Things to build, from a first pivot table to an agent across systems.
Every idea below has a known answer somewhere in the verification package, so you can check your work. Start where you are. Worked examples and starter notebooks will be added over time.
Project ideas
Tagged by level and by the tools people usually reach for. None of them need a specific tool; use what you know.
An ARR bridge from the CRM
Rebuild new, expansion, contraction and churn ARR by month from Salesforce opportunities, then tie it to the answer key.
Budget versus actual
Join Anaplan budgets to Sage Intacct actuals by department and account. Explain the 2025 miss quarter by quarter.
A 13-week cash forecast
Use AR aging, AP bills, payroll dates and the credit facility to forecast cash through the 2025 squeeze.
A churn model from product usage
Daily active users, video hours and support cases as early warnings. Score the model against the customers who left.
Joining across a system migration
Reconcile QuickBooks Online (to 2022) with Sage Intacct (from 2023) through the conversion journal and crosswalks.
Headcount to payroll to the ledger
Tie Rippling headcount cost to GL payroll accounts by month, then explain the February 2026 reduction in force.
Deferred revenue roll-forward
Rebuild the deferred revenue schedule from invoices and revenue recognition, and prove it rolls every month.
An agent that answers finance questions
Build an AI agent that pulls from several systems to answer: why did net revenue retention fall in 2025?
A monthly close packet
Assemble a trial balance, AR aging, ARR roll-forward and variance notes for one month, as a close team would.
For instructors
GameTide works as a term-long case: one company, every system, a story with a problem year and a recovery. Students can be given a month, a system or a question, and the answer key and story bible let you grade against known results. The license allows use in paid courses with credit.
If you use it in a class, tell us. Hearing how it is used shapes what gets built next.