AI at LBW

From Roadmap to Reality

Aamir Qutub · CEO, Enterprise Monkey
Ops Committee Briefing · 30 March 2026

Quick Context

You know us — but for anyone new in the room

500+ Business leaders trained through Dumb Monkey AI Academy

50+ AI implementations across Australian businesses

📖 Published author — AI strategy for business

Digital Maestro AI Academy · DMAA · Geelong-based

What We Found in November

Direct from your staff in the workshop

"Half an hour to an hour goes into just setting up the workpapers"

"Eight hours writing advisory letters that AI should draft in 30 seconds"

"We're already triple handling lots of information"

📋 Manual workpapers

📝 Inconsistent formats

🔄 Triple handling

❓ Copilot uncertainty

📏 No standard rules

🐌 Slow onboarding

What's Changed Since November

The regulator has entered the room

TPB(I) D62/2026 — Released 25 March 2026 (5 days ago)
Draft guidance on AI use by tax practitioners

"AI doesn't transfer professional responsibility" — you still own every output
Confidentiality obligations apply to all AI tool usage
Public consultation is open now
LBW needs an AI governance framework before this becomes binding

"Something happened five days ago that changes this conversation entirely."

PAUSE for effect.

"The Tax Practitioners Board released draft guidance on AI use. The regulator is now actively writing rules for how firms like LBW use AI."

"The key message? AI doesn't shift your professional responsibility. If an AI tool gets something wrong in a tax return, in an SOA, in an audit workpaper — you're still responsible. Not the tool. You."

"They're also saying that confidentiality obligations extend to AI tools. If your staff are putting client data into ChatGPT — that's a problem. Right now."

"The consultation window is open. LBW should be responding to this. And more importantly — you need your governance framework in place before this becomes binding."

TRANSITION: "Which brings me to the risk of doing nothing..."

The Risk of Doing Nothing

Your staff are already using AI. The question is — safely?

52% of accounting staff using ChatGPT without firm governance

Shadow AI = client data leaking to public AI tools

TPB gap — new guidance, no compliance framework

Competitors are moving — Crowe, RSM, Big 4 all investing

"Shadow AI is your biggest risk right now."

"Here's the uncomfortable truth: your staff are already using AI. Industry data shows 52% of accounting professionals are using ChatGPT or similar tools — most without any firm policy or governance."

"That means client data — tax file numbers, financial statements, personal details — is potentially going into public AI tools. That's Shadow AI. And it's happening in every firm that hasn't put guardrails in place."

"Add the new TPB guidance, and you've got a compliance gap that's growing by the week."

"Meanwhile, your competitors — not just the Big 4, but mid-tier firms right here in Geelong — are investing in AI. The question isn't if AI is coming to accounting. It's whether LBW leads or follows."

TRANSITION: "But here's the good news. We've already done the hard work of mapping where AI fits at LBW. Let me show you the quick wins that are ready to go."

Your Quick Wins — Ready to Go

From your roadmap · Scored on Benefit ÷ (Effort + Ambiguity) · 0–3 months

📋 Workpaper Setup Automation

Auto-generate from templates + prior year

Score: 4.2

🏦 Bank Rec Matching

AI-assisted reconciliation in Xero

Score: 3.8

🔄 Prepayment Recalculation

Agent handles recurring calculations

Score: 3.5

📊 Financial Statement Review

AI checks formatting & consistency

Score: 3.3

📧 Email & Document Filing

Auto-classify and file to FYI Docs

Score: 3.1

"These five use cases came directly from the roadmap we delivered in December. They're scored using our priority framework — benefit divided by effort and ambiguity. The higher the score, the more bang for your buck."

"Workpaper setup is your number one win. Remember that quote — 'half an hour to an hour just setting up workpapers'? AI can generate workpapers from templates and prior year data. That's potentially 30-60 minutes back per job."

"Bank rec matching — AI can flag matches in Xero that staff currently eyeball manually."

"Prepayment recalculations — this is a perfect use case for an AI agent. Repetitive, rule-based, time-consuming."

"Financial statement formatting — AI reviews for consistency issues before partner review."

"Email and document filing — automatically classify incoming documents and file to FYI Docs. Reduces that triple-handling problem your staff told us about."

TRANSITION: "Now — rather than just talk about it, let me show you what this looks like in practice."

🚀

Live Demo

AI in action — using tools you already have

DEMO OPTIONS (pre-test all of these before the meeting):

Option A — Copilot Email Drafting: Open Microsoft 365 Copilot. Show drafting a client follow-up email for missing tax documents. Use a realistic scenario: "Draft an email to John Smith reminding him we need his investment statements for the 2025 tax return, due by April 15. Professional but friendly tone." Show how fast it generates, then refine.

Option B — Document Summary: Take a sample ATO ruling or tax determination. Paste it into Copilot/ChatGPT. Ask: "Summarise this ruling in 3 bullet points and explain the implications for a small business client." Show the speed.

Option C — Workpaper Template: Show Copilot generating a workpaper checklist from a description of the engagement. "Create a workpaper setup checklist for a Tier 2 audit of a not-for-profit with $2M revenue."

KEEP THE DEMO TO 3 MINUTES MAX. Don't fumble. Have it pre-loaded. If tech fails, have screenshots as backup.

"This is using Microsoft Copilot — a tool you're already paying for. Imagine this across 50 staff, every single day."

Medium-Term Wins

3–12 months · Deeper workflow integration

📄 SOA / ROA Drafting

AI drafts Statements & Records of Advice from meeting notes + client data. Review time drops from hours to minutes.

✅ Tax Return Checking

AI second-reviews returns before partner sign-off. Catches anomalies, missing deductions, inconsistencies.

⚡ OSA Automation

Ongoing service agreements automated — compliance tracking, review schedules, client communications.

🎯 Client Onboarding

Redesigned onboarding with AI-driven document collection, data extraction, and system setup.

"Beyond the quick wins, the medium-term is where you start transforming whole workflows."

"SOA and ROA drafting — for your Financial Planning team, this is huge. AI takes the meeting notes — potentially from Filenote.ai — and drafts the Statement of Advice. Your adviser reviews and refines instead of writing from scratch. Nick, you flagged Filenote.ai back in November — this is exactly where that fits."

"Tax return checking — AI as a second pair of eyes before partner review. It's not replacing the partner; it's catching the things that slip through when you're reviewing your 200th return."

"OSA automation — ongoing service agreements need constant tracking. AI can manage the cadence, flag what's due, and draft the communications."

"Client onboarding — right now it's manual, it's slow, and it's where clients form their first impression. AI can streamline the entire experience."

TRANSITION: "And if you're thinking longer term — here's where this eventually goes..."

The Advisory Firm of the Future

12–24 months · Strategic advantage

🧠

LBW Knowledge Bot

Internal AI trained on LBW's house rules, procedures, and institutional knowledge

🔗

Multi-System Sync

XPM ↔ Xplan ↔ FYI Docs — AI keeps systems in sync automatically

📑

Autonomous Audit Workpapers

AI generates first-draft workpapers from source documents. Human reviews.

"This is where you differentiate from every other firm in Geelong."

"Now, I want to be clear — this isn't what we're doing next month. This is the 12-to-24-month vision. But it's important you see where this journey leads."

"An LBW knowledge bot — imagine a new graduate can ask 'What's LBW's process for handling a client with multiple trusts?' and get an accurate answer instantly, based on your actual procedures. That's institutional knowledge, preserved and accessible."

"Multi-system sync — your staff told us about triple handling. The long-term fix is AI keeping XPM, Xplan, and FYI Docs in sync so data enters once and flows everywhere."

"Autonomous audit workpapers — AI generates the first draft from source documents. Your people review, refine, and sign off. The cognitive work stays human; the manual work is automated."

"This is where LBW stops competing on price and starts competing on capability. The advisory firm of the future."

PAUSE — let this land.

TRANSITION: "But none of this works without the right foundation. Let's talk governance."

Governance First

You can't scale AI safely without a framework

📋 AI Policy — Draft delivered Dec 2025 Needs Finalising

👥 AI Working Group — Terms of Reference delivered Needs Activating

🔧 Tool Approval Process — Which AI tools are approved? To Build

🔒 Data Classification — What data can go into AI tools? To Build

⚖️ TPB Compliance Response — Respond to D62/2026 Urgent

🎓 Staff Training — Baseline AI literacy for all staff To Schedule

"Before we talk about quick wins and pilots — governance. Because without it, everything else is a liability."

"The good news: we've already delivered the two biggest pieces. The AI Policy draft and the Working Group Terms of Reference were sent in December. They need to be finalised and activated — not rewritten."

"The items in red are what we need to build. A tool approval process — which AI tools are staff allowed to use? Data classification — which client data can and can't go into AI tools? These aren't optional. Especially with the TPB now writing rules."

"The TPB response is urgent. The consultation window is open. LBW should be submitting a response — it shows the regulator you're proactive, and it gives you a seat at the table."

"And staff training — everyone needs baseline AI literacy. Not just the tech-savvy ones. Everyone."

TRANSITION: "Now let me show you where LBW sits on the AI maturity curve..."

The Dumb Monkey AI Canvas™

Where LBW sits on the AI maturity curve

🤖 Assistants

AI helps with individual tasks. Copilot, ChatGPT, Filenote.

← LBW is here

→

🔧 Agents

AI handles multi-step workflows autonomously.

← Ready for this

→

⚙️ Automations

End-to-end processes run by AI with human oversight.

→

🏗️ AI Systems

Integrated AI infrastructure across the firm.

"We use a framework called the Dumb Monkey AI Canvas. It maps AI maturity in four stages."

"LBW is at the Assistants stage — some staff using Copilot, the Financial Planning team looking at Filenote.ai. Individual tools helping individual people."

"The next step — and this is what the 90-day program targets — is Agents. That's where AI handles multi-step workflows. Not just 'write me an email' but 'take this meeting recording, produce the file notes, draft the follow-up actions, and file everything in FYI Docs.' One instruction, multiple steps."

"Beyond that — Automations and AI Systems — that's the long-term vision. But you don't jump there. You build up, step by step. Governance → Assistants → Agents → Automations."

"Your staff said it in the workshop: 'We need to learn how to create an agent.' They're ready. The question is whether the firm gives them the framework to do it safely."

TRANSITION: "So here's the concrete plan..."

90-Day AI Activation Program

From foundation to results before EOFY

Month 1: Foundation

Finalise AI Policy
Activate Working Group
Staff training (2 × half-day)
Approve initial toolset
TPB consultation response

Month 2: Pilot

2 service lines: Tax + FP
Implement quick wins
Measure time saved
Weekly Working Group check-ins

Month 3: Scale

Expand to all service lines
Begin Horizon 2 tools
Present results to Ops Ctte
EOFY prep with AI

Component	Investment
Governance Setup	$3,500
Staff Training (all staff)	$4,500
Pilot Management (12 weeks)	$6,000
Total	$14,000

Payback: ~6 weeks 30 min/day × 50 staff = 125 hrs/week recovered
At $200/hr = $25,000/week capacity

"Here's the concrete plan. Three months. Three phases. Clear deliverables."

"Month 1 is foundation. We finalise the AI policy I drafted in December, activate the Working Group with one rep from each service line, run two half-day training sessions for all staff, approve the initial toolset — Copilot, Filenote.ai, whatever makes sense — and prepare your response to the TPB consultation."

"Month 2 is the pilot. We pick two service lines — I'd suggest Tax and Financial Planning because they have the clearest quick wins — and we implement. Real tools, real workflows, real measurement. Weekly check-ins with the Working Group to iterate."

"Month 3 is scale. We take what worked in the pilot and expand across the firm. We start evaluating the medium-term tools. And critically — we present results back to this committee before EOFY."

"The investment is $14,000 fixed. Not open-ended. Not ongoing retainer. Fourteen thousand dollars for the entire program."

"The ROI math is simple: if each of your 50 staff saves just 30 minutes a day — and based on what they told us in the workshop, that's conservative — that's 125 hours per week. At your average charge rate of $200 an hour, that's $25,000 per week in recovered capacity. Even if you only realise 10% of that, the program pays for itself in six weeks."

PAUSE — let the numbers sink in.

Why Enterprise Monkey

Not starting from scratch

✅ Already done the groundwork — roadmap, policy draft, use cases register all delivered

🏢 We know LBW — your systems, your workflows, your people

⚖️ Accounting-specific — understand TPB, AFSL, compliance requirements

📍 Geelong-based — face-to-face, not a Sydney consultancy

🔧 Execution, not just strategy — we build tools and train teams

🚀 50+ implementations — we've done this across Australian businesses

Next Steps

"Let's not wait another 4 months."

✅ Ops Committee agrees to proceed Today

📋 Nick & Aamir scope the 90-Day Program This week

👥 AI Working Group kickoff meeting Week of 7 April

🎓 Staff training sessions April

🚀 Pilot goes live — Tax + Financial Planning 1 May

📊 Results review before EOFY 15 June

"Here's the timeline. It's tight, and deliberately so — because EOFY is three months away."

"Today — the ask is simple. Does this committee support moving forward? Not signing a contract today — just the green light to scope it properly."

"This week — Nick and I will scope the 90-Day Program in detail. Exactly which quick wins, which service lines, which staff."

"Week of April 7 — Working Group kickoff. One person from each service line. First meeting is about governance: finalising the AI policy and approving the toolset."

"April — staff training. Two half-day sessions. Everyone gets baseline AI literacy. Practical, hands-on, relevant to their daily work."

"May 1 — pilot goes live. Tax and Financial Planning start using AI tools in their actual workflows."

"June 15 — we present results back to this committee. Before EOFY. You'll see the data — time saved, quality impact, staff feedback. Then you decide on the next phase."

PAUSE.

"The window is now. Tax season is coming. The TPB is writing rules. Your staff are ready. Let's not wait another four months."

Questions?

Aamir Qutub
CEO, Enterprise Monkey

📧 aamir@enterprisemonkey.com.au
📱 0468 688 118
🌐 enterprisemonkey.com.au

🐒 dumbmonkey.ai — Free AI training for your team

Q&A PREP — Likely questions and answers:

"What about data security and confidentiality?"

"Great question. This is exactly why governance comes first. The AI policy addresses data classification — what can and can't go into AI tools. We recommend enterprise-tier tools like Microsoft Copilot, which keeps your data within your Microsoft tenancy. No client data goes to public AI tools. The tool approval process we'll build ensures every tool is vetted for security before anyone uses it."

"Will AI replace our staff?"

"No. And the data backs this up. Firms using AI are hiring more, not less. What changes is what your people spend time on. Instead of eight hours writing an advisory letter, they spend 30 minutes reviewing an AI draft and two hours on the strategic thinking the client actually values. AI handles the drudge work; your people do the human work."

"What if AI gives wrong advice?"

"The TPB guidance is clear on this — professional responsibility doesn't shift to AI. That's exactly the right position. AI assists, humans verify. Every output gets reviewed. That's baked into the workflow design. Think of it like a junior staff member producing a first draft — you'd never send it to a client without partner review. Same principle."

"Which tools should we use?"

"You're already paying for Microsoft Copilot through your 365 subscription — that's your starting point. For Financial Planning, Filenote.ai is purpose-built for meeting documentation. Beyond that, the Working Group's job is to evaluate and approve tools based on your specific needs. We don't recommend one-size-fits-all. We test, measure, and approve what works for LBW."

"What do the tools cost?"

"Microsoft Copilot is about $30 per user per month — and you may already have licences. Filenote.ai has per-user pricing for the FP team. Many AI capabilities are now built into tools you already pay for. The $14,000 program fee covers our advisory, training, and implementation support — the tools themselves are separate but generally modest. We'll give you a full cost breakdown during the scoping phase."

"Why not just do this ourselves?"

"You could. But it would take longer, and you'd make mistakes we've already made and learned from across 50 implementations. The governance framework, the training structure, the pilot methodology — that's what you're buying. Expertise and speed. And with EOFY three months away, speed matters."