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Empower innovation and AI culture

This article describes a common goal for Power Platform—empowering innovation and AI culture. It follows a structured framework that includes defining clear objectives, measurable key results, and actionable initiatives. This article aims to guide you in creating your own vision for Power Platform adoption.

Vision

Empowering innovation and fostering an AI culture is a common vision for Power Platform adoption because it drives organizational growth, agility, and competitiveness. Power Platform's low-code/no-code capabilities and AI tools democratize innovation, enabling employees at all levels to contribute to digital transformation efforts.

Power Platform allows nontechnical users to create and deploy solutions, breaking down barriers to innovation. This democratization empowers employees to solve their own problems and contribute to the organization's success.

Objectives

Objectives are the key themes or focus areas that the strategy aims to achieve. They are broad, overarching goals that align with the organizational vision and priorities. Objectives provide direction and set the stage for the initiatives and key results. Objectives help ensure that everyone in the organization understands what the strategy aims to accomplish and why it's important.

Typical objectives for empowering innovation and AI culture include:

  • Foster an inclusive culture of innovation and experimentation: Create an environment where all employees feel encouraged to innovate and experiment, regardless of their role or technical expertise.
  • Enable rapid and pragmatic delivery: Equip employees with the tools and processes needed to deliver solutions quickly and effectively.
  • Build a mindset of commitment and self-sufficiency: Encourage a mindset where employees feel empowered, committed, and self-sufficient in their innovation efforts.
  • Empower businesses to be citizen developers: Enable business units to develop their own solutions using low-code tools, reducing reliance on IT.
  • Use low-code to challenge legacy technology and processes: Use low-code development to modernize and improve legacy systems and processes.
  • Create incentives for makers, champions, and departments: Motivate and recognize contributions to innovation and Power Platform adoption.
  • Start using AI and agents in Power Platform solutions: Enhance productivity and innovation by integrating AI and Microsoft Copilot Studio features into key areas of Power Platform.
  • Identify citizen developer quick wins: Demonstrate the value of citizen development through quick, high-impact projects.
  • Encourage leaders to prioritize and allocate time to innovate: Encourage leaders to prioritize innovation and allocate time for their teams to work on innovative projects.
  • Create a plan for using AI: Use AI to improve governance, identify inefficiencies, and provide support.
  • Get senior business leaders to advocate for Power Platform: Engage senior business leaders to champion the Power Platform and advocate for its adoption.
  • Foster Power Platform knowledge among interns and early career professionals: Develop programs to educate and engage interns and early career professionals in Power Platform development.

Measurable key results

Key results are specific, quantifiable outcomes that indicate progress towards achieving the strategic objectives. They provide clear benchmarks for success and help in tracking performance. Defining key results is necessary because they offer a way to measure the effectiveness of the initiatives and ensure that the objectives are met. Key results should be realistic, time-bound, and directly linked to the objectives.

Typical key results, aligned with some of the objectives, for empowering innovation and AI culture include:

  • Foster an inclusive culture of innovation and experimentation:
    • Organize regular hackathons, idea challenges, and innovation workshops with ___% employees participating in innovation initiatives.
    • Promote and incentivize idea submissions through internal campaigns and recognition programs with ___ (number) new ideas submitted per quarter.
  • Enable rapid and pragmatic delivery:
    • Implement streamlined development processes and achieve a ___% reduction in the average time taken to develop and deploy new solutions.
    • Adopt agile methodologies and achieve a ___% increase in the number of projects completed within the planned timeline.
  • Build a mindset of commitment and self-sufficiency:
    • Offer comprehensive training and support materials to empower self-sufficiency and increase the number of employees independently resolving issues using Power Platform by ___%.
  • Empower businesses to be citizen developers:
    • Provide comprehensive training and resources to empower employees and increase the number of citizen-developed applications by ___%.
    • Empower employees to develop their own solutions and achieve a ___% reduction in the number of IT support requests related to application development.
  • Use low-code to challenge legacy technology and processes:
    • Decommission legacy systems and modernize systems with low-code with a goal of ___% reduction in the number of legacy systems still in use.
    • Modernize systems with low-code with a goal of increasing process efficiency, such as time savings, error reduction, and cost savings, with a goal of ___% improvement in process efficiency through low-code solutions.
    • Reduce operating, maintenance, and support cost of legacy systems with a goal of $__ cost reduction.
  • Create incentives for makers, champions, and departments:
    • Increase the number of innovation projects initiated by makers and champions by ___% through offering a rewards and recognition program.
    • Boost departmental participation in Power Platform initiatives by ___% by offering financial incentives and organizing quarterly awards.
  • Start using AI and agents in Power Platform solutions:
    • Enhance the efficiency of solution development by ___% by integrating AI and Copilot features into key platform areas.
    • Reduce the time taken to complete routine processes by ___% by providing training and resources on applying AI capabilities.
  • Identify citizen developer quick wins:
    • Increase the number of quick win projects completed by citizen developers by ___% by identifying and supporting high-impact, easily achievable projects.
    • Improve the visibility and recognition of quick win projects by ___% by showcasing them through internal communications and success stories.
  • Encourage leaders to prioritize and allocate time to innovate:
    • Allocate ___% more hours to innovation activities by leadership by setting aside dedicated time for teams to focus on innovation and experimentation.
    • Increase the number of innovation projects initiated by teams by ___% by encouraging leaders to participate in and lead innovation initiatives.

Key initiatives

Initiatives are the specific actions or projects that need to be implemented to achieve the objectives. They outline what needs to be done in the immediate term, in the next year, and in the next three years. Initiatives provide a roadmap for action and ensure that there's a clear plan to reach the objectives. Initiatives should be actionable, prioritized, and aligned with the key results.

Typical initiatives, aligned with some of the objectives, for empowering innovation and AI culture include:

  • Foster an inclusive culture of innovation and experimentation:
    • Promote a culture that values diverse perspectives and ideas.
    • Provide platforms and opportunities for employees to share and test their ideas.
    • Recognize and celebrate innovative efforts and successes across the organization.
  • Enable rapid and pragmatic delivery:
    • Implement streamlined development processes and agile methodologies.
    • Provide access to low-code tools and resources that facilitate rapid prototyping and deployment.
    • Offer training and support to ensure employees can efficiently use these tools.
  • Build a mindset of commitment and self-sufficiency:
    • Foster a culture of ownership and accountability, where employees are encouraged to take initiative.
    • Provide the necessary resources and support to enable self-sufficiency.
    • Encourage a "fail fast, learn faster" approach to experimentation and innovation.
  • Empower businesses to be citizen developers:
    • Provide comprehensive training and resources on low-code development.
    • Establish a support framework to assist citizen developers with their projects.
    • Encourage collaboration between business units and IT to ensure alignment and support.
  • Use low-code to challenge legacy technology and processes:
    • Identify and prioritize legacy systems and processes that can benefit from low-code solutions.
    • Develop and implement low-code applications to replace or enhance these legacy systems.
    • Continuously evaluate and optimize processes to ensure they remain efficient and effective.
  • Create incentives for makers, champions, and departments:
    • Develop a rewards and recognition program with points-based incentives and quarterly awards.
    • Provide financial incentives, such as bonuses or grants, for departments achieving significant innovation milestones.
    • Organize events to celebrate and recognize outstanding contributions.
  • Start using AI and agents in Power Platform solutions:
    • Identify platform areas where AI and Copilot features can add the most value.
    • Provide training and resources to help users understand and apply AI capabilities.
    • Monitor and evaluate the impact of AI integration on productivity and innovation.
  • Identify citizen developer quick wins:
    • Identify simple, high-impact projects that can be quickly developed and deployed using Power Platform.
    • Showcase these quick wins through internal communications and success stories.
    • Provide support and resources to help citizen developers achieve these quick wins.
  • Encourage leaders to prioritize and allocate time to innovate:
    • Set aside dedicated time each week or month for teams to focus on innovation and experimentation.
    • Encourage leaders to participate in innovation initiatives and lead by example.
    • Provide training and resources to help leaders foster a culture of innovation within their teams.
  • Create a plan for using AI:
    • Conduct a needs assessment to identify areas where AI can enhance governance and efficiency.
    • Develop and implement AI-driven tools and processes for monitoring compliance, identifying inefficiencies, and providing support.
    • Provide training and resources to help users understand and apply AI for governance and support.
  • Get senior business leaders to advocate for Power Platform:
    • Collect and document detailed use cases and success stories from various Power Platform initiatives.
    • Publish these stories through internal newsletters, intranet sites, and community events.
    • Recognize and celebrate the achievements of individuals and teams who contribute to these success stories.
  • Foster Power Platform knowledge among interns and early career professionals:
    • Create onboarding programs and training sessions specifically for interns and early career professionals.
    • Provide mentorship opportunities with experienced Power Platform developers and champions.
    • Encourage participation in innovation initiatives and projects to build practical experience and skills.