Training course · Vibe Coding · Controlling

Vibe Coding for Controllers

Build software in natural language: from prompt to app, rapid iteration, quality and security checks, and turning prototypes into production.

Duration
2 days (14 hrs)
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

“Vibe Coding for Controllers” is a hands-on course for roles such as Controllers and finance business partners, Heads of controlling and FP&A analysts. Rather than learning Vibe Coding in the abstract, you work on tasks from your daily routine – with examples, exercises and templates from Controlling.

Vibe coding lets business users without any programming knowledge build digital tools of their own. You describe in everyday language what a mini app, dashboard or form should do, and tools such as Lovable, Claude, ChatGPT Canvas or Replit generate a working solution. Helpers for your daily work can take shape quickly, without waiting for IT to free up capacity. This course shows you step by step how to make it work, which habits lead to good results, and what really matters along the way.

During the course you build applications drawn from your own work: a KPI overview, a data entry form, a small calculator or an automation for recurring chores. At the same time you learn to assess the risks realistically. Which data may go into such tools, who will run and maintain the solution, and when must IT be involved? With this knowledge you can create useful solutions that are accepted within the organisation and remain secure and sustainable in the long term.

Controlling depends on reliable figures, fast analysis and clear communication with management. Generative AI supports controllers at exactly these points: AI assistants explain variances in the monthly report, suggest formulas and pivot structures, sanity-check planning assumptions and turn findings into plain-language management commentary. AI agents and automation pull data from the ERP, BI tools and spreadsheets, prepare forecasts and generate standard reports. This accelerates the shift from number cruncher to business partner who explains root causes and prepares decisions. A clean data foundation, clearly defined KPIs and expert review of every AI result remain essential before anything reaches a report or a board paper.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • Controllers and finance business partners
  • Heads of controlling
  • FP&A analysts
  • Cost centre and project controllers
  • Sales and manufacturing controllers

Typical challenges we address

  • Commenting on monthly reports and explaining variances under time pressure
  • Consolidating plans and forecasts from many spreadsheets and departments
  • Defining KPIs consistently and presenting them for different audiences
  • Answering ad-hoc management questions quickly and reliably

What you will be able to do

  • You build your own mini apps, dashboards and forms through vibe coding without programming skills.
  • You describe requirements clearly enough for AI tools to produce usable solutions.
  • You improve your applications step by step and check the results for accuracy.
  • You automate simple recurring tasks in your working environment.
  • Use AI for variance analysis, forecasting and management commentary with traceable results.
  • Have AI build formulas, queries and small reporting automations and validate them confidently.
  • Establish rules for quality assurance and confidential use of controlling data.

Course outline

Day 1

Module 1 Understanding vibe coding as a business user
  • What vibe coding is and what you can achieve without programming skills
  • Tools at a glance: Lovable, Claude, ChatGPT Canvas, Replit and similar platforms
  • Spotting good candidates for your own tools at work
  • Realistic expectations: strengths, limits and common pitfalls
Module 2 Describing and building your own mini app
  • Capturing goal, users, inputs and desired outcome in plain words
  • Generating a first version and clicking through it together
  • Improving look, wording and flow with targeted feedback
  • Saving milestones and returning to an earlier version when things go wrong
Module 3 Dashboards, forms and calculators
  • Turning Excel or CSV data into an interactive dashboard
  • Building entry forms with required fields and plausibility checks
  • Creating calculators and decision aids for your team
  • Checking results for accuracy with test data and spot checks
Module 4 Automating routine work
  • Identifying recurring tasks that lend themselves to automation
  • Building simple automations for reports, notifications or file storage
  • Discussing connections to existing tools via approved interfaces
  • Documenting automations clearly and handing them over to colleagues

Day 2

Module 5 Risks and coordination with IT
  • Which data may and may not go into AI tools: data protection and confidentiality
  • Managing access rights, sharing settings and public links deliberately
  • Avoiding shadow IT: clarifying operation, maintenance and ownership
  • Preparing a handover to IT when a solution grows or becomes critical
Module 6 Hands-on project: your own solution for Controlling
  • Variance explorer – A web app that imports plan and actual data from CSV, breaks variances down by dimension and generates a draft AI commentary at the click of a button.
  • Cost centre briefing – An internal tool that automatically produces a one-page monthly summary per cost centre with budget usage, anomalies and open questions.
  • Scenario simulator – A calculator with sliders for volume, prices and costs that shows the impact on contribution margin and EBIT in real time and lets users save scenarios.
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • Controlling data contains trade secrets and often personal data such as payroll costs per employee; only use approved AI environments and pseudonymise data in line with GDPR principles. Listed companies must also protect inside information under MAR.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Variance commentary

An AI assistant analyses budget-to-actual and prior-year comparisons, identifies the biggest drivers by cost type, product or region and drafts commentary for the monthly report for controllers to review.

Formulas and queries

Describe the analysis you need in plain words and receive suggested spreadsheet formulas, pivot logic, Power Query steps or SQL queries with explanations that you can test straight away.

Challenging forecast assumptions

AI questions planning assumptions on volumes, prices and costs, highlights inconsistencies between departmental plans and builds best, base and worst-case scenarios as a basis for discussion.

Management reporting

KPIs and raw data are turned into concise executive summaries, slide outlines and traffic-light commentary tailored to executives, divisional heads or cost centre owners.

Reporting automation

A workflow pulls ERP and BI exports, checks completeness, refreshes standard reports and sends drafts to cost centre owners, who add their comments before the pack is finalised.

KPI glossary

An AI assistant helps document KPI definitions, calculation logic and data sources consistently, so that business units and management speak the same language and discussions about figures become more objective.

Possible hands-on projects

Variance explorer

A web app that imports plan and actual data from CSV, breaks variances down by dimension and generates a draft AI commentary at the click of a button.

Cost centre briefing

An internal tool that automatically produces a one-page monthly summary per cost centre with budget usage, anomalies and open questions.

Scenario simulator

A calculator with sliders for volume, prices and costs that shows the impact on contribution margin and EBIT in real time and lets users save scenarios.

Prerequisites

No programming knowledge is required; confident use of a browser, office applications and spreadsheets is enough. You work in controlling or FP&A and are comfortable with spreadsheets and core cost accounting metrics.

Technical requirements

Your own laptop with an up-to-date browser, Git and an AI coding tool of your choice, such as an AI editor or coding agent with an active account.

Data protection & compliance

Controlling data contains trade secrets and often personal data such as payroll costs per employee; only use approved AI environments and pseudonymise data in line with GDPR principles. Listed companies must also protect inside information under MAR.

Suggested dates

All dates are suggestions – your preferred date is always possible.

  • Thu, 26 November 2026 – Fri, 27 November 2026 Online Request
  • Thu, 10 December 2026 – Fri, 11 December 2026 Stuttgart Request
  • Tue, 12 January 2027 – Wed, 13 January 2027 Online Request
  • Thu, 21 January 2027 – Fri, 22 January 2027 Berlin Request
  • Mon, 25 January 2027 – Tue, 26 January 2027 Online Request
  • Mon, 1 February 2027 – Tue, 2 February 2027 Munich Request

Frequently asked questions

Is vibe coding only suitable for quick prototypes?

Vibe coding shines with prototypes, internal tools and experiments. With the right practices, namely clear specifications, tests, reviews and sound version control, results can also be turned into production-ready applications. The course teaches you to manage that transition deliberately and to recognise early on when rebuilding is the wiser option.

Which tools are used in the course?

The course is vendor-neutral. We work with the main tool categories: AI editors such as Cursor or Windsurf, coding agents such as Claude Code or Codex, and browser-based app builders. You are welcome to use your preferred tool, as the principles of specification, iteration, quality and security apply to all of them.

How should I deal with security risks in generated code?

Generated code often contains typical weaknesses such as hard-coded credentials, missing input validation or overly open interfaces. You learn to check specifically for these patterns, build security requirements into the specification from the start, use automated scanning and require a deliberate human sign-off before every deployment.

Will AI replace our BI system?

No. BI systems and data warehouses remain the reliable data foundation. AI adds a layer for interpretation, commentary and fast ad-hoc analysis. In the course we show how to pass exports to AI assistants sensibly, check results against the source and automate recurring steps without creating shadow IT.

How reliable are figures calculated by AI?

Language models can miscalculate or mismatch data. Prefer having calculations run through generated, reviewable code or formulas, and reconcile totals with the source. We practise checking routines that let you confirm plausibility quickly before any number makes it into a report.

How much does “Vibe Coding for Controllers” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 2 training day(s) with a live trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. Our suggested dates are just a guide. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and confirm within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

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