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AI-Powered Productivity & Intelligent Automation Week
AI is changing how financial professionals work—but the real advantage comes from knowing how to apply it effectively. AI‑Powered Productivity & Intelligent Automation Week is a four‑day live online conference built to help CPAs, analysts, and finance teams streamline repetitive tasks, improve...
Presented in partnership with Michigan Association of CPAs, Oklahoma Society of CPAs, New Mexico CPA Foundation, Montana Society of CPAs, Georgia Society of CPAs, Iowa Society of CPAs, Washington Society of CPAs, Kentucky Society of CPAs, Minnesota Society of CPAs, Mississippi Society of CPAs, Alabama Society of CPAs, Alaska Society of CPAs, Connecticut Society of CPAs, Illinois CPA Society, Indiana CPA Society, Massachusetts Society of CPAs, Nebraska Society of CPAs, Ohio Society of CPAs, Oregon Society of CPAs, Society of Louisiana CPAs, K2 Enterprises.
On the agenda
11 sessions across 4 days, taught by Brian Tankersley and Stephen Yoss — see the full agenda ↓
About this event
Agenda
Select a day, then a class, for full details.
Day 1 Monday, September 14, 2026 3 sessions
Automation For Increasing Personal Efficiency and Effectiveness
7:00 – 10:00 AM · Stephen Yoss · 3 credits
Automation can be incredibly helpful for saving time, improving accuracy, promoting effectiveness, and getting more value out of your workday. One of the best things a person can do is to invest time into automating their workday because it will help them to complete more work in the same period of time, reduce daily stress and provide better mental clarity. Automation can be permanent time savings for a person, once something is automated you always get that time back on a project. This course will discuss the various tools, methods, apps, websites, and more that a person can use to help promote personal automation in both your personal and professional life. It will incorporate technologies such as integration platform as a service (iPaaS) tools, Amazon Alexa and Google Home, the Elgato Streamdeck, and more. Participants will learn methods that can help them save anywhere from a...
- Define automation and demonstrate different use cases.
- Identify processes in your personal and professional life where automation can be utilized to save you time.
- Distinguish between the different automation tools. Their various strengths and weaknesses, identify which products and services that are the best for your personal workflow.
- Establish and account with an integration-as-a-platform-service (iPaaS) provider and create automation workflows for daily tasks such as email, calendaring, and document management.
- Leverage the power of the Elgato Streamdeck for simple use of application hot keys and launching automation process with the touch of a button.
K2's Top PDF Features You Should Know
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM · Stephen Yoss · 2 credits
Are you tired of struggling with PDFs? Unlock the full potential of Adobe Acrobat and other PDF tools to make working with PDF files a breeze. Join our course and discover how to use powerful features such as PDF forms, redaction, converting PDFs to Word and Excel files, and electronic signatures. You'll also learn how to create and apply tick marks, build indices, catalogs, and portfolios, and secure your PDF documents to the fullest. As the popularity and usefulness of PDFs continue to grow, many users still haven't learned how to manipulate these documents effectively. Don't let this be you! Join us for this timely session and learn the top features necessary to optimize your work with PDF documents. Say goodbye to frustration and hello to efficiency!
- Identify procedures to reorganize and manipulate PDF documents – including applying bookmarks – to meet specific needs
- Compare examples of how to create and distribute PDF forms and automate the process of collecting and summarizing form response data
- Identify ways to markup and edit PDF documents, including applying tick marks
- Distinguish between options for securing PDF documents and facilitating electronic approvals and signatures
- Compare options for converting PDF documents to Word and Excel files
Database Basics for Financial Professionals
1:00 – 5:00 PM · Stephen Yoss · 4 credits
In today's digital age, databases have become the backbone of every business technology, application, platform, and service. Every system relies on databases to store and organize information, from financial records in Quickbooks and Xero to sales efforts in Salesforce and Hubspot. Popular reporting tools like Power BI and Excel utilize databases to create beautiful, insightful dashboards. Despite the widespread use and importance of databases, many financial professionals lack a basic understanding of how they operate. Traditionally, working with databases has been delegated to an organization's IT department, leaving the accounting team out of scope. However, in today's technology-driven environment, accountants need to have a basic understanding of how databases work and the ability to query data independently. Our database basics course focuses on the knowledge most helpful...
Day 2 Tuesday, September 15, 2026 3 sessions
The DIY Automation Revolution: Building Finance Solutions Without Code
7:00 – 9:00 AM · Stephen Yoss · 2 credits
The modern accounting firm is often held hostage by “software silos”—critical financial data trapped in disconnected applications that refuse to speak to one another. For years, the only solution was manual data entry or expensive custom development. This course introduces the “DIY Automation” movement, showing financial professionals how to use Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) tools like n8n, Zapier, and Power Automate to bridge these gaps. We move beyond basic triggers to explore how “localized innovation” allows practitioners to build bespoke connections between their favorite apps without writing a single line of code. Participants will gain a strategic framework for identifying automation opportunities, from client follow-ups to complex status reporting. We will explore the mechanics of the “wide ecosystem” of integration tools and demystify the role of Agentic AI,...
Data and Statistical Analytics Using Microsoft Excel
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM · Stephen Yoss · 3 credits
The role of the financial professional has shifted from reporting on the past to predicting the future, yet many practitioners still rely on manual, static workflows that fail to capture the full story within their data. This course bridges the gap between traditional accounting and modern data science by utilizing Excel’s most powerful analytical engines to turn raw numbers into defensible business intelligence. We will move beyond simple averages, exploring how to use the Analysis ToolPak for deep statistical dives and leveraging Dynamic Arrays to build fluid, auto-updating models that respond to changing business conditions in real time. Participants will explore a modern analytics workflow that balances classic statistical rigor with cutting-edge efficiency. We will examine how to implement regression analysis for more accurate budgeting, utilize advanced forecasting functions...
Building Bulletproof Spreadsheets: When Accuracy Is Everything
1:00 – 3:00 PM · Stephen Yoss · 2 credits
This course equips accounting and finance professionals with practical methods to strengthen spreadsheet accuracy in environments where reliability directly affects reporting, analysis, and decision support. The content emphasizes modern Microsoft 365 capabilities, including dynamic arrays, data types, structured references, version history, and collaborative features that reduce formula risk and manual intervention. Participants see how sound workbook design, thoughtful data organization, and targeted validation rules reduce the likelihood of downstream errors and create spreadsheets that stand up to real‑world pressures. The session also highlights common failure points found in finance teams—such as fragile formulas, inconsistent structures, and user‑driven overrides—and demonstrates how to avoid them through protective controls, guided templates, and streamlined calculation...
- Identify modern Excel features that strengthen spreadsheet accuracy and reduce manual risk.
- Explain how structured references and tables improve workbook consistency and clarity.
- Apply dynamic arrays and data types to streamline calculations with fewer errors.
- Demonstrate protection methods that preserve formulas while enabling controlled data entry.
- Analyze spreadsheet designs to detect weaknesses and improve long‑term reliability.
Day 3 Wednesday, September 16, 2026 3 sessions
K2's Microsoft Teams
7:00 – 9:00 AM · Brian Tankersley · 2 credits
Discover the ultimate tool for personal and organizational productivity with Microsoft Teams. Seamlessly communicate and collaborate with colleagues, both within and outside your organization, securely and efficiently. Teams offers a robust platform that can be easily enhanced with add-in solutions, making it an indispensable asset for any business. Join our session to discover how to unlock the full potential of Microsoft Teams. We'll guide you through the essentials of getting started, making critical deployment decisions, and mastering the platform's core features. From chat, voice, and video calls to secure document sharing, you'll gain the skills needed to optimize your workflow. But that's not all! We'll also show you how to extend Teams' capabilities to external organizations, ensuring improved communication and collaboration. Additionally, you'll learn how to integrate...
Supercharging Your Spreadsheet Collaboration
9:30 – 11:30 AM · Brian Tankersley · 2 credits
Collaboration is a key to productivity and success. But remote work can make collaboration more challenging, including collaborating on spreadsheets. Fortunately, tools such as portals with check-in/check-out capabilities, version control, comment tracking, and co-authoring can enable online spreadsheet collaboration. Further, Excel's Inquire tool can facilitate spreadsheet collaboration in offline environments. Don't let remote work hamper your spreadsheet collaboration needs! Participate in this session to learn how to collaborate on spreadsheets effectively from anywhere using tools you already own or license.
- Select various Excel features associated with collaboration
- List the steps necessary to use Excel’s Inquire tool to identify differences between two spreadsheets
- Differentiate between the capabilities of Excel’s Notes feature and its Comments feature
- Choose the correct definitions for key terms associated with file storage such as check-in/check-out and version control from a list of options
K2's Implementing Internal Controls In QuickBooks Online Environments 12:00 – 4:00 PM · Brian Tankersley · 4 credits
The QuickBooks Online (QBO) ecosystem is rapidly expanding, with millions of small businesses now relying on it for their accounting and business management needs. However, many QBO implementations lack adequate internal control infrastructures, which can lead to potential risks and inefficiencies. This is often due to a lack of understanding of the internal control options available in the cloud-based version of QuickBooks and how to implement them effectively. Join our session to learn about the four common types of internal controls and how to assess the internal control structure of a small business. We'll guide you through the opportunities to enhance internal controls in QBO environments using features found within the application. Additionally, you'll discover additional internal control procedures for situations where adequate controls cannot be established in QBO. Contrary...
- Identify the importance of internal controls in QuickBooks environments
- Distinguish between the four common types of internal controls and provide examples of each
- Analyze the relative strength or weakness of a QuickBooks-based organization’s internal control structure
- Choose and implement appropriate internal controls using tools and features found in various editions of QBO
Day 4 Thursday, September 17, 2026 2 sessions
K2's Saving Time With Electronic Forms
7:00 – 9:00 AM · Tommy Stephens · 2 credits
Web portals, "low-code/no-code” data collection, and survey tools have changed how we collect data. Modern solutions like Microsoft 365 Forms, Zoho Survey, SurveyMonkey, Microsoft PowerApps, and legacy tools like Adobe Acrobat Forms allow users to create web forms and integrate the resulting data into business process workflows. This session introduces the range of available tools, demonstrates standard features, and shows how tools permit users to expose or conceal questions based on answers given earlier in the survey. Attend this session to learn how to use tools you already own to collect data from your team, customers, and vendors efficiently.
- Identify the licenses or subscriptions required to use forms/data collection tools, including Microsoft Power Apps, Zoho Forms, Microsoft Forms, and Adobe PDF forms
- Identify examples of benefits and risks of using each approach to creating forms
- Identify which tool or approach would be the best fit for a particular data collection task
Eight Awesome PivotTable Features
9:30 AM – 1:30 PM · Tommy Stephens · 4 credits
Are you looking to take your PivotTables to the next level? Many experts consider PivotTables to be Excel's most powerful feature. Yet, most who create and work with them barely scratch the surface of all that PivotTables can do. In this session, you'll learn eight powerful features you may have missed. From user-defined calculations to consolidating reports and adding KPIs, we'll show you how to get the most out of your PivotTables. These are just some examples of the great things you can do with PivotTables, and in this session, you will learn these and other techniques to make your PivotTables even more powerful.
- Name at least two benefits of using PivotTables for data consolidation needs
- List the steps necessary to add Key Performance Indicators to PivotTables
- Differentiate between Slicer and Timeline filters
- Identify three types of user-defined calculations in PivotTables
- Cite examples of potential benefits associated with linking data into PivotTable reports
Your instructors
Brian Tankersley
Speaker & Author · K2 Enterprises · ★ 4.5 instructor rating
Brian Tankersley is a consultant who advises US firms and companies on accounting technology issues. Mr. Tankersley is a frequent speaker at continuing education courses for K2 Enterprises, and publishes a nationally recognized blog on accounting and technology (www.cpatechblog.com). He has also served as the technology editor for a major accounting industry publication. Mr. Tankersley has over 25 years of...
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Stephen Yoss
Speaker & Author · CPE Today · ★ 4.7 instructor rating
Stephen M. Yoss, Jr., CPA, MS, is a certified public accountant, partner and CEO of Devmatics, LLC, a continuing education instructor for financial professionals, a and a licensed pyrotechnician. While his interests and skills are varied, they all share a common thread—his love for and skill in finding technology-based solutions. In 2017, Stephen and Alex White formed Devmatics, LLC, a company focused on helping...
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Tommy Stephens
Partner · K2 Enterprises · ★ 4.6 instructor rating
Tommy Stephens received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree (Major in Accounting) from Auburn University in 1985. In 1992, he earned a Master of Science degree (Major in Finance) from Georgia State University in Atlanta. Presently, Tommy is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Information Technology Professional, and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. In 1995, Tommy began...
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