From Blank Page to Polished Draft in Minutes
Every professional knows the feeling: you need to produce a proposal, report, or policy document, and you are staring at a blank page. You know what the document needs to say, but structuring it, formatting it, and writing it in the right tone takes far longer than the actual thinking behind it.
This is where an AI agent provides the most immediate, tangible value. The Claude Cowork AI agent can read your raw notes, reference your existing templates, and produce a professionally formatted document that you review and refine rather than build from scratch. It can output .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, and .pdf files directly to your working folder.
This guide covers 10 types of professional documents that this AI agent can create for you, each with a detailed prompt you can adapt to your specific needs.
For a broader overview of all agent use cases, check out our complete guide to AI agent use cases.
What You Need Before Starting
This guide uses Claude Cowork. If you have not set it up yet, start with our setup guide. Document creation requires minimal setup:
- Grant folder access: When starting a Cowork session, select the folder containing your input files (notes, data, templates) and where you want the finished documents saved.
- Provide templates (optional): If your organization has standard templates, place them in the granted folder. Cowork can follow your formatting and brand guidelines.
- No connectors required. Document creation works entirely through local file access.
1. Consulting and Business Proposals
Proposals are high-stakes documents that directly impact revenue. Getting them right matters, but they often follow a predictable structure that an agent can handle.
"I need to create a consulting proposal for Riverside Manufacturing. They want help optimizing their supply chain operations. Use our standard proposal template in the Templates folder. Include the following sections: an executive summary of their challenges based on our discovery call notes (the file called 'Riverside_Discovery_Notes.docx'), our proposed three-phase approach (assessment, optimization, implementation), a project timeline of approximately 12 weeks with milestones, our team qualifications, and pricing based on our standard rates ($2,500/day for senior consultants, $1,800/day for associates). Make sure the formatting matches our brand guidelines from the template. Save as a Word document."
The AI agent produces a complete first draft that follows your firm's standards. You spend your time reviewing strategic content and refining the specific recommendations rather than formatting and structuring.
2. Audit Reports and Compliance Documentation
Audit documentation requires precision, consistent formatting, and clear remediation paths. These are exactly the mechanical aspects that an agent handles well.
"Based on the attached audit findings spreadsheet ('IT_Audit_Findings_Q4.xlsx'), create a formal audit report. Structure it as follows: an executive summary with the overall risk assessment and key statistics (total findings, breakdown by severity), a detailed findings section organized by severity level (critical, high, medium, low). For each finding, include: a finding ID number, description of the issue, the risk it poses, our recommendation for remediation, the responsible team, and a suggested deadline. End with a summary table of all findings and an action plan timeline. Use formal, precise language throughout. Save as both a Word document and a PDF."
This transforms a spreadsheet of raw findings into a formal, professional report. The dual-format output (Word for editing, PDF for distribution) is a useful pattern for any document that needs to be shared externally.
3. Board Meeting Materials and Presentations
Board materials require synthesizing information from across the organization into a concise, strategic narrative. This is one of the most time-consuming documents to prepare.
"Prepare board meeting materials for our Q1 review. I need a PowerPoint deck with the following sections: financial performance summary (pull data from 'Q1_Financials.xlsx'), operational highlights (use 'Department_Updates.docx'), strategic initiative status (reference 'Strategic_Plan_2026.docx' for the original goals), and key risks and mitigations. Keep each slide concise with no more than five bullet points. Create a separate appendix section with the detailed supporting data. Also create speaker notes for each slide with the talking points I should cover verbally. The overall narrative should be: 'strong quarter with two areas needing attention.' Save as a PowerPoint file."
Cowork creates .pptx files with proper slide structure and speaker notes. This gives you a solid draft that you can refine in PowerPoint rather than building from scratch.
4. Standard Operating Procedures
SOPs need to be clear enough for anyone to follow, comprehensive enough to cover edge cases, and structured enough to be easily referenced. Writing them well is a skill, and it is tedious.
"Create a standard operating procedure document for our client invoice processing workflow. Based on the process notes I have written up in 'Invoice_Process_Notes.docx', structure this as a formal SOP with: a purpose and scope section, definitions of key terms (like PO number, net terms, approval threshold), roles and responsibilities (who does what), a step-by-step procedure section with numbered steps, decision points clearly marked (for example: 'If invoice exceeds $5,000, route to senior approval'), exception handling procedures for common issues, and a revision history section. Include a flowchart description of the main process flow. Make it easy to scan with headers, numbered lists, and bold key actions. Save as a Word document."
The result is a professional SOP that anyone in your organization can follow. The decision points and exception handling sections are where most SOPs fall short when written manually because people forget to document the edge cases.
5. Client Deliverable Reports
The gap between internal working documents and client-facing deliverables often requires significant reformatting and polishing. An agent can handle this transformation while you ensure the insights are sound.
"Transform our raw research findings for the Westfield project into a client-ready report. The research data is in 'Westfield_Data.xlsx' and our internal notes are in 'Westfield_Analysis_Notes.docx'. Create a professional report with: a cover page with the project name and date, a table of contents, an executive summary (one page maximum), a methodology section explaining how we conducted the analysis, detailed findings organized by the three research questions the client asked us to investigate, data visualizations for the key metrics, and strategic recommendations tied to specific business outcomes. The client prefers a formal tone and appreciates when we quantify the impact of our recommendations. Save as a PDF."
This is a common pattern: you have done the work, the insights are in your files, but packaging them professionally for the client is a multi-hour effort. Cowork handles the packaging.
6. Case Studies
Case studies are one of the most effective marketing and sales tools, but they are notoriously difficult to write because they require pulling together project data, client feedback, and a compelling narrative.
"Create a case study based on our work with Henderson Corp. The project details are in 'Henderson_Project_Summary.docx' and the results data is in 'Henderson_Results.xlsx'. Structure the case study with: a headline that highlights the key result (something like 'How Henderson Corp Reduced Supply Chain Costs by 23%'), a brief client overview section, the challenge they were facing, our approach and methodology, the results with specific metrics, and a client quote placeholder where I will add their testimonial later. Keep it between 800 and 1,200 words. Make it compelling enough to use on our website and in sales conversations. Save as both a Word document and a PDF."
The agent creates a narrative from your raw project data. Having both Word (for editing) and PDF (for sharing) formats means you can easily customize and distribute.
7. White Papers and Thought Leadership Content
White papers establish your expertise but require significant research and writing effort. Cowork can draft a strong foundation using your notes and supplemental web research.
"I want to create a white paper on the topic of 'How Mid-Size Manufacturers Can Implement Predictive Maintenance Without a Data Science Team.' I have my outline and key points in 'Predictive_Maintenance_Outline.docx'. Research current statistics on predictive maintenance adoption and ROI in the manufacturing sector to supplement my points. Structure the white paper with: a compelling title page, an abstract, an introduction explaining why this matters now, sections following my outline (each with supporting data from your research), real-world examples where possible, a conclusion with a call to action, and a references section. Target length: 3,000 to 4,000 words. The tone should be authoritative but accessible to operations managers who are not technical. Save as a PDF."
This combines your domain expertise (the outline and key points) with Cowork's research capability, producing a draft that reads like you spent a week on it.
8. Contracts and Agreements from Templates
While agents should never replace legal review, they can save significant time on the first draft of standard agreements using your existing templates and terms.
"Using our standard consulting services agreement template in 'MSA_Template.docx', create a draft agreement for our engagement with Lakeside Partners. Fill in the following: client name is Lakeside Partners LLC, primary contact is Jennifer Walsh, engagement start date is March 15 2026, the scope of work covers 'Strategic digital transformation assessment and roadmap development,' the engagement term is 16 weeks, our standard rate of $2,500 per day applies, and the payment terms are Net 30. Leave any sections that require specific negotiation (like liability caps or IP ownership) as they are in the template with a note that says '[REVIEW REQUIRED].' Save as a Word document so we can edit before sending to legal."
This is about efficiency, not replacing legal counsel. The agent fills in the known variables and flags the sections that need human judgment, saving you the tedious work of customizing a template manually.
9. Training Materials and Guides
Creating training materials requires organizing information in a way that builds understanding progressively. This is time-consuming to do well but follows patterns that an agent can replicate.
"Create a training guide for our new CRM system based on the admin documentation in 'CRM_Admin_Guide.pdf' and the workflow descriptions in 'Sales_Process.docx'. The audience is our sales team of 15 people, most of whom are not particularly technical. Structure the guide as a step-by-step training manual with: an overview of what the CRM does and why we are using it, how to log in and navigate the dashboard, how to add and update contacts, how to log sales activities and notes, how to move deals through our pipeline stages, how to run basic reports, and a troubleshooting section for common issues. Use simple language, include tips and best practices at each stage, and flag any steps where the screenshots in the admin guide could be inserted. Save as a Word document."
Training materials are one of those documents that everyone knows they should create but nobody has time to write. Cowork creates a solid draft that you can refine and add screenshots to.
10. Business Plans and Strategic Documents
Business plans require synthesizing market research, financial projections, and strategic thinking into a single coherent document. Cowork can build the structure and flesh out sections where it has information.
"I am preparing a business plan for a new service line we want to launch: managed AI integration for mid-size law firms. I have my strategic notes in 'AI_Legal_Service_Notes.docx' and some preliminary financial projections in 'Revenue_Projections.xlsx'. Create a business plan with: an executive summary, a market opportunity section (research the current state of AI adoption in the legal industry to supplement my notes), our service description and delivery model, a competitive landscape section, a go-to-market strategy based on my notes, financial projections and assumptions based on the spreadsheet data, a team and resource requirements section, and key risks with mitigation strategies. Make the financial projections section reference the specific numbers from my spreadsheet. This document will be used to present to our leadership team for approval. Save as both a Word document and a PDF."
This combines your strategic thinking with Cowork's research and document creation capabilities. The result is a presentation-ready business plan that would normally take days to assemble.
Tips for Better Document Creation
Always provide a template when you have one. The AI agent follows existing formatting and structure much better than creating from scratch. Even an imperfect template produces more consistent results than a blank slate.
Specify the output format explicitly. Say "save as a Word document" or "save as a PDF." Cowork can produce .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .pdf, and many other formats. If you need multiple formats, ask for all of them in one prompt.
Include your audience and tone. A document for your board sounds different from one for your team, which sounds different from one for a client. Telling Cowork who will read it dramatically improves the output.
Break massive documents into sections. For documents over 20 pages, consider having Cowork create the outline and structure first, then generating each section separately. This gives you more control over the content and makes it easier to iterate on specific parts.
