Copilot Cowork — Research & Synthesis Workflows
Prompts that pull, synthesise, and structure information from across your M365 environment. These produce read-only outputs — Cowork searches and drafts; you review before any action is taken.
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Requirements
REQUIRES: Microsoft 365 Copilot licence + Frontier program enrolment + Anthropic sub-processor enabled. See README.md for full setup details.
Meeting & Stakeholder Prep
6. Pre-Meeting Research Brief
Use Case: Walk into any meeting fully prepared — know what was last discussed, what's open, and what they're likely to raise.
Target Personas: Account Manager, Project Manager, Executive, Consultant
Tags: cowork, frontier, meeting-prep, outlook, teams, calendar
Prompt:
I have a meeting with [Name] at [Company/Team] coming up. Search all my emails, Teams messages, and meeting notes involving them from the last 90 days. Produce a pre-meeting brief:
- The last 3 topics we discussed — newest first
- Any open items or commitments on either side — list each with the date it was raised
- The tone and direction of the last exchange — positive, tense, neutral, transactional
- One thing I should bring up proactively based on what you found
Show me the source messages you are drawing from before writing the brief, so I can verify accuracy. Keep the final brief under 150 words. Do not send or post anything.
Schedulable: No (requires [Name] variable) Skills used: Email, Meetings, Enterprise Search Approval required: No (read-only output)
7. Stakeholder Update — Multi-Step
Use Case: Prepare a structured stakeholder update by letting Cowork find the relevant content first, then draft from verified sources. The "show sources before drafting" instruction is the key line — without it, Cowork may skip straight to drafting.
Target Personas: Project Manager, Account Manager, Program Lead
Tags: cowork, frontier, stakeholder, agentic, outlook, teams
Prompt:
I need to prepare a stakeholder update for [project or initiative name]. Do the following in sequence:
Step 1: Search my emails and Teams from the last 2 weeks for any updates, blockers, or decisions related to this project. Show me what you found — the actual message subjects, senders, and key content — before moving to Step 2.
Step 2: From what you found, identify the 3 most important developments to highlight.
Step 3: Draft a 5-bullet stakeholder update in this format:
- What happened (the facts)
- What is next (next actions and owner)
- What needs a decision (anything blocked waiting on someone)
- Key risks or concerns
- Suggested subject line for the email
Do not send anything. Present the draft for my review.
Schedulable: No (requires project name variable) Skills used: Email, Teams, Communications Approval required: Yes — review draft before sending
8. Post-Meeting Action Capture
Use Case: Immediately after a meeting, convert notes and transcript into assigned tasks and a recap email — without doing it manually.
Target Personas: Project Manager, Team Lead, Consultant, Executive Assistant
Tags: cowork, frontier, meeting-follow-up, teams, outlook
Prompt:
I just finished a meeting with [attendees/team]. Search for the Teams meeting transcript or my notes from the last 2 hours. Produce:
1. A structured list of action items — each with: what needs to be done, who owns it, and any deadline mentioned
2. A recap email draft to all attendees with: key decisions made, action items with owners, open questions, and next meeting date if mentioned
Show me the action item list first. After I confirm it is accurate, show me the email draft. Do not send the email until I explicitly approve it and confirm the recipient list.
Schedulable: No Skills used: Email, Meetings, Communications Approval required: Yes — email send requires explicit approval
9. Executive Pre-Read
Use Case: Before meeting with a senior stakeholder or exec, get a concise picture of the relationship, recent context, and what they care about.
Target Personas: Account Manager, Business Developer, Project Manager, Consultant
Tags: cowork, frontier, executive, meeting-prep, outlook, teams
Prompt:
I am meeting with [Name], [Title], at [Organisation] on [date]. Search my emails, Teams messages, and calendar entries involving them or their organisation from the last 6 months. Produce an executive pre-read:
- Last 3 topics or decisions involving them — what was the outcome of each
- Any open asks, commitments, or concerns on either side
- What they have said they care about or are focused on — use their exact words where possible, not paraphrases
- Any signals about priorities, pressures, or agenda items for this meeting
Keep this under 200 words. Do not send or post anything.
Schedulable: No Skills used: Email, Meetings, Enterprise Search Approval required: No (read-only output)
Project & Portfolio Management
10. Project Status Digest — Across All Active Projects
Use Case: Get a cross-project status overview by letting Cowork sweep all recent communications rather than chasing each project lead.
Target Personas: PMO Director, Program Manager, Portfolio Lead
Tags: cowork, frontier, project-management, portfolio, outlook, teams
Prompt:
Search my emails and Teams messages from the last 7 days. Across all active projects I am involved in, identify and summarise:
- Projects where something notable happened — decision, blocker, escalation, or milestone
- Projects that have gone quiet — no communication in the last 5+ days
- Any deadline or milestone mentioned that falls within the next 14 days
- Any open risk or issue flagged but not yet resolved
Group by project. For each project use maximum 3 bullet points. Flag any project that needs my attention this week. Do not send or post anything.
Schedulable: Yes — Monday 8:00 AM Skills used: Email, Teams, Enterprise Search Approval required: No (read-only output)
11. Risk and Blocker Sweep
Use Case: Surface every risk, blocker, or escalation mentioned across your communications before it reaches you in a meeting.
Target Personas: Project Manager, Program Lead, PMO
Tags: cowork, frontier, risk, blockers, outlook, teams
Prompt:
Search my emails and Teams messages from the last 10 days. Find every instance where someone raised a risk, blocker, issue, delay, concern, or escalation — including phrases like "at risk", "blocked", "delayed", "concerned about", "issue with", "problem", "stuck", "waiting on". For each one:
- What is the risk or blocker
- Who raised it and when
- What project or workstream it relates to
- Whether there is any evidence it has been resolved
Sort by date — most recent first. Do not infer — only surface items explicitly stated in the communications. Do not send or post anything.
Schedulable: Yes — Friday 3:00 PM Skills used: Email, Teams Approval required: No (read-only output)
Document Generation
12. Document from Meeting Notes
Use Case: Turn raw meeting notes or a transcript into a finished Word document — briefing, MOM, or decision record.
Target Personas: Project Manager, Executive Assistant, Consultant, Analyst
Tags: cowork, frontier, document, word, meeting-notes
Prompt:
I am attaching my notes from [meeting name] on [date]. [Attach file]
Using these notes, create a Word document formatted as a Minutes of Meeting / Decision Record with:
- Meeting: name, date, attendees
- Context: one-paragraph summary of why this meeting was held
- Key decisions: each on its own line with the decision and who made it
- Action items: what needs to be done, who owns it, deadline if stated
- Open questions: items discussed but not resolved
- Next steps: agreed next meeting or follow-up date
Use formal but clear language. Do not invent content not in the notes — if something is unclear, flag it with [CLARIFY] rather than guessing. Save as a Word document and show me the draft before saving.
Schedulable: No Skills used: Word, Meetings Approval required: Yes — review before saving
13. Presentation from Brief
Use Case: Turn a written brief or set of bullet points into a structured PowerPoint deck.
Target Personas: Project Manager, Consultant, Executive, Sales
Tags: cowork, frontier, powerpoint, presentation, document
Prompt:
I am attaching a brief for [presentation name / audience]. [Attach file]
Using this brief, create a PowerPoint presentation with the following structure:
- Slide 1: Title and context (what this presentation is and why it matters)
- Slides 2–4: The three main points — one key message per slide, supporting evidence below
- Slide 5: Implications or recommendations
- Slide 6: Next steps and owner for each
Use clean, minimal formatting. Each slide should have a single headline that stands alone as a sentence — not a label. Speaker notes on every slide with the key point to make verbally. Show me an outline of the slides before building the deck so I can confirm the structure.
Schedulable: No Skills used: PowerPoint Approval required: Yes — confirm outline before deck is built
Research & Analysis
14. Deep Research — Multi-Source Synthesis
Use Case: Compile a research brief from both internal M365 data and external sources on a specific topic, company, or technology.
Target Personas: Consultant, Analyst, Business Developer, Executive
Tags: cowork, frontier, research, deep-research, enterprise-search
Prompt:
I need a research brief on [topic, company, or technology]. Do the following in sequence:
Step 1: Search my emails, Teams, and SharePoint for any internal content we already have on this topic. Show me what you found before continuing.
Step 2: Search external sources for recent developments — focus on facts, announcements, and concrete data. No opinion pieces.
Step 3: Synthesise both into a research brief with:
- What we already know internally (from Step 1)
- What is new or has changed recently (from Step 2)
- The 3 most important things to understand about this topic right now
- Gaps — what we do not know that we should
Cite every source. Flag any claim you are not confident about with [VERIFY]. Do not send or post anything.
Schedulable: No (requires topic variable) Skills used: Deep Research, Enterprise Search, Email, Teams Approval required: No (read-only output)
15. Competitive Signal Sweep
Use Case: Find every mention of competitors or alternatives across your recent communications — before a renewal, pitch, or strategy review.
Target Personas: Account Manager, Sales, Business Developer, Strategy Lead
Tags: cowork, frontier, competitive, research, outlook, teams
Prompt:
Search my emails and Teams messages from the last 90 days. Find every mention of a competitor, alternative solution, or vendor comparison — including company names, product names, and phrases like "evaluating alternatives", "looking at other options", "comparing with", "also talking to". For each mention:
- What was said and by whom
- The date and context
- Whether it was raised by a customer, colleague, or external party
- Whether there is any follow-up or resolution in the thread
Do not infer — only surface explicit mentions. Do not send or post anything.
Schedulable: No Skills used: Email, Teams, Enterprise Search Approval required: No (read-only output)
16. New Colleague or Stakeholder Onboarding Brief
Use Case: Before working with someone new, quickly understand who they are based on your org's existing communications and their public profile.
Target Personas: Manager, Project Manager, Executive, Account Manager
Tags: cowork, frontier, onboarding, stakeholder, research
Prompt:
I am about to start working with [Name] who is joining [team/project/organisation]. Search my emails and Teams for any existing context about them — past exchanges, mentions by colleagues, or project history. Also search externally for their professional background.
Produce a brief covering:
- What we already know about them internally (roles, projects, interactions)
- Their professional background based on public sources
- Any relevant context I should know before our first meeting
- One question worth asking them to build rapport early
Keep this under 200 words. Do not send or post anything.
Schedulable: No Skills used: Enterprise Search, Email, Teams, Deep Research Approval required: No (read-only output)
Calendar Management
17. Weekly Calendar Triage
Use Case: Delegate your weekly calendar review — surface conflicts, low-value meetings, and missing focus time — then approve changes.
Target Personas: Executive, Manager, Senior Individual Contributor
Tags: cowork, frontier, calendar, time-management, schedulable
Prompt:
Review my Outlook calendar for the next 7 days. Identify:
- Any scheduling conflicts — two or more events at the same time
- Meetings with no agenda or context in the invite that I own — list them so I can add context or cancel
- Days with no focus time (blocks of 90+ uninterrupted minutes) — suggest where to add focus blocks
- Any meeting I have accepted that appears low-value based on the invite content
For each issue you identify, propose a specific action: decline, reschedule, add focus block, or request agenda. Present all proposed changes for my approval before making any calendar modifications. Do not accept, decline, or reschedule anything without my explicit go-ahead for each item.
Schedulable: Yes — Sunday evening or Monday 6:30 AM (run before Monday briefing) Skills used: Calendar Management, Scheduling Approval required: Yes — all calendar changes require explicit approval
18. Recurring Meeting Preparation — Automated
Use Case: For a meeting that recurs every week or two, automatically pull the relevant context before each occurrence.
Target Personas: Project Manager, Team Lead, Account Manager
Tags: cowork, frontier, meeting-prep, recurring, schedulable, outlook, teams
Prompt:
Before every [meeting name, e.g. "GenAI Biweekly Review"] — which recurs on [day and time] — do the following automatically 30 minutes before it starts:
Search my emails and Teams for anything related to [topic/project] from the last 14 days. Produce:
- New developments since the last meeting
- Open items from previous meeting notes that are still unresolved
- Anything I should raise proactively today
- One question worth asking the group
Keep this under 100 words. Deliver as a message to me only. Do not send or post to any other recipient.
Schedulable: Yes — set to 30 minutes before each recurrence Skills used: Email, Teams, Meetings, Calendar Management Approval required: No (read-only output)
Part of the Copilot Cowork collection