KPMG Lighthouse Initiative

Project Northern Lights

EU VSME Automation for Workiva via Microsoft 365 Copilot. AI-assisted analysis, drafting, and controlled write-back to reduce analyst effort while preserving full human control and auditability.

Azure Native Microsoft 365 Copilot Human-in-the-Loop

View Implementation Plan Jump to Plan Section

EU VSME

Compliance Standard

Zero

Data Egress

100%

Audit Trail

Jan 2026

PoV Target

How to Read This Proposal

This workspace captures the complete proposal for Project Northern Lights: Proof of Value scope, phased delivery through March 2026, technical architecture, and security controls for KPMG Lighthouse.

Understand the Approach

Start with the architecture and data flow diagrams to see how the copilot, tools, and controls come together for VSME reporting.

Explore the Plan

Use the Implementation Plan for scope, assumptions, phased delivery, and success criteria that anchor this proposal.

Review Controls

Confirm the control posture: zero-egress data handling, tenant isolation, and the audit trail required for KPMG assurance.

Get in Touch

Share feedback or questions directly—this proposal is designed to iterate with the Lighthouse team.

Proposal Intent & Outcomes

Material reduction in analyst drafting and reconciliation effort for VSME sections

This proposal delivers a Microsoft-native AI assistant embedded directly into Microsoft 365 Copilot, designed to support KPMG Lighthouse teams in preparing EU VSME sustainability reports.

The system assists analysts by analyzing uploaded source documents, answering reporting-status questions, drafting complementary text, and writing approved content directly into Workiva.

Copilot-First Flow

Analysts stay inside M365; no new portals or UX to learn

Guardrails & Audit

Approval gating, audit trails, and zero-egress defaults

Workiva-Ready Output

Validated content written into the Environmental tab

Phased Proof Points

PoV, IT sign-off, and expansion milestones pre-defined

Danta Labs - AI Solutions

Project Timeline

Phased delivery approach ensuring quality at every milestone

Now - January 5, 2026

Phase 1: Proof of Value (PoV)

Deliver a working AI assistant via Copilot completing one Environmental (VSME) section end-to-end. Text-only narrative generation with demonstrated Workiva write-back. Hosted in Danta Labs' secure sandbox.

Effort: 125-140 hours | Rate: $52/hr | 50% credited to Phase 2

Mid-January 2026 (~20 Days)

Phase 2: IT Assessment & Controlled Live Testing

Joint environment review with KPMG Lighthouse IT, risk and compliance validation. Deployment into KPMG-controlled Azure/M365 environment with controlled live testing.

Phase-based pricing (PoV credit applied)

February 2026 (3-4 Weeks)

Phase 3: Section Expansion & Narrative Quality

Expand coverage to additional VSME sections. Fine-tune prompts and reasoning logic. Tone and style alignment using historical reports with iterative analyst feedback.

Phase-based pricing

Late Feb / March 2026 (2-3 Weeks)

Phase 4: Report Design & Workiva Layout

Enable structured report layout and limited template selection within Workiva. Up to three validated layout options with end-to-end report generation workflow.

Phase-based pricing | Full program: Jan-Mar 2026

Architecture Schematics

Comprehensive visual documentation detailing the Northern Lights project architecture and implementation approach.

Architecture Overview

Copilot-centric architecture with MCP-style tool server, human-in-the-loop workflow, and Azure AI Foundry integration.

Data Flow Sequence

Conversational analyst workflow with approval gates. From query to draft to controlled write-back with full audit trail.

6-Step Workflow

Security Architecture

Zero-egress security boundaries, VNET configuration, private endpoints, and authentication flows. GDPR compliant design.

Component Interactions

Detailed service dependencies, API specifications, and interaction matrix between all system components.

Gap Analysis

Current state vs target comparison, migration mapping, effort estimation, and implementation roadmap.

Migration Guide

Designed for Enterprise Compliance

Northern Lights provides a secure, auditable pathway for ESG reporting that meets the stringent requirements of European regulatory frameworks.

Human-in-the-loop controls ensure analyst approval for all write operations
Zero data egress architecture keeps all processing within Azure tenant
Complete audit trail with separation of AI reasoning and actions
GDPR and EU AI Act compliant by design

Enterprise compliance and strategic thinking

Implementation Document

Open the proposal in one place: rendered plan, downloadable markdown, and a quick path back to the schematics.

Implementation Plan

Architecture decisions, phased delivery, controls, and Workiva integration flow for the Environmental section—kept current as the proposal evolves.

4 Delivery Phases Technical Specs Security Framework Code Migration Guide

Prefer the source? Download the markdown.

Open Implementation Plan

Have Questions?

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