Course Outline
DAY 1
Module 1 — Claude Fundamentals, Prompting, and Personalisation
Explore the capabilities of Claude beyond the standard chat interface. Understand its unique strengths, the scenarios where it outperforms other AI tools, and how to customize it to align with the user's specific profile. Topics • Claude’s market positioning and its key differentiators compared to other AI tools in 2026 • Model families: Fable, Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, along with guidance on when to deploy each • The probabilistic nature of AI, understanding hallucinations, and strategies for risk mitigation • Variations between service plans and the added benefits of a paid account • Effective prompting techniques: prioritizing context over syntax, foundational structures, and determining when to start a new chat versus continuing an existing one • Custom Instructions tailored to user profiles: defining roles, priorities, and communication tone
Exercises
• Exercise 1 — Construct a comprehensive prompt to address a customer complaint
• Exercise 2 — Set up Custom Instructions for a specific user profile
Module 2 — Projects, Artifacts, and Skills
Leverage Projects to establish persistent workspaces with dedicated knowledge bases, including manuals, technical sheets, and standards. Treat Artifacts as a production space within the chat interface, and develop reusable working procedures using Skills.
Topics:
• Projects: Persistent workspaces featuring their own history and specialized knowledge bases
• Project Instructions vs. Profile Preferences — understanding how these elements complement one another
• Sharing Projects with teams on Team and Enterprise plans
• Uploading files, including PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, and images
• Artifacts: Creating documents, dashboards, and interactive prototypes directly within the chat
• Web Search: Accessing real-time information with verifiable sources
• Skills: Defining and implementing repeatable workflows
Exercises:
• Exercise 3 — Develop a functional Project tailored to the user's specific context
• Exercise 4 — Generate a functional Artifact relevant to the user's own context
• Exercise 5 — Create a functional Skill applicable to the user's own context
DAY 2
Module 3 — Cowork, Agents, and Microsoft 365 Integration
Move beyond viewing AI as a simple chatbot and start utilizing it as a capable work partner that can operate in the background on real-world, day-to-day data.
Topics:
• Claude Desktop: Installation, system requirements, authentication, initial setup, and key differences from browser-based usage
• Claude in Chrome: Installing the official extension, managing permissions, exploring practical use cases, recognizing limitations, and following security best practices
• Claude Mobile: Utilization in mobile settings, synchronizing data across devices, and best practices for mobile work
• Cowork: Defining its function, capabilities, and optimal use cases
• Microsoft 365 connector: Linking to Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams
• Multi-step tasks: Searching, reading, summarizing, writing, and sending
• Scheduled tasks: Implementing Scheduled Prompts
• MCP: The Model Context Protocol and the Connectors ecosystem
• Identifying Cowork’s current limitations and strategies to mitigate them
Exercises:
• Exercise 6 — Create a Cowork project and structure its folder system
• Exercise 7 — Configure a complete Cowork project with Skills, instructions, and folders, then test it on a complex task
Module 4 — Claude in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
Integrate Claude with Microsoft 365 applications, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, to accelerate analysis, writing, review, and the preparation of work materials using the user's own files.
Topics:
• Excel: Data analysis, formula generation, table cleaning, metric interpretation, and executive summary preparation
• Word: Reviewing, rewriting, structuring documents, and drafting proposals, reports, minutes, and professional communications
• PowerPoint: Converting content into presentation narratives, drafting scripts, refining key messages, and tailoring content for specific audiences
Exercises:
• Exercise 8 — Use Claude to analyze an Excel spreadsheet and generate an executive summary with conclusions and recommendations
• Exercise 9 — Transform a Word document or a set of notes into a structured PowerPoint presentation
Requirements
To fully engage with the practical exercises, please ensure you have the following prepared before the course begins:
- Active Claude Account (Paid): A Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan is essential to access Projects, Artifacts, and the advanced models utilized in Module 2.
- Microsoft 365 Access: You need a functional account with access to OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint to complete the integrations in Modules 3 and 4.
- Laptop with Installation Rights: Bring a computer where you are authorized to install Claude Desktop and the Chrome extension, which are necessary for Module 3.
- Your Own Files (Strongly Recommended): Prepare two to three real-world documents, such as a PDF manual, an Excel sheet, or a Word report, to use during the hands-on exercises. Please verify that they do not contain strictly confidential data.
Testimonials (2)
Learning how to prompt Claude and use it to digest all of the data I have available.
Mike Hartleroad - Furniture Row
Course - Claude AI for Data Analysis and Business Intelligence
how to engage with the Office environment and set up repetitive tasks
