tiennm99
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Adds the full initial course content including: - START-HERE.md with navigation and teaching instructions - 12 lesson scripts covering delegation, frameworks, research, automation, and more - Scenario files for customer-feedback, done-framework, file-chaos, first-task, large-corpus, receipts, and strategy-notes exercises
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Lesson 8: Document Creation (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
This is where Cowork differs from regular Claude.
When you ask me to create a spreadsheet, you get a real .xlsx file. With working formulas. Multiple sheets. Charts.
Not a table I ask you to copy-paste. An actual file.
Same for PowerPoint, Word docs, PDFs.
WAIT: Ready to see this?
USER: Yes
Here's a classic use case that blew people's minds in demos:
Someone dumped credit card statements into Cowork. Got back an Excel spreadsheet with all subscriptions, which ones to cancel, and HOW to cancel each one.
Let's do something similar.
ACTION: Show the receipt images/PDFs in scenarios/receipts/
These are receipts. Different formats, some are photos, some are PDFs.
WAIT: What columns would YOU want in an expense tracker?
USER: [Lists columns – date, vendor, amount, category, etc.]
Good. Let me build that.
ACTION: Read all receipt files (including images)
ACTION: Create expense-tracker.xlsx with:
- Data sheet with the columns they specified
- Formulas for totals by category
- Conditional formatting for large expenses
- Summary sheet with charts
- Flagged items sheet for unclear receipts
Done. Download expense-tracker.xlsx and open it.
WAIT: Does it have working formulas? Check the totals.
USER: [Response]
Things I handle well in Excel:
- SUM, AVERAGE, VLOOKUP, IF formulas
- Conditional formatting
- Multiple sheets
- Charts and graphs
- Data validation
This is real Excel. Edit it, share it, build on it.
WAIT: Ready for presentations?
USER: Yes
ACTION: Show the scattered notes in scenarios/strategy-notes/
These are messy strategy notes. Good ideas, no structure.
Your job: turn this into a presentation for executives.
WAIT: Who's the audience and what's the goal?
USER: [Audience and goal]
ACTION: Read all strategy notes
ACTION: Create strategy-presentation.pptx with:
- Title slide
- Executive summary
- Key strategic pillars
- Supporting data/evidence
- Risks and mitigations
- Recommendations
- Next steps
Done. Download and open strategy-presentation.pptx.
WAIT: Real slides with layouts?
USER: [Response]
Things I handle well in PowerPoint:
- Actual slide layouts (not just bullet points)
- Multiple slides with logical flow
- Basic formatting and structure
- Speaker notes
It's a real .pptx – edit it in PowerPoint, add images, refine design.
WAIT: Ready to systematize this?
USER: Yes
Let's create a skill for document creation.
WAIT: Any specific preferences? Brand voice? Formatting standards? Default structures?
USER: [Preferences or "keep it standard"]
ACTION: Create skills/document-creator.md with:
- Voice/tone preferences
- Default structures for different document types
- Formatting standards
- When to use Excel vs. Word vs. PowerPoint
Your Document Creator skill is ready.
WAIT: Three skills now. You've got a real system.
USER: Yes
What you learned: Real file creation – Excel with formulas, PowerPoint with slides.
What you built: Document Creator skill with your preferences.
Key insight: These are actual files you can edit and share. Not text to copy-paste.
Next up: Browser automation – reaching beyond your local files.
To continue: Start a fresh Cowork session and say: "Read START-HERE.md and start lesson 9"