What happens when you give a tax tech team a week, the Microsoft tools we already use, and the time to try things out?
Most tax teams already have a lot of powerful tech sitting on their laptops, from Excel, Power BI, Power Platform, SharePoint and Teams. The Microsoft ecosystem is everywhere (and growing). But getting beyond the basics is where things can stall. The tools are capable, but tax teams rarely get the time to properly play with them and learn what they can really do.
That’s exactly the challenge we took with us to Spain. We set ourselves a simple brief to stick to the Microsoft stack (the same tools most of our clients already license) and see how far we could push it with a bit of space to explore.
The Microsoft ecosystem isn’t always one neat, perfectly packaged solution. For tax teams, it’s often been hard to join the dots without a lot of time (and investment). But with newer options like Copilot Studio and more built-in AI help, building end-to-end apps in the stack is starting to feel much more realistic (and less clunky)!
For me, one of the biggest takeaways from the week was simply having the chance to experiment properly. We tested ideas, challenged assumptions and tried things quickly. Some ideas worked straight away, others needed a bit of tinkering, and a few didn’t work at all. The good news is our Microsoft approach is now in a really strong place, and we’re already working with clients to build applications in the stack.
Co-working spaces in the sunshine!
On a personal level, stepping away from the usual project pace gave me space to think more deeply about the tech we use every day. Watching an idea go from a quick conversation to something tangible also gave me a fresh perspective on what’s possible.
And the week wasn’t just about experimenting with technology.
Some of my favourite moments happened outside the sessions. The cooking class was a real highlight. Learning how to make Spanish dishes (our chef told us we’re in our “paella era” now) brought plenty of laughs, and we surprised ourselves with how good everything tasted. We also squeezed in a few games of padel, which added some friendly competition along the way.
Showing off the spoils of our paella era!
It was a great way to slow down and connect as a team. Having that time outside the usual pace of work helped us get to know each other better, and that always makes day-to-day collaboration easier when we’re back into delivery mode.
After a week of exploring what’s possible, I’m excited to see where some of these ideas go next.