Yesterday, while presenting at the Microsoft 365 Community Conference, I experienced a moment of clarity that impacts how we approach the deployment of Copilot for Microsoft 365. It’s about information architecture (IA). IA is the backbone of your digital workspace, and potentially, the key to unlocking Copilot’s full potential.
Let’s face it, one of the most frustrating aspects of leveraging Copilot for Microsoft 365 is the struggle to generate effective prompts. You spend countless hours training users to fine-tune their prompts, curating prompt libraries, and sometimes even resort to building intricate applications to streamline the process. But why is it so challenging?
One reason is the state of your IA. It’s messy, cluttered, and often neglected. Your content is scattered, outdated materials linger unarchived, and oversharing runs rampant. Consequently, Copilot is forced to navigate through this digital labyrinth, requiring increasingly complex prompts to function effectively.
So, what’s the solution? It’s simple, yet often not properly prioritized by organizations: Get your IA in order!! It’s not just about cleaning up your tenant; it’s about optimizing your entire workflow and maximizing your investment in Copilot.
Improving your IA isn’t just a matter of common sense; it’s a strategic imperative. By framing the problem correctly to your leaders, you can help them understand the tangible impact of neglecting your IA. It’s costing you valuable time, hindering productivity, and undermining the potential of Copilot to drive innovation and efficiency in your organization.
“Oversharing and stale content pose more than just security risks”
me – just now
Moreover, it’s crucial to recognize that oversharing and stale content pose more than just security risks; they’re directly impeding your ability to leverage Copilot effectively. Every redundant file, outdated document, or unnecessarily shared folder adds unnecessary noise to your digital landscape, making it increasingly challenging for Copilot to sift through and generate meaningful insights.
Consider this: every minute spent grappling with convoluted prompts and navigating through cluttered content is a minute wasted. But by investing in IA, you can streamline your processes, enhance collaboration, and empower Copilot to deliver better results.
So, where do you start? It begins with a commitment to decluttering your SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive (delete those old emails while you’re at it). Archive outdated content, implement stringent sharing policies, and prioritize organization. By laying the foundation for a robust IA, you can ensure that Copilot adoption and use will thrive.
The path to maximizing your investment in Copilot for Microsoft 365 starts with getting your IA in order. It’s not just about creating effective prompts; it’s about creating an environment where Copilot can flourish. So, it’s time to stop putting it off, clean up your digital mess, and unleash the full potential of Copilot.