AI & Automation for Professionals: Copilot & Power Platform

In this lecture, you’ll be introduced to the SharePoint environment and how it is used to manage data within Microsoft 365.

We’ll explore how SharePoint sites are structured and how SharePoint Lists act as a powerful, flexible way to store and organise data for your apps and automations.

Understanding this environment is essential, as SharePoint Lists will be used throughout the course as the backbone for building solutions in Power Apps and Power Automate.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how to create and customise SharePoint Lists to store and manage your data effectively.

We’ll walk through building a list from scratch, adding columns, and editing the structure to suit real business needs. You’ll also learn how to use an Excel file to quickly create a SharePoint List, helping you move from existing data into a structured environment for a multistage approval of procurement strategies.

An Excel resource is provided so you can follow along and practise building your own list.

We'll also create a library to store our dummy procurement strategies. All information here is for training purposes only.

In this lecture, you’ll be introduced to Power Automate and how it enables you to automate processes across your organisation.

We’ll explore the key components of the platform, including environments, templates and the main areas you’ll be using such as My Flows, Approvals, and Solutions.

You’ll also get familiar with how Power Automate is structured, so you can confidently navigate the platform before building your first workflow.

In this lecture, you’ll get familiar with the Power Automate environment and learn how to navigate it effectively.

We’ll walk through how to switch between the classic and modern views, so you understand both interfaces and can confidently work in either. You’ll also get a guided tour of the platform, covering key areas you’ll be using to build your workflows.

This is an important step to ensure you’re comfortable in the environment before creating your first automation.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how approval workflows begin in Power Automate by understanding triggers and how they drive your automations.

We’ll focus on the “When an item is created” trigger using your Procurement Strategy Tracker SharePoint List, and explain how this connects directly to your approval process.

You’ll also explore the different types of triggers available in Power Automate, including automated, instant, and scheduled flows, so you understand when to use each in real business scenarios.

In this lecture, you’ll build your first working workflow in Power Automate using the “When an item is created” SharePoint trigger.

As you develop the flow, you’ll learn how to use dynamic content to pull information directly from your SharePoint list, allowing your workflow to respond intelligently to new data. You’ll also be introduced to expressions, giving you more control and flexibility when working with conditions and data.

To bring everything together, you’ll integrate Microsoft Teams by setting up a notification that posts automatically when a new item is created.

In this lecture, you’ll begin building the first stage of your multi-step approval process using Power Automate.

You’ll create a new flow using the “When an item is created or modified” SharePoint trigger, allowing your workflow to respond dynamically as documents are updated.

This stage focuses on Manager approval, where submitted strategy documents are reviewed for sign-off. You’ll implement branching logic to control the flow based on the outcome, ensuring that approved and rejected items follow different paths.

You’ll also set up notifications so the lead author is kept informed of the status of their document at every stage.

In this lecture, you’ll build the second stage of your multi-step approval process, focusing on Finance review.

To improve efficiency and reduce repetition, you’ll use the clipboard functionality in Power Automate to copy and reuse the Manager approval step. This allows you to quickly replicate the structure while adapting it for Finance-specific approval requirements.

You’ll then configure the Finance approval stage, ensuring it fits seamlessly into the overall workflow and continues the approval process correctly.

In this lecture, you’ll build the final stage of your multi-step approval process, focusing on Board approval.

Using the same approach as before, you’ll leverage copy and paste functionality to reuse the existing approval structure, ensuring consistency while reducing build time. You’ll then adapt this stage for Board-level approval, completing the full approval chain.

This step finalises your end-to-end workflow, ensuring that documents pass through Manager, Finance, and Board approvals in a structured and controlled process.

In this lecture, you’ll be introduced to Microsoft Purview and how it helps organisations manage data securely, ensuring compliance and protecting sensitive information. We’ll also cover key considerations when working with AI, automation, and business data.

This lecture is designed to help you build responsibly, ensuring that the solutions you create are not only effective but also secure and compliant.

In this lecture, you’ll be introduced to Power Apps and how it enables you to build business applications without traditional coding.

We’ll take a tour of the Power Apps environment, helping you understand where to build, manage, and deploy your apps. You’ll also explore the different plans available, along with an introduction to AI capabilities and agents within the platform.

Finally, we’ll break down the key types of apps you can build, including Canvas apps and Model-driven apps, so you can choose the right approach for your use case.

In this lecture, we focus on handling and resolving errors when building in Power Apps.

You’ll learn how to identify common issues that occur during app development and how to troubleshoot them effectively. We’ll also introduce how Copilot can be used as a powerful assistant to help diagnose problems, suggest fixes, and improve your overall build process. Please note that I encourage you to use other LLMs for trouble shooting error messages to resolve issues quickly.

This lecture is designed to help you work more efficiently and with confidence when things don’t go as expected.

In this lecture, you’ll build your first Canvas app from scratch, starting with your data.

You’ll learn how to connect your app to the SharePoint List you created earlier, allowing you to display and interact with real business data. This is where your data becomes accessible through a user-friendly interface.

As you build, you’ll also encounter and resolve common issues, using Copilot to help troubleshoot and fix errors quickly.

In this lecture, you’ll take a deeper look inside Power Apps Studio, the main workspace where you build and design your applications.

We’ll walk through the interface, highlighting key features and tools you’ll be using regularly.

Understanding the studio environment is essential to building apps efficiently and confidently.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how to manage your app effectively by using controls, labels, screens, and properties within Power Apps.

We’ll focus on structuring your app in a clear and controlled way, including how to disable controls where needed to support governance and guide user behaviour.

You’ll also learn how to customise properties, including setting formats such as dates to UK standards, ensuring your app aligns with regional and organisational requirements.

In this final lecture, we bring everything together and reflect on what you’ve built throughout the course.

You’ve learned how to use AI and automation tools within Microsoft 365 in a practical, professional way, moving beyond hype and focusing on real solutions that can support your day-to-day work.

This course has given you an overview of how tools like Copilot, SharePoint, Power Automate, and Power Apps can be combined to create secure, scalable business solutions.

This isn’t the end, it’s the starting point. The real value comes from applying what you’ve learned to solve real problems in your organisation

The next step is yours.

In this video, we shall:

• Harness Copilot to instantly draft a Power Automate flow that triggers the moment a new project is added to your SharePoint list.

• Build a "File Architect" that automatically generates a main project folder with three professionally nested subfolders: Strategy, ITT, and Contract.

• Toggle to the Classic Designer—a professional "pro-tip" to ensure 100% build consistency and avoid common preview bugs.

• Master Folder Path Syntax to ensure your documents are perfectly organized without a single manual click.

By the end of this session, you’ll have a fully automated filing system that eliminates administrative busywork and keeps your procurement data audit-ready.

This module demonstrates how AI can support procurement moderation under the Procurement Act 2023. Learners will explore how AI compares evaluator feedback against published scoring criteria to identify inconsistencies, unsupported scoring and challenge risk. The module also covers governance, human oversight, responsible AI principles and practical moderation workflows using structured evaluation workbooks and AI-assisted analysis.

In this video we introduce the AI policy framework, the six rules that govern how AI is used within any organisation.

We explain that these rules are not guidelines or suggestions. They are the minimum standard of operation for every person who uses AI, regardless of their role or seniority. Each rule has a formal policy title and a plain language description so that everyone in the organisation understands not just what the rule is but why it exists.

We cover all six rules. The right data in the right tool. Protecting personal data and people's rights. Quality data in, quality data out. Always checking AI outputs. Being open about AI use. And ensuring existing rules still apply when AI is involved.

The full course is titled : AI Governance: Go from Zero to Framework in 30 Days. See the resource section for links to the course.