TDA AI & Modernization Discovery Questionnaire

Why we are asking. Netwide manages TDA's Microsoft 365 environment, servers, security, backups, and much of its application infrastructure. That gives us a clear view of the technology, but not how work actually moves through the firm. These questions focus on where staff lose time, re-enter information, or work around existing systems.

Choose the closest answer. If none fits, choose Other and add context. We will use the responses to prepare TDA's AI & Modernization Opportunity Overview and plan a working session with the AI Council.

When finished, select Copy Answers, paste the results into your reply email, and send it back to Netwide.

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1. Strategy & AI council 2. Systems & integration 3. Tax 4. Audit & attestation 5. CAS / bookkeeping 6. Security & governance 7. Pilot & success

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When finished, select Copy Answers, paste the results into your reply email, and send it back to Netwide.

Section 1

Business priorities & AI council

Define what TDA wants to accomplish and capture what the firm has already tried.

1.1What are the two most important outcomes TDA wants from AI, automation, or modernization over the next 12–18 months? (Select up to 2)

A.Increase capacity by reducing repetitive/manual work

B.Improve quality, consistency, review, and risk management

C.Create new advisory, revenue, or client-service opportunities

D.Other

1.2What are the AI Council's primary goals between now and the start of tax season? (Select all that apply)

A.Understand and document how AI, Claude Skills, prompts, and workflows are already being used

B.Establish approved tools, governance, security boundaries, and acceptable-use standards

C.Select and test priority use cases or pilots before tax season

D.Other

1.3How broadly is Claude being used at TDA today?

A.Mostly individual experimentation by a small number of users

B.Multiple people or departments are actively using it

C.It is already becoming a standard firm-wide tool

D.Other

1.3AWhich areas of TDA are actively using Claude today? (Select all that apply)

A.Tax

B.Audit / Attestation

C.CAS / Bookkeeping

D.Other, such as partners, administration, or the AI Council

1.4What Claude Skills, prompts, projects or internal AI workflows have already been created or tested? A short list is enough. We want to build on what TDA has already done rather than duplicate it.

1.4AHow are Claude Skills, prompts, and AI workflows currently shared and managed?

A.Mostly individual users maintain their own

B.People share them informally through documents or messages

C.There is already a shared or centrally managed repository/process

D.Other

1.5Where would you most like Netwide to add value? (Select all that apply)

A.Secure AI platform, governance, training, and managed adoption

B.Evaluate and integrate existing products such as Claude, CCH, Microsoft 365, Slack, and Canopy

C.Build custom automations, agents, integrations, or applications where existing products do not solve the problem

D.Other

1.6What did TDA learn from evaluating specialized AI products such as TaxGPT or other alternatives? What did those products do well, where did they fall short, and why did Claude emerge as the preferred platform?

Section 2

Systems, information & integration

Identify what each system owns, where native tools fall short, and where staff move data by hand.

2.1Which CCH Axcess products or functions does TDA actively use today? (Select all that apply)

A.Workstream / workflow and Document

B.Practice / time, billing, WIP, or Tax

C.Other Axcess products

D.Other / Not sure

2.2Which ProSystem fx components matter most to daily work? (Select all that apply)

A.ProSystem fx Tax

B.ProSystem fx Engagement / Knowledge Coach

C.ProSystem fx Scan / fxScan

D.Other

2.2AWhich newer CCH AI or analytics products has TDA licensed, evaluated, or used? (Select all that apply)

A.CCH Axcess Intelligence / AI-assisted tax research or document analysis

B.CCH Axcess Advisor / advisory-opportunity analysis

C.CCH Engagement Analytics / AI-enabled audit or GL analytics

D.Other / None / Not sure

2.2BWhere do the current CCH tools still leave gaps? (Select up to 2)

A.Tax preparation, document intake, research, or review

B.Audit analytics, workpapers, PBC collection, or financial-statement review

C.Workflow, CRM, billing, reporting, integrations, or cross-system automation

D.Other

2.3What are the primary reasons TDA is evaluating Canopy? (Select up to 2)

A.CRM, workflow, task management, and visibility

B.Document management, portal, and client experience

C.Time, billing, WIP, reporting, and overall usability

D.Other

2.3AIf TDA adopts Canopy, which current systems or functions do you expect it to replace? (Select all that apply)

A.CCH Workstream / workflow / CRM

B.CCH Document / client portal

C.CCH Practice / time, billing, WIP

D.Other / Still undecided

2.4What is currently the authoritative source for the status of client work?

A.CCH Workstream or another primary workflow application

B.Different systems are authoritative for different departments

C.There is no single reliable source; status is distributed across CCH, spreadsheets, email, Slack, and other tools

D.Other

2.5How much manual re-entry or reconciliation occurs between TDA's major systems?

A.Limited. Most key data flows automatically

B.Moderate. Several recurring handoffs require manual work

C.Significant. Staff routinely copy, rekey, or reconcile information

D.Other

2.5AWhere does the most important manual re-entry, copying, or reconciliation occur? (Select up to 3)

A.Client documents / email / portals → CCH or workflow systems

B.QuickBooks / QBO / client accounting data → CCH / Engagement / reporting

C.CCH / workflow / billing information → Microsoft 365, Excel, Slack, or other systems

D.Other

2.6If you could connect or automate one handoff between systems today, what would it be? Examples: CCH ↔ Microsoft 365, client documents ↔ workflow, QuickBooks ↔ Engagement, Slack ↔ task status, billing ↔ workflow.

2.7Which systems should an approved TDA AI assistant or agent be able to access? (Select up to 3)

A.Microsoft 365, including Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, and Excel

B.Slack and internal knowledge / communications

C.CCH, QuickBooks/QBO, Canopy, and other line-of-business systems

D.Other

2.8Where should employees use shared AI tools?

A.Primarily inside Claude using centrally managed Skills

B.Through Slack as a shared AI teammate

C.Through a TDA-specific web portal/application that brings multiple systems together

D.Other

2.9What information would be most valuable in a searchable TDA knowledge assistant?

A.Internal procedures, HOW-TOs, templates, policies, and software instructions

B.Tax, audit, accounting guidance, research, and firm methodology

C.Authorized client files, engagements, communications, and historical work

D.Other

Section 3

Tax department

Measure the biggest tax bottlenecks and separate unmet needs from features TDA already owns.

3.1Where does the tax department lose the most staff time or capacity today? (Select up to 2)

A.Client document intake, organization, extraction, and missing-information follow-up

B.Return preparation, comparison, and review

C.Research, documenting conclusions, and client communications

D.Other

3.2Which tax-review need remains unmet after accounting for TDA's current CCH and Claude tools?

A.Automated two-year comparison and material-change identification

B.Source-document / return completeness, consistency, and tie-out review

C.Complex or high-risk return pre-review with evidence and reviewer notes

D.Other

3.3Where would AI help tax research most?

A.Fast Q&A with links/citations to authoritative tax sources

B.Draft research memos with sources, issues and conclusions

C.Analyze a client's facts and suggest research questions / planning considerations

D.Other

3.3AWhat should TDA treat as the authoritative source for AI-assisted tax research?

A.CCH / Wolters Kluwer research content

B.Multiple approved tax research providers and primary authorities

C.TDA wants Netwide to evaluate the best research architecture

D.Other

3.4When analyzing historical client tax information for new revenue opportunities, what outcome would be most valuable?

A.Flag tax-planning opportunities or clients that merit proactive review

B.Identify clients who may benefit from additional TDA services

C.Prioritize client outreach based on likely value and timing

D.Other

3.4AHas TDA evaluated CCH Axcess Advisor for identifying advisory opportunities from existing tax-return data?

A.Yes, we are using it or plan to use it

B.Yes, we evaluated it, but it does not fully meet our needs

C.No / Not yet / Not sure

D.Other

3.5What tax-related task would you choose for a first AI pilot if it could be tested safely with human review?

3.5AFor the tax process you would most like to improve, approximately how much effort does it consume?

A.Less than 15 minutes per return/task

B.Roughly 15–60 minutes per return/task

C.More than an hour per return/task, or significant aggregate seasonal effort

D.Other / Highly variable

Section 4

Audit & attestation

Identify audit bottlenecks that CCH does not already solve and clarify how client requests, testing, and review work today.

4.1Where does the audit / attestation team lose the most time? (Select up to 2)

A.PBC requests, document intake, and chasing missing support

B.General-ledger analysis, testing, and identifying unusual items

C.Workpaper review, financial statements, and final quality control

D.Other

4.2Does TDA currently use any CCH-provided analytics or automated testing for audit engagements?

A.Yes, used regularly

B.Available/licensed but only used in limited cases

C.No / Not sure

D.Other

4.3What is the biggest unmet need in audit data?

A.GL anomaly and unusual journal-entry identification

B.Sampling, exception populations, and audit-testing assistance

C.Account mapping, trial-balance analysis, ratios, trends, or normalization

D.Other

4.4Where would financial-statement review assistance help most?

A.Tie-out / consistency checks across statements, notes, and supporting schedules

B.Disclosure completeness and checklist-oriented review assistance

C.Narrative, formatting, and unusual-change review

D.Other

4.4AHow does TDA manage most PBC / client-support requests today?

A.Mostly through a structured CCH/Engagement workflow

B.Mostly through email, ShareSafe, Excel, or manual follow-up

C.A mixture of structured workflow and manual tracking

D.Other

4.5How should an AI audit tool work with ProSystem fx Engagement?

A.Start outside Engagement; staff upload/import approved outputs into the binder

B.Integrate directly with Engagement if technically and contractually feasible

C.Build a separate audit-analysis workspace that complements Engagement

D.Other

4.6What audit / attestation task would make the best first pilot?

Section 5

CAS / bookkeeping

Measure the scale and consistency of recurring CAS work and learn where staff track it.

5.1Where does the CAS / bookkeeping team spend the most repetitive effort? (Select up to 2)

A.Document intake, transaction coding, and data entry

B.Reconciliations, month-end close, and exception cleanup

C.Reporting, client communication, and recurring follow-up

D.Other

5.2How standardized are recurring CAS workflows across clients?

A.Highly standardized. Most clients follow similar steps

B.Mixed. A common core exists, but clients have meaningful differences

C.Highly customized. Workflows differ substantially by client

D.Other

5.2AApproximately how many clients follow a recurring monthly or quarterly CAS/bookkeeping workflow?

A.Fewer than 25

B.25–75

C.More than 75

D.Other / Not sure

5.3Which use of automation would help the CAS team most?

A.Automate movement/extraction of data between QBO, documents, Excel and Microsoft 365

B.Orchestrate recurring tasks, deadlines, reminders and client follow-up

C.Use AI for exception review, summaries and management reporting

D.Other

5.3AWhere does TDA track recurring CAS work today?

A.Primarily in a workflow/practice-management system

B.Primarily in spreadsheets, email, Outlook reminders, or Slack

C.Across several systems with no single authoritative view

D.Other

5.4Where could better data or AI have the greatest revenue impact in CAS?

A.Pricing, WIP, realization and identifying under-scoped engagements

B.Identifying clients ready for higher-value advisory / CFO services

C.Client health, renewal, retention and proactive service recommendations

D.Other

5.5What CAS / bookkeeping process would you most like us to observe end-to-end?

Section 6

Security, data & governance

Set practical rules for client data, human review, agent permissions, and cross-client analysis.

6.1Under what conditions should client data be permitted in approved AI systems?

A.Enterprise controls are acceptable: no model training on TDA data, appropriate retention, contractual protection, identity/access controls, and auditability

B.Only selected or de-identified client information should be permitted initially

C.No client data should be used until TDA establishes a formal policy and approval process

D.Other

6.2Which AI risk should receive the strongest technical controls?

A.Confidentiality and inappropriate exposure of client/firm data

B.Accuracy, traceability, professional responsibility, and unsupported conclusions

C.Excessive permissions or automated agents taking inappropriate actions

D.Other

6.3What level of human review should be required for AI-assisted professional work?

A.AI provides suggestions only; a professional recreates or independently validates the work

B.AI may prepare draft work, but a designated reviewer must approve before use

C.Low-risk administrative steps may run automatically; professional outputs require review

D.Other

6.3AWhat actions should an automated AI agent be permitted to perform without asking a person first?

A.Read and analyze approved information only

B.Read/analyze plus low-risk actions such as drafts, reminders, summaries, and notifications

C.Approved write actions in selected systems, such as creating tasks, updating statuses, moving documents, or preparing workflow records

D.Other

6.4Are there categories of client information, departments or workflows that should be explicitly excluded from initial AI pilots?

6.4AShould authorized AI systems ever analyze information across multiple clients to identify firm-wide patterns or advisory opportunities?

A.Yes, including identifiable client data when access is appropriately restricted

B.Yes, but only using aggregated or de-identified information

C.No. Client contexts should remain isolated

D.Other

Section 7

Pilot selection & definition of success

Choose a first step, approval path, timing constraints, and success measures.

7.1What outcomes should determine whether a pilot is successful? (Select up to 2)

A.Staff time saved, capacity gained, or turnaround improved

B.Quality, consistency, fewer review points/errors, or better risk control

C.Revenue generated, advisory opportunities identified, or client experience improved

D.Other

7.2What kind of first step would TDA prefer?

A.Evaluate or configure features already available in CCH, Claude, Microsoft, Canopy, and other products

B.Build one narrowly defined automation or AI workflow and prove its value

C.Establish a shared AI foundation first, including governance, Skills, knowledge, integrations, and common agent infrastructure

D.Other

7.2AIf the first project is a pilot workflow, how broad should it be?

A.One task and a few users

B.One complete workflow within one department

C.A workflow shared across departments

D.Other

7.3Are there business-cycle periods when a pilot or system change should be avoided?

A.Yes. Tax-season deadlines constrain implementation

B.Yes. Audit/CAS or other recurring deadlines constrain implementation

C.No major blackout period; timing can be based on project readiness

D.Other

7.4Who must be involved in approving a pilot and any expansion into production? (Select all that apply)

A.AI Council

B.Department/process owner and professional reviewers

C.Partner sponsor / firm leadership

D.Other

7.5If Netwide could solve one problem for TDA with AI, automation or custom software this year, what should it be?

7.5AWhich options would TDA most like Netwide to demonstrate? (Select up to 3)

A.Shared Claude/Slack agent with TDA knowledge and approved tools

B.Automated tax/audit/CAS workflow that reads documents/data and produces review-ready output

C.TDA web portal that combines AI, search, dashboards, workflows, and multiple business systems

D.Other

7.6Anything else we should understand before preparing the Opportunity Overview?

What happens next. Netwide will compare these answers with the technical and workflow evidence already collected. The resulting Opportunity Overview will separate what TDA should configure, buy, integrate, automate, or build. That document will guide the AI Council discussion and pilot selection.

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