From “we should do AI” to a plan you can actually follow
This accounting firm was feeling the AI pressure: curious clients, employees testing tools on their own, leadership worried about confidentiality. Instead of coding anything, we started by framing it: where AI truly creates value in an accounting firm, at what risk, and in what order to get started.
- Client
- Confidential
- Industry
- Professional services · Accounting
- Region
- Quebec City, Quebec
- Context
- 55 employees, high confidentiality sensitivity
- Services
- Strategic AI framing · Governance · Training
- Duration
- ≈ 8 weeks
AI everywhere, but where to start?
Like many firms, this one was feeling the AI pressure. Everyone was talking about it, no one had a plan — and some improvised uses created a real confidentiality risk.
- Employees using consumer AI tools with client data, with no framework.
- No clear view of the use cases that are actually useful to the firm.
- A legitimate fear for confidentiality and compliance.
- The risk of investing in the hype rather than in value.
Which use cases, and in what order
We ran workshops with the teams to surface the use cases, then plotted them on an impact / effort matrix. The goal: start with what pays off fast, and plan the heavier initiatives.
- Automatic sorting of supporting documentsQuick win
- Drafting client emailsQuick win
- Summarizing tax documentsPriority
- Detecting accounting anomaliesStrategic
- Internal tax-research assistantStrategic
- Automated report writingTo assess
Innovate without putting yourself at risk
In an accounting firm, trust is the most precious capital. Every use case was framed by clear rules, understood by everyone.
- Confidential data
No sensitive client data sent to consumer tools; framed use of compliant, properly hosted tools.
- Human in the loop
AI proposes, an accountant validates. No automated tax decision without human control.
- A clear usage framework
An internal policy on what is allowed, framed or forbidden with generative AI.
- Upskilling
Hands-on training so every team knows where AI helps… and where it gets things wrong.
A firm that owns its AI shift
The firm no longer chases the hype: it experiments in a targeted, confident way, on the cases that truly matter.
AI was being talked about everywhere, with no idea what to actually do with it in an accounting firm. Codally kept us from chasing the trend: we now know exactly where AI saves us time, and where we absolutely should not use it.
Tempted by AI but not sure where to start?
A single framing workshop is enough to separate real opportunities from the noise. No risk, no code.