Exercise 1, Task 2: Use Copilot in Word to compare operational reports

As the Operations Manager at Adatum Corporation, you discovered the current boiler system that heats the company’s 50-year-old office building needs significant repair, if not outright replacement. You feel that this situation might be the opportune time to convert your heating system from the existing boiler system to a more energy-efficient furnace system. However, you aren’t familiar with the differences between the two types of heating systems. As such, you want to investigate the situation and create a report that you can present to management.

Since you want to create a report using public web data (in this case, related to heating systems), you naturally think of using Microsoft 365 Word. You heard that Copilot in Word can generate reports for you, so you want to take this opportunity to not only create your report, but also investigate Copilot’s reporting features.

Using Copilot in Word

Copilot in Word can behave in two different ways, depending on whether Allow editing is enabled. Understanding this distinction is important, because it affects whether Copilot can automatically apply changes to your document or just provide suggestions for you to use.

When Allow editing is selected, Copilot acts as an in-document author and editor. You can ask Copilot to create a document from scratch, rewrite sections, add summaries, or refine language, and it can apply those changes directly to the document, typically with your confirmation. In this experience, Copilot behaves like a collaborative writing partner that can both generate and revise content without requiring manual copy and paste. This is commonly the experience when prompting Copilot from within a Word document, such as using the drafting prompt above a blank document or the prompt field in the Copilot pane.

When Chat only is selected, Copilot behaves more like Copilot Chat. It can still research topics, summarize information, and draft text, but it doesn’t automatically modify the document. Instead, responses appear in the Copilot pane, and you decide what, if anything, gets added to the document. This approach is useful when you want Copilot to act as a research assistant or idea generator while maintaining full control over what content is inserted.

In this lab, you use both approaches to see how Copilot’s behavior changes. You learn when it makes sense to let Copilot write and edit directly in your document, and when it’s better to use Copilot for research and drafting without automatic changes.

Perform the following steps to complete this task:

  1. In your web browser, go to the Microsoft Copilot home page, select the App Launcher (grid icon), and then select More Apps. From the list of apps, select Word.

  2. In Word for the web, create a blank document.

  3. In the bottom-right corner of the Word document, select the Copilot icon to open the Copilot pane. Verify the pane opens in edit mode. The heading should read Let’s edit your document. Below the heading, confirm that the mode selector is set to Allow editing (so Copilot can edit your document directly). If it shows Chat only, select the drop-down and then select Allow editing.

  4. In the prompt field, tell Copilot that you’re the Operations Manager for Adatum Corporation, and that you’re thinking about possibly replacing your building’s current boiler system with a furnace system. Ask it to generate a report based on publicly available information that describes what type of boiler systems are used in most commercial buildings. The report should also include:

    • An overview of each system, including energy efficiency considerations, maintenance requirements, and a high-level cost comparison.

    • Considerations when changing from an existing boiler system to a furnace system.

    • The average cost of transitioning from a boiler system to a furnace system in a commercial two-story building built in the 1970s.

    • Whether changing from a boiler system to a furnace system can affect the current air conditioning system.

    • The average defect rates for boiler systems versus furnace systems.

  5. Review the report that Copilot generated. Note the level of detail in each area of interest.

  6. Now let’s use Allow editing to update the document. In the prompt field, ask Copilot to revise the report to make it more suitable for a C-suite executive audience.

  7. Review the results. Note how Copilot applied the revisions directly to the document. You don’t have to manually copy and paste the results because Copilot behaves like an in-document editor and writer when Allow editing is enabled.

  8. Now, switch Copilot to chat-only mode to see how its behavior changes. In the prompt field, select the mode drop-down, and then select Chat only.

  9. In the prompt field, ask Copilot to summarize the key differences between boiler systems and furnace systems for commercial buildings. Focus on efficiency, maintenance, lifespan, and typical use cases.

  10. Note the difference in Copilot’s response. With Chat only selected, Copilot operates in chat mode and doesn’t automatically update the document. Instead, it displays the results in the Copilot pane and provides you with suggestions on what you might want it to do next. Copilot also provides the Copy response action, which lets you copy the generated content for use elsewhere.

  11. Once you’re satisfied with the document, select Done at the bottom of the Word document and save it to your OneDrive folder as Heating System Comparison and then close the report.