Follow along with the webinar: How finance teams use Codex
If you work in finance, you probably know this moment: the numbers are there, but the deliverable still has to be built. You have the actuals, the forecast, the variance drivers, the owner notes, and the risks. Now someone has to turn all of that into a clear narrative, a polished Word doc, a structured deck, or a set of visuals that leadership can use.
That is the work this webinar focuses on. You’ll see how Codex can help build the asset around the answer: creating files, updating them, refining them with company-specific guidance, and turning a repeatable finance workflow into a skill and monthly automation.
Resources to bookmark
Mini-demo: Create and revise a finance summary
The first demo starts small on purpose. Codex uses one dummy source file, monthly_region_performance.csv, to create a real Word document called Regional Finance Summary. Then Codex revises that same file instead of starting over.
Before you try this, download the mini-demo file:
Use this prompt in Codex:
Use the Monthly Region Performance CSV file in this folder.
Create a docx file called "Regional Finance Summary" with a short February finance summary for leadership.
Keep it under 120 words and include:
- a one-line headline
- 2-3 notable regional takeaways
- one risk to watch
After Codex creates the file, open it and review the first draft. Then ask Codex to revise the same document:
Revise the Regional Finance Summary to make it more executive-ready.
Tighten the wording, turn the takeaways into bullets, and add a final line called "Recommended follow-up."
The thing to notice: Codex is not just answering in the conversation. It is creating and updating an actual file you can open, review, and keep working on.
Main demo: Build a Monthly Business Review narrative
The main demo shows a month-end business review workflow. The input is a mix of local files and connected sources. The output is a structured Microsoft Word document the finance team can review, revise, and share.
Before you try this, download the dummy demo files:
MBR demo files (all four files) The first prompt creates the draft MBR narrative:
Prepare this month's management business review story for the Sales team.
Use the monthly performance spreadsheets that I have on Google Drive and the driver detail and context notes in this project folder.
Draft an executive-ready narrative with key variances, what changed since forecast, risks, CFO prep questions, and follow-ups by owner. Cite a workbook tab, dashboard, or source note for every material number.
Create the draft as a Microsoft Word document named "Monthly Business Review Narrative."
Once Codex creates the document, open it and inspect the first draft. Check whether it has the core pieces from the demo: the leadership takeaway, key variances, what changed since forecast, risks, CFO prep questions, follow-ups by owner, and citations for material numbers.
Then revise the document with company-specific guidance:
Revise "Monthly Business Review Narrative" using these specific Acme Enterprises MBR narrative guidelines:
[Paste your company-specific MBR guidance here.]
In the webinar, that guidance includes structure, formatting, brand direction, materiality rules, how to separate timing issues from recurring issues, how risks should be framed, and what leadership expects to see before a review.
Turn the workflow into something reusable
After the MBR document is revised, the demo turns the workflow into a reusable Skill so the same structure, style, interpretation rules, and review expectations can carry forward.
Use this prompt:
Turn this workflow into a reusable skill called "Company MBRs".
Then schedule the workflow to create a new MBR every month:
Make a new monthly automation which uses the $Company MBRs skill to generate a new MBR on the first Monday of each month at 9AM. Create a new Microsoft Word file, instead of updating the existing file.
The automation is not just a reminder. It uses the skill to create a new shareable artifact every month: a Microsoft Word document that follows your company’s process and is ready for the finance team to review.
What to try next
You do not have to start by automating your entire close process. Pick one finance artifact that already shows up in your work: an MBR narrative, a variance bridge, or a model QA memo. Give Codex the files and context, ask for a specific reviewable output, check the numbers and the story, then refine the workflow from there.
For more finance examples, visit How finance teams use Codex.