Adopt vs Adapt: Cut Power Platform Technical Debt

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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

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Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith