AI adoption / Copilot agents - from idea to action

Training for public sector teams on building Copilot agents

For public sector teams ready to move beyond prompting and start building practical Copilot agents. Participants identify a suitable workplace opportunity, then design, build and test an agent prototype using Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Builder, with appropriate governance and human oversight built in from the start.

tell me more - email
tell me more - form

Some public sector teams have got comfortable with Copilot for individual tasks: drafting, summarising, pulling together a first version of something. The next step for such teams is turning a recurring piece of work into something a whole team can rely on: an agent, focused on one clear purpose, with the right knowledge, boundaries and human oversight in place from the start.

Copilot Agents: From Idea to Action gives public sector professionals that next step. It helps you establish the business case, build and test an agent prototype, and understand the governance, approvals and ongoing oversight needed before wider deployment. The programme is informed by current Government Digital Service guidance on what user-configured AI agents need to be justified, designed and used responsibly.

    • Build a clear understanding of where Copilot agents can add value to your team’s work.

    • Identify and prioritise suitable agent opportunities from real workplace challenges.

    • Design and build an agent using Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Builder.

    • Define trusted knowledge, clear boundaries, ownership and human oversight.

    • Systematically test agents against realistic scenarios, identify limitations and establish an approach to ongoing review, improvement and responsible deployment.

    • A workplace agent prototype ready for further experimentation.

    • A practical Agent Canvas that can be reused across future agent opportunities.

    • Clear guardrails, ownership and human checkpoints.

    • Greater confidence in deciding when an agent is appropriate and when it is not.

    • A structured approach to testing, sharing and governing agents responsibly.

  • Discovery and Agent Opportunity Mapping
    A structured session to:

    • Understand the team's work, priorities and current Copilot use.

    • Identify recurring tasks, information needs and potential agent opportunities.

    • Explore relevant governance, information and organisational constraints.

    • Confirm the technical prerequisites, including Copilot licensing, agent-building permissions and access to approved knowledge sources.

    Agent Design and Build Sprint
    An immersive full-day workshop where the team:

    • Identifies and assesses high-value agent opportunities.

    • Designs an agent using the Agent Canvas.

    • Builds the agent using Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Builder.

    • Defines trusted knowledge, guardrails, human checkpoints and accountability.

    • Stress-tests the agent against real-world scenarios.

    • Establishes success measures and a practical plan for responsible use.

    Follow-up Agent Clinic
    A two-hour virtual session approximately one month later to:

    • Share early results and lessons learned.

    • Refine agents, knowledge and guardrails based on experience.

    • Review whether agents should remain private, be shared more widely or require additional governance or technical support.

    • Plan the next iteration of agent development.

  • 09:30 – Welcome and orientation

    • Understanding the move from everyday Copilot use to reusable Copilot agents.

    • Clarifying where Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Builder fits.

    10:00 – Find the opportunity

    • Identifying recurring work and information needs where an agent could create meaningful value.

    • Starting with the work, before the technology.

    10:30 – Agent or not?

    • Testing potential use cases against prompts, Copilot, agents, more advanced solutions and human-led work.

    • Exploring where human judgement must remain central.

    11:00 – Agent suitability and risk

    • Assessing value, consequence of error, sensitivity, governance and potential misuse.

    • Identifying use cases that require additional organisational review.

    11:20 – Break

    11:35 – Design your agent
    Using the Agent Canvas: Aim → Governance → Expertise → Needs and boundaries → Test and transfer

    • Defining purpose, users and success.

    • Identifying trusted knowledge.

    • Establishing boundaries, guardrails and human checkpoints.

    12:30 – Lunch

    13:15 – Build your agent

    • Creating and configuring the agent using Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Builder.

    • Developing effective instructions, knowledge and starter prompts.

    14:15 – Govern and refine

    • Defining ownership, accountability and appropriate human oversight.

    • Deciding what the agent can support and what humans must verify or decide.

    15:00 – Break

    15:15 – Break your agent

    • Stress-testing the agent against ambiguity, missing information, edge cases and inappropriate requests.

    • Refining the agent based on what fails.

    16:00 – From prototype to action

    • Reviewing readiness for wider experimentation.

    • Defining success measures, ownership, sharing and next steps.

    16:30 – Close

Tom Bryant, Teamshaper Trainer
AI implementation, a Teamshaper module