Full course description
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Date: 15th October 2026
Modality: In-person
Duration: One day, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Price: $1,259.00 (incl GST.) If you are eligible for the UoA Staff or Auckland Council Training Member discount, please email shortcourses@auckland.ac.nz before you register.
Do you regularly make business decisions under pressure but wish you had a clearer, more structured way to approach them? In this hands-on, one-day course, you'll learn how to make smarter, more confident decisions using practical tools you already have (i.e. Excel and AI).
You'll learn how to break down complex business problems, test different scenarios, and clearly evaluate trade-offs. Using Excel, you'll model real-world decisions and explore "what-if" outcomes. With AI, you'll generate options, challenge assumptions, and turn analysis into clear, actionable recommendations.
You’ll also learn how to factor in uncertainty and risk using simple Monte Carlo simulation, without needing advanced maths or analytics experience. You will practise building a decision matrix to weigh alternatives and apply it to real New Zealand business cases.
By the end of the day, you’ll have a practical decision-making framework, ready-to-use Excel templates, and proven AI prompts you can apply immediately in your role.
Whether you’re managing a team, running a business, or making operational decisions, this course will help you make decisions that are more structured, transparent, and defensible.
Short course structure and topics covered:
This one-day course will support you in:
- Framing business problems clearly and identifying decisions criteria
- Using Excel to test scenarios, summarise data, and explore trade-offs
- Modelling risk and uncertainty, with an introduction to Monte Carlo simulation in Excel with AI assistance
- Building a simple decision matrix to compare options
- Communicating clear recommendations using charts, summaries, and AI-assisted writing
Short course benefits and learning outcomes:
Participants will:
- Make clearer, faster decisions using a practical, step-by-step framework
- Use Excel to test scenarios, compare options, and understand trade-offs
- Apply AI (e.g. ChatGPT) to generate insights, challenge assumptions, and communicate recommendations
- Confidently incorporate risk and uncertainty into decision-making
- Leave with ready-to-use templates and prompts that can be immediately applied
Your organisation will:
- Improve the quality and consistency of business decisions
- Reduce risk through better scenario testing and structured thinking
- Build practical capability in Excel and AI across teams
- Enable more transparent, evidence-based decision-making
Who should attend? / Any entry requirements?:
- Managers and team leaders who need to make decisions with limited information and want a clearer, more structured approach
- Small business owners looking for practical tools to evaluate options and manage risk
- Professionals in finance, operations, HR, or support roles who want to strengthen decision-making using Excel and AI
- Emerging and senior leaders who want to improve how they analyse, communicate, and justify decisions
This course is one of many offerings from Executive and Professional Development (EPD) at the University of Auckland Business School. Discover how EPD can support you or your organisation — learn more here.
Payment for short courses is normally by credit card. If you need to pay by invoice or require assistance, please email shortcourses@auckland.ac.nz. Please note that the University does not issue individual invoices for amounts less than $500 New Zealand dollars.
By enrolling in a Short Course at the University of Auckland you agree to the Short Course Terms and Conditions