New Article: "I Need a Dashboard by Friday" — How AI Just Made That Possible
From the Archive: Microsoft 365 Copilot and the PMO
Live Event (4/22): Excel + AI: The Smart User's Guide to Faster, Easier Work with ChatGPT
PM Best Practice: A quick tip on stakeholder updates
Tuesday Brief: This week's issue is about AI as a practical working tool, not a future-of-work concept. Mike Thomas shows how ChatGPT can handle the "I need a dashboard by Friday" scramble, and Erik van Hurck explores what Microsoft 365 Copilot actually changes inside the apps PMs already use. Wednesday's live event picks up where Mike's article leaves off with a hands-on Excel + ChatGPT session.
New Article: "I Need a Dashboard by Friday" — How AI Just Made That Possible
Your manager wants a dashboard by Friday's meeting. You know Excel well enough to get by, occasionally well enough to Google your way through. Mike Thomas makes the case that ChatGPT is the Excel expert sitting next to you whenever you need one. Describe what you want in plain English, get back working formulas, layout suggestions, and even VBA code you can paste straight in.
The article is short, direct, and written for anyone whose Excel skills are somewhere between functional and fluent. You don't need to already use ChatGPT to get value from it.
Live Event (4/22): Turning Project Data Into Decision-Ready Visibility with Smartsheet
Join Mike Thomas for a hands-on session on putting ChatGPT to work in Excel. Mike is the founder of The Excel Trainer, a Fellow of The Learning and Performance Institute, and has built nearly 200 Excel tutorials. He'll show you how to get real, usable output from ChatGPT for the Excel work you're already doing.
What You'll Learn:
How to write prompts that produce working formulas and VBA code
How to troubleshoot broken formulas with ChatGPT as your second set of eyes
How to refine prompts when the first response isn't quite right
How to work safely with sensitive data when using ChatGPT
📅 Wednesday, April 22, 2026 🕛 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET 📍 Live on Zoom 🏅 1 PDU (Business Acumen)
From the Archive: Microsoft 365 Copilot and the PMO
If ChatGPT is the expert you pull up on the side, Copilot is the one already inside Word, Excel, Teams, and OneNote. Microsoft MVP Erik van Hurck walks through what Copilot actually does for PMOs, where it adds real leverage, and where the limits still are. A useful companion read for anyone thinking about how AI fits into the tools your team uses every day.
MPUG hosts live events with leading experts on Wednesdays from 12:00pm - 1:00pm ET! MPUG members get access to live events where you get direct access to industry leaders, actionable insights, hands-on training, and opportunities to earn PDUs.
4/22/2026: Excel + AI: The Smart User's Guide to Faster, Easier Work with ChatGPT | Learn More + Register Here
4/29/2026: Are Risk Workshops the Missing Piece to Your Risk Management Puzzle? | Learn More + Register Here
PM Best Practice: Lead With the Decision, Not the Activity
When a stakeholder asks for a status update, lead with the decision they need to make, not the activity you've completed. "We're on track, no action needed from you" or "We need your sign-off on X by Thursday" respects their time far more than a chronological recap. Status updates are a service, not a report card.
Give the right updates to the right people this week!
