01 the business
Specialist manufacturer
200 staff, private equity backed
The board pack is built in the last few days before each meeting by the finance lead and an executive assistant chasing updates by email. Figures are pasted by hand, commentary is written late at night, and once the wrong version was sent.
02 before
The problem
Board packs get built in the last few days before the meeting by a finance lead or an executive assistant chasing updates by email. Figures are pasted from exports by hand, commentary is written late at night, and the version sent to directors is not always the one with the corrected numbers.
- Updates are chased by email.
- Figures are pasted from exports.
- Version control is fragile.
03 the build
What the AI does
- Step 1: Sends each department head a short update request with the questions from your template and a due date.
- Step 2: Pulls the month's management accounts, cash position and KPIs from Xero, NetSuite or your reporting tool into the agreed tables.
- Step 3: Drafts variance commentary against budget and last month, and marks where the explanation needs input from a person.
- Step 4: Assembles everything into your Word, PowerPoint or Google Docs template with consistent formatting and numbering.
- Step 5: Keeps a live checklist of missing sections and reminds owners before the deadline.
paused: waiting for a person to approve
How it was put together
- Sent department heads an update request with template questions and a due date.
- Pulled management accounts, cash and KPIs into the agreed tables.
- Drafted variance commentary and marked where a person's input is needed.
- Assembled everything into the template with a live checklist of missing sections.
04 human in the loop
Where a person stays in charge
The finance lead checks every figure and edits the commentary, and the CEO signs off the final pack before the agent uploads it to the board portal or sends it to directors.
- The finance lead checks every figure and edits commentary.
- The CEO signs off before anything goes to directors.
- One controlled version is published to the board portal.
05 rollout
From kickoff to live in 2 weeks plus one cycle
- Weeks 1–2Set up the template, tables and update requests.
- Next board cycleRun alongside the manual process.
- Following cycleUse as the main process.
06 after
What changes
The pack comes together across the month instead of in a late rush. Finance spends its time on the story behind the numbers, and directors receive a consistent pack on time.
Assume monthly packs taking 3 days of finance time and 2 days of assistant time, falling by half.
5 days × 50% = 2.5 days saved a month, or about 30 days a year.
What to measure
- Days before the meeting the pack is final.
- Corrections after sending.
- Finance hours per pack.
- Late department updates.
07 evidence
What the research says
In a study of 453 professionals doing writing tasks from their own jobs, access to ChatGPT cut the time taken by 40% and raised quality, as rated by evaluators, by 18%.
In a field experiment with 758 BCG consultants, those using GPT-4 on tasks within its abilities finished 12.2% more tasks, 25.1% faster and at over 40% higher quality, but did worse on a task outside its abilities.
08 lessons
Mistakes to avoid
- Commentary without people. Explanations need owners.
- Multiple versions. Publish once.
- Late requests. Ask early with a firm date.
09 questions
Common questions
- Does it upload to board portals?
- It can prepare the final file for Diligent or similar portals after sign-off.
- Can it handle PowerPoint packs?
- Yes, as well as Word and Google Docs.