A new joiner asks Copilot how to claim their expenses

People ask an AI assistant what to do at work all the time. The answer is only as good as the procedure it finds.

A new joiner

How do I claim back my expenses for a client lunch?

Copilot

I found four documents called “Expenses procedure” on the shared drive. They name different approvers and different forms, and none of them has a date or an owner, so I cannot tell which one you should follow.

Sources: 4 files

  • Expenses procedure.docxno date · no owner
  • Expenses procedure v2.docxno date · no owner
  • Expenses procedure FINAL.docxno date · no owner
  • Expenses procedure (old) - Copy.docxno date · no owner

Example exchange. The files are examples too.

Copilot reads the map that the new joiner reads

The example process, Pay an expense claim, is one published map. Copilot reads its Activities through the Verdin MCP server (Beta, Solo plan or higher) and can name the Activity that each part of its answer came from. Point at an Activity or a number to see it on both pages.

Example process, Pay an expense claim, shown twice: as the map a new starter reads, and as the record Microsoft Copilot reads through the Verdin MCP server.

What a new starter reads

Pay an expense claim Example process

Finance › Expenses › Pay an expense claim

Activity 1.

Submit the claim

Responsible:Claimant

System:Expenses app

Linked document:Expenses policy

Activity 2.

Approve the claim

Accountable:Line manager

System:Expenses app

Activity 3.

Check against policy

Responsible:Finance assistant

System:Expenses app

Drill-down: 3 Activities

Activity 4.

Pay the claim

Responsible:Payroll officer

System:Payroll system

What Copilot reads

Microsoft Copilot, connected through the Verdin MCP server Beta Solo plan or higher

A new starter asks CopilotI paid for a client lunch. What happens after I submit the claim?

get_process Pay an expense claim, published version

1 Submit the claim

role
Claimant (Responsible)
system
Expenses app
document
Expenses policy
next
“submitted” → 2

2 Approve the claim

role
Line manager (Accountable)
system
Expenses app
next
“approved” → 3
next
“receipt missing” → 1

3 Check against policy

role
Finance assistant (Responsible)
system
Expenses app
drill-down
3 Activities, “Check against policy”
next
“within policy” → 4

4 Pay the claim

role
Payroll officer (Responsible)
system
Payroll system
next
end of process

Copilot’s reply

After you submit it, your line manager approves it in the Expenses app . If a receipt is missing, the claim comes back to you . A finance assistant then checks it against the expenses policy , and the payroll officer pays it through the payroll system .

Example exchange. Copilot writes the reply in its own words. The Activities, roles and systems in it come from the published map.

Three moves from four copies to one answer

  1. Map the procedure once

    Each Activity names the role, the system and the document that applies. The old documents stay where they are, as links.

  2. Publish it

    The map has one owner and one published version. That version is what readers and AI assistants see by default.

  3. Connect your AI assistant

    Add the server address once. Each person signs in with their own Verdin account, so the assistant sees only what that person can open.

  • Expenses procedure.docxno date
  • Expenses procedure v2.docxlast edited by a leaver
  • Expenses procedure FINAL.docxno owner
  • Expenses procedure (old) - Copy.docxnames a different approver

Pay an expense claim

Accountable:Finance manager

System:Expenses app

Linked document:Expenses policy

Drill-down: 4 Activities

Example process. Four copies of one procedure become one Activity with an owner, a system and the current policy. Its drill-down holds the four Activities of the claim.

Copilot is the example. Any AI assistant that supports MCP works.

The Verdin MCP server is in Beta and needs the Solo plan or higher. Verdin is not listed in the assistant directories yet, so you add this address by hand:

https://verdinmapper.com/api/mcp

How each assistant connects
AI assistantHow you connect itDirectory listing
Microsoft CopilotAdd the server address in Copilot Studio.Not yet
ClaudeAdd the server address as a custom MCP connector.Not yet
ChatGPTAdd the server address as a custom MCP connector.Not yet
Open-source modelsAdd the server address in an MCP client that runs the model.Not yet
What an assistant can do through the server
ToolsWhat they do
list_processesget_processFind a process and read it. By default Copilot reads the published version.
list_resourcesList the roles and systems, with the processes that use each one.
create_processupdate_processWrite a process as a draft. It stays a draft until a person publishes it in Verdin.
list_glossary_termscreate_glossary_termupdate_glossary_termRead your glossary, so that answers use your words. Adding or changing a term needs the editor role.

Give the next new joiner one answer

Open the editor