From POCs to Production: Ship AI That Sticks

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👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/780

Discover how organisations can move beyond AI hype to real business value. In this episode, Jim Spignardo shares practical strategies for AI adoption, building digital literacy, and creating a culture where technology empowers every team. Learn how to start small, measure impact, and set up the right governance for sustainable, responsible AI transformation.

🎙️ What you’ll learn   

• Identify business problems that AI can solve, not just technology for its own sake 
• Build cross-functional teams and secure executive sponsorship for AI initiatives 
• Develop practical use cases and measure real outcomes from AI adoption 
• Establish effective governance, data risk analysis, and usage policies 
• Foster digital and AI literacy across all levels of the organisation 

✅ Highlights 

• “If you can't inventory those challenges and struggles, then all the AI and all the technology in the world is really not going to get you off the dime.” 
• “Start with something small. Don’t try to boil the ocean.” 
• “We have to have executive sponsorship and buy-in.” 
• “It’s not an IT initiative. If all we're doing is talking to the folks in IT, we pretty much know that's going to most likely fail.” 
• “We run them through a data risk analysis with their M365 data state.” 
• “We build a centre of excellence in SharePoint and fill it up with all types of educational materials.” 
• “We also work with them to develop a good AI usage policy.” 
• “Train them on how to measure the impact and keep things moving, developing a champion programme.” 
• “Shadow AI is real and we can't just pretend it doesn't exist.” 
• “Experimentation is critically important in a safe environment where they can fail and be comfortable with it.” 

 🧰 Mentioned 

• Microsoft 365 Copilot: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot  
• ProArch: https://www.proarch.com/  
• Microsoft Fabric: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric  
• SharePoint: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/collaboration 

✅Keywords 
ai adoption, digital literacy, executive sponsorship, governance, data risk analysis, copilot, centre of excellence, use cases, champion programme, shadow ai, business transformation, responsible 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

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Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith