Illustrative scenario

Copilot readiness: an illustrative scenario

Illustrative scenario. The company, people and figures here are fictional and were invented to show what an assessment produces. They are not a real client and are not a promise of results.

Copilot readiness assessment: scorecard

Illustrative sample: fictional company, invented figures

Readiness by domain (out of 5)

Licensing3.5
Identity and security3
Data and permissions1.5
AI policy1
People and adoption2.5
Use cases3

Red marks the weakest areas: data permissions and AI policy.

Data exposure snapshot

9
sites open to the whole company
312
files that look like finance or HR content in those sites
18 of 60
proposed licences justified for a first wave

Quick wins

Restrict the nine widely shared sites to the teams that need them
Publish a one-page AI use policy before any pilot
Start the pilot with the 18 people who have a clear use case

The situation

A fictional 60-person firm wants to buy Microsoft 365 Copilot for everyone after a partner demonstration. The managing director likes the idea but asks one question: what could go wrong on day one?

What the assessment looks at

Six areas: licensing, identity and security, data and permissions, AI policy, people and adoption, and use cases. It also looks at where sensitive content sits and who can reach it, because Copilot can surface anything a person already has access to.

What it might find

In this scenario, licensing and identity are in decent shape. The weak spots are data permissions and the absence of an AI policy. Nine sites are open to the whole company, and they hold hundreds of files that look like finance or HR material. Only 18 people have a clear use case for Copilot in the first wave.

The decision it enables

Instead of buying 60 licences, the firm fixes the permissions on the nine sites, publishes a short AI use policy, and pilots with the 18 people who can describe how they would use it. It has a measure of success before it spends more.

What could follow

The firm might ask for help running the pilot and scaling it, which is what AI and Copilot adoption covers. The findings and plan are the firm’s to keep.