Microsoft Innovation Podcast

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AI adoption fails when it stops at access to tools. This episode introduces a practical model that bridges the gap between AI tools like Copilot and measurable business outcomes. The focus shifts from technology to people, addressing key blockers such as time, confidence, and relevance. By grounding AI in real workflows, tailoring role-specific use cases, and measuring outcomes, organisations can move from low usage to meaningful impact fast.

🎙 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/837
👉 What you’ll learn     
Identify the real blockers stopping AI adoption in teams 
Shift from tool access to measurable business outcomes 
Design role-specific AI use cases that drive daily value 
Build AI training that fits real work, not theory 
Measure AI adoption with practical KPIs and usage data 
✅ Highlights     
"These two things are very, very different" 
"Some things really need to happen in between those two places" 
"This is not about the tech. This is about the people" 
"They didn't know how to use the tool" 
"They didn't know what they were allowed to do" 
"When would they sit and just learn a link" 
"To actually tailor use cases that are relevant" 
"We have to measure how they are moving" 
"We moved a department from 15% to 83%" 
"It shifts how you are working" 
🧰 Mentioned     
Microsoft Copilot (https://copilot.microsoft.com/)  
Copilot Notebooks (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/get-started-with-microsoft-365-copilot-notebooks-0775e693-11c6-4d80-8aba-fcc81a737a06)  
ChatGPT (https://chatgpt.com/)  
AI Boost Academy (https://hannabergstrom.com/) [ 
Vattenfall (https://group.vattenfall.com/) 
Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 
✅ Keywords      
ai adoption, copilot, generative ai, ai training, business transformation, ai use cases, digital productivity, ai skills, organisational change, ai strategy, workplace efficiency, ai literacy 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
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If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 
 
This episode dives into why large CRM and ERP projects keep failing and how AI is reshaping consulting, software delivery, and platform decisions. The core insight is simple. Organisations fail when they buy software instead of outcomes. With AI, experienced teams can move faster, strip away legacy complexity, and build only what the business actually needs. The conversation explores outcome-based thinking, flawed RFP processes, and why AI is accelerating the gap between great and average practitioners. 
👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/836   

🎙️ What you’ll learn   
How to frame technology decisions around outcomes, not vendors or features 
Why traditional RFP processes drive cost blowouts and failed projects 
The four core business problems most systems are really trying to solve 
How AI tools are changing the speed and shape of consulting work 
When building custom solutions now beats buying off-the-shelf software 
✅ Highlights 
“So many people are still buying software like it’s a software decision rather than a business decision.” 
“You’re really only trying to solve one of four business problems.” 
“Most organizations aren’t even thinking in terms of what is the root of what I’m trying to solve.” 
“Your highest qualified people are not even in the game because you’ve already excluded quality.” 
“AI is now to the developer what Visual Studio was in the 90s.” 
“It made the good developers really good and the bad developers a lot faster.” 
“Low code was developed because we couldn’t get enough developers.” 
“There’s a third option now, and that is vibe code your own add-on.” 
“I think we’re less than 18 months away from this changing enterprise software.” 
🧰 Mentioned 
Microsoft Power Platform: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-platform  
Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Dynamics 365 CRM):
https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics-365/solutions/crm  
Microsoft Business Central:
https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics-365/products/business-central  
Microsoft Finance and Operations (Dynamics 365 Finance):
https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics-365/products/finance 
Notebook LM: https://notebooklm.google  
LinkedIn Sales Navigator: https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/sales-navigator 
DynamicConsultantsGroup.com: https://dynamicconsultantsgroup.com 
✅Keywords   
ai in consulting, outcome-based software, crm failures, erp projects, power platform, low code vs pro code, vibe coding, rfp process, enterprise software, applied ai skills, digital transformation, consulting strategy
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 
 
AI is shifting from a tool to an operating system, enabling individuals to move faster, build bespoke solutions, and dramatically increase productivity. The biggest advantage now comes from curiosity, not technical depth. Those who experiment, learn a few tools deeply, and treat AI as a collaborator can compress hours into minutes and unlock new business models. Meanwhile, large organisations risk falling behind due to governance, inertia, and slow decision-making. 
👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/835    
🎙️ What you’ll learn 
Use AI as an operating system to replace and create software 
Move from idea to working solution in minutes, not hours 
Build capability by mastering a few tools, not chasing every new model 
Apply curiosity-driven workflows to unlock better AI outcomes 
Avoid common enterprise pitfalls around governance and tool sprawl 
✅ Highlights  
"This software rewards the patient and the curious." 
"Learn two or three of these tools really well." 
"Are you using these tools to improve your quality of life or aren’t you?" 
"This is the last software that I’ll ever train." 
"We can create bespoke applications through any of these tools." 
"It’s eating other software." 
"People who choose to be left behind." 
"From idea to iteration in 30 minutes." 
"I feel like I’m becoming a bionic person." 
"The barriers to entry are just gone." 
🧰 Mentioned 
ChatGPT – https://chatgpt.com/ 
Bing (Copilot Search) – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/copilot-search 
Google – https://www.google.com 
Gemini – https://gemini.google.com/ 
Claude – https://claude.ai/ 
Copilot – https://copilot.microsoft.com/ 
Perplexity – https://www.perplexity.ai/ 
Stability AI (Stable Diffusion) – https://stability.ai/ 
Ethan Mollick (Wharton profile) – https://mgmt.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/emollick/ 
Co-Intelligence (book) – https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741805/co-intelligence-by-ethan-mollick/ 
Suno (AI music generator) – https://suno.com/ 
✅Keywords 
ai tools, generative ai, chatgpt, ai productivity, solopreneur ai, ai governance, llm workflows, ai operating system, automation, business ai, ai adoption, digital transformation 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM
 
This episode explores why data governance must come before enabling Microsoft 365 Copilot, with insights from Khurram Hafeez. It breaks down how sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, and Microsoft Purview reduce the risk of unintended data exposure. You will hear practical guidance on preparing your environment, protecting sensitive information, and managing AI use across Microsoft tools and third‑party AI sites. The focus is on real‑world decisions organisations must make to safely adopt Copilot at scale.

🎙 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/834

👉 What you’ll learn     
Why Copilot increases the impact of poor data governance 
How sensitivity labels affect what Copilot can access and summarise 
When to use DLP versus inline DLP for AI risk management 
How organisations can limit data sharing with third‑party AI tools 
What licensing choices matter for Copilot and Purview governance 
✅ Highlights     
“With the intro of the AI, the importance of the data governance compliance has much increased.” 
“The first defense layer that you should be apply, that is the sensitivity label.” 
“If a user doesn’t have permission, Copilot can’t actually extract the data.” 
“Standard policy actually is not sufficient these days.” 
“Users copy and paste or upload a sensitive file to third‑party AI sites.” 
“Inline DLP policy is one step ahead of endpoint DLP policy.” 
“Microsoft focus not to block something, to protect something.” 
“Before enabling the copilot, they ensure that their environment is ready.” 
“Copilot certainly honors the permissions the user have.” 
 🧰 Mentioned     
Microsoft 365 Copilot: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/copilot/ 
Microsoft Entra Suite: https://www.microsoft.com/security/business/microsoft-entra-suite  
E5 licence: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/enterprise/e5  
Pay‑as‑you‑go Purview licensing: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/purview-billing-models 
ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ 
Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/ 
DeepSeek: https://www.deepseek.com/  
Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 
✅ Keywords 
microsoft copilot, microsoft purview, data governance, sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, inline dlp, endpoint dlp, ai security, m365 e5, third party ai, information protection, enterprise ai 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 
A practical rethink of how teams use Power Platform and Dynamics 365 to reduce technical debt, improve governance, and build sustainable solutions. The discussion centres on shifting from tech-first thinking to business outcomes, balancing low-code and pro-code principles, and preparing for AI and Copilot. The key insight is that long-term success comes from disciplined governance, reuse, and choosing when to adopt versus adapt. 
👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/833

🎙️ What you’ll learn   
Shift from technology-first to outcome-first solution design 
Decide when to adopt vs adapt to reduce complexity 
Apply coding principles inside low-code environments 
Manage technical debt through governance and architecture 
Evaluate where AI and Copilot add real value today 
✅ Highlights 
"taking a step back and looking at business need and use a process rather than technology first." 
"a term we're using in the department more and more is kind of adopt versus adapt." 
"the more you’re restricting yourself off from these possibilities." 
"it's treating it as a tool, a set of tools we can use rather than the default." 
"governance to me means more preventative." 
"it's really difficult to then stay on top of things like the Wave releases." 
"it’s more a matter of time than anything." 
"it's not the same thing as code, but it's not meant to be." 
"there's still a level of maturity that we need to get to." 
"what does Power Platform mean really and what is it there for?" 
 🧰 Mentioned 
Power Virtual Agents (now part of Copilot Studio): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/blog/copilot-studio/microsoft-power-virtual-agents-now-part-of-microsoft-copilot-studio/ 
AI Builder: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/ai-builder/overview 
Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com/ 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith