.
- In a Teams message, click the Loop icon (or type / and select a Loop component)
- Choose a Table or Task List
- Fill it in during your meeting — everyone sees updates in real time
Milling use case: During an S&OP meeting or production stand-up, share a Loop table with maintenance items, facility status, owners, and due dates. The team fills it in during the call — no follow-up email needed.
✅ Self-Check: Part 4
Part 5: Agent Builder — Build a Sales Assistant Agent
💡 Why This Matters: A Sales Assistant agent is one of the most practical first agents for any organization. It gives your sales team instant access to product information, current promotions, pricing guidance, and customer-ready talking points — all grounded in your actual sales materials. Think of it as an always-available sales enablement resource that knows your product catalog inside and out.
📋 Training Note: For this exercise, we’ll use sample sales materials available in the SharePoint training site. These include a product catalog, promotional calendar, sales playbook, and customer FAQ. In production, you’d point the agent at your actual sales documents, pricing guides, and competitive intelligence materials.
What We’re Building
A chat-based agent your sales team can pin in Copilot Chat or share via link:
- Inputs: A SharePoint folder with product catalogs, pricing sheets, promotional calendars, and sales playbooks
- Brain: Copilot grounded on those documents with a sales-focused persona
- Output: Instant answers about products, promotions, pricing, and customer-ready talking points
Step-by-Step Setup
- In Copilot Chat, open the Agents rail on the left → click + Create agent
- Click “Skip and go to configure”
- Fill in the Name, Description, and Instructions (see below)
- Under Knowledge, add the SharePoint training folder with the sample sales materials
- Add Starter prompts so users know what to ask
- Use the Preview panel on the right to test your agent
- Click Create → then Share with your team
Agent Configuration
Name
Ardent Mills Sales Assistant
Description
Helps the Ardent Mills sales team with product information, current promotions, pricing guidance, and customer-ready talking points. Covers flour, specialty grains, pulses, and innovation ingredients across all product lines.
Instructions (System Prompt)
You are the Ardent Mills Sales Assistant — a knowledgeable, responsive resource for the Ardent Mills sales team.
YOUR JOB
- Assist users with sales-related inquiries about Ardent Mills products and solutions.
- Provide up-to-date promotional offers, seasonal campaigns, and pricing guidance from the current and upcoming fiscal years.
- Help sales reps prepare for customer meetings with product talking points, competitive differentiators, and relevant case studies.
- Answer questions about product specifications, applications, and availability across our flour, grain, pulse, and specialty ingredient lines.
STYLE
- Lead with the answer in 1–2 sentences, then supporting detail.
- Use bullet points when listing product features, pricing tiers, or promotion details.
- When comparing products, use a table format for clarity.
GUARDRAILS
- Only use information from the documents in your knowledge source.
- Do not share confidential margin data or internal cost structures with external-facing content.
- If a question is not covered in your knowledge, say so clearly and direct the user to their regional sales manager or the product marketing team.
- Do not provide information outside the scope of Ardent Mills sales materials.
TONE
- Professional, helpful, and confident. Think "the colleague on the sales team who always knows the product catalog inside and out."
Starter Prompts
- What are our current promotional offers for bakery customers?
- Compare our whole wheat flour options — what are the key differences?
- What talking points should I use when pitching our specialty grain products?
- Which products are best suited for a customer looking to add protein and fiber to their formulations?
- What’s the availability status of our organic flour lines this quarter?
Knowledge Sources
For this training exercise, add the sample files from the SharePoint training folder:
- 📂 Product Catalog (current FY)
- 📂 Promotional Calendar
- 📂 Sales Playbook
- 📂 Customer FAQ Document
In production, you’d add your actual sales materials, pricing guides, and competitive intelligence documents.
💡 Knowledge Tip: Start narrow. Point the agent at one well-curated SharePoint folder with your core sales materials. You can always expand later — but a focused knowledge base gives better answers from day one.
Test Your Agent
Before sharing broadly, run these test cases in the Preview panel:
| Test Type | Sample Question | Expected Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Product info | “What are the key benefits of UltraGrain vs. traditional whole wheat flour?” | Direct answer with product specs from catalog |
| Customer prep | “I have a meeting with a commercial bakery — what products should I recommend for high-fiber bread?” | Targeted product recommendations with talking points |
| Promotions | “What promotional pricing is available for organic flour this quarter?” | Checks promo calendar and provides current offers |
| Out-of-scope | “What’s our cost of goods on hard red winter wheat?” | Politely declines — confidential margin data |
🚀 Pilot before broadcasting: Share with 3–5 sales reps for a week. Collect feedback on accuracy, missing product details, and edge cases. Then refine the knowledge sources and instructions before rolling out to the broader sales team.
Where This Can Go Next
✅ Self-Check: Part 5
🚀 Resources & Next Steps
Three Things to Do This Week
- Save 2 prompts you’ll reuse — one for Copilot Chat or Word, one for Excel analysis
- Draft one real operations memo in Word using Copilot and share it with a colleague for feedback
- Pilot the Sales Assistant agent with 3 sales reps and collect their feedback on product answers
Helpful Links
Copilot Adoption Hub — Official resources, guides, and best practices Copilot Prompt Gallery — Browse and save manufacturing-specific prompt templates Agent Builder Documentation — Step-by-step guide for building agents Copilot Support — Troubleshooting and FAQ🛠 Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| “Draft with Copilot” not showing in Word | Ensure you’re in a new blank document and your Copilot license is active. Try word.new in a fresh browser tab. |
| Copilot can’t access my referenced file | The file must be in OneDrive or SharePoint with AutoSave enabled. Local files won’t work. |
| Excel Copilot says “I can’t work with this data” | Your data must be in a formatted Excel Table (Ctrl+T). No merged cells, no blank rows, header row required. |
| PowerPoint slides look generic | Apply your team’s template first, then generate slides. Copilot respects the active theme. |
| Agent gives wrong or invented answers | Check your Knowledge sources — the product file may not be uploaded yet. Strengthen guardrail instructions to prevent invention. |
| Agent can’t find my SharePoint folder | Ensure the folder has proper permissions and the files are readable (PDF, Word, Excel — not scanned images). |