Copilot Value Realization: Beyond Adoption Metrics

Episode 31 of Guardians of M365 Governance: Post-summer, we're back — and diving into one of the most overlooked pieces of the Copilot conversation: value realization.Joy Apple, Ragnar Heil, and Christian Buckley welcome Lisa Vanderlip, Managing Principal at WyseMinds and a 12-year Microsoft veteran, to unpack why adoption metrics alone don't prove Copilot is delivering business value — and what leaders should be measuring instead.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:→ Why login counts and prompt volume are lagging indicators, not proof of value→ How to define value at three levels: individual, department, and organization→ Why "productivity" as a metric is a trap — and what to measure instead→ How Copilot Studio's consumption-based pricing changes the governance conversation: not every use case justifies a premium agent running on expensive models→ Total cost of ownership: licensing, readiness, deployment, and token costs weighed against measurable outcomes→ Moving beyond promptathons and generic "Copilot for Excel 101" training toward scenario-based enablement→ Evolving champions programs into a forward-deployed model pairing technical owners with business owners accountable for KPIs→ Why organizations that let teams "earn" tool access through business justification saw dramatically faster deployment→ The one question rarely asked in AI tool pitches: "What are you actually measured on at the end of the year?"→ Why Viva Insights and Copilot Dashboard adoption remains low — and what to measure insteadLisa shares real examples from her work helping organizations turn AI experimentation into sustained change through ownership, accountability, and outcome-driven enablement — plus why governance now has to include cost conversations, not just data and compliance conversations.This episode is essential viewing for IT decision-makers, governance leads, Copilot program owners, and anyone responsible for proving Copilot's business case beyond the license spend.ABOUT GUARDIANS OF M365 GOVERNANCE:A monthly webcast dedicated to everything governance across the Microsoft 365 and Copilot ecosystem. Have a topic, question, or guest suggestion? Drop a comment — we'd love to hear from you.