Foundations
& Tools

Copilot drafts directly into Word documents using native Styles, grounded in up to 20 reference files via the /filename syntax. Vibe writing treats drafting as a dialogue — you describe intent and the document scaffolds. Work IQ gives Copilot access to your SharePoint, OneDrive, emails, and meetings.

• Core CopilotDraft / Rewrite / Summarise via ribbon and inline sparkles.
• Edit with CopilotVibe-writing surface — drafts live into the document with Styles applied.
• Word Agent in Copilot ChatBuild complete documents without ever opening Word.
• Copilot with Track ChangesGovernance-grade precision edits (Windows · March 2026).

• When drafting is grounded in 2–5 source files (briefs, past proposals, meeting notes).
• When rewriting must address a specific reader or audience nuance.
• When multi-section reports need consistent voice and heading hierarchy.
• When legal or compliance work needs auditable Track Changes edits.

1. Open an Arup-branded template with Heading 1/2/3 Styles already configured.
2. In Edit with Copilot, paste the master brief and reference all /filename sources.
3. Request the outline first; review and iterate before drafting any section.
4. Draft section by section, citing source files for every factual claim.

• Word Styles (Heading 1/2/3 + Body) configured in the template before opening Copilot.
• Reference files saved to OneDrive / SharePoint — Copilot can only access cloud files.
• M365 Copilot (Premium) licence — free-tier output is generic with no Work IQ grounding.

Five distinct AI surfaces, each handling data differently. Edit with Copilot reshapes data and builds dashboards live. =COPILOT() persists AI inside cells. Analyst is a Python-validated agent for complex analysis. Vibe working means handing off the modelling problem and steering rather than writing every formula.

• Core CopilotRibbon button for pivots, charts, formula help — Table-aware.
• Edit with CopilotMulti-step reshaping, dashboards, and live changes (formerly Agent Mode).
• =COPILOT() functionNative formula for classification, extraction, normalisation at scale.
• Copilot Chat with file uploadQuestions and summaries without modifying the workbook.
• Analyst agentPython-powered deep analysis, cross-file reconciliation — counts against the Researcher + Analyst monthly allowance.

• When data is messy and needs reshaping before analysis can start.
• When a column of free text must become structured (classification, sentiment).
• When analysis spans multiple Excel files needing reconciliation.
• When output is client-facing and accuracy must be peer-reviewable — use Analyst.

1. Convert data to a Table (Ctrl+T) with clean headers — no merged cells, no blank rows.
2. Save to OneDrive / SharePoint, then open the Edit with Copilot toggle.
3. Paste a plan-first prompt; review proposed steps before any changes execute live.
4. Accept, iterate, or escalate to Analyst for rigorous Python-validated analysis.

• Data in Table format with clean headers (no merged cells, consistent types, one value per cell).
• OneDrive or SharePoint storage — Edit with Copilot requires a cloud connection.
• Quota awareness: =COPILOT() = 100 calls / 10 min; Analyst counts against the shared Researcher + Analyst monthly allowance (check current limit in the M365 admin centre).

Six distinct workflows, separated by source (multi-file reference, single doc, from-scratch, data-driven, rebrand, single-slide). PowerPoint Copilot handles layout; reasoning models handle content depth. The signature pattern separates prompt engineering, content generation, and layout into three steps.

• Stage 1 · Copilot Chat (web)Build the master prompt without files attached.
• Stage 2 · Reasoning modelNew chat, GPT-5.2 Think Deeper or Researcher with files uploaded.
• Stage 3 · PowerPoint Copilot in-appPaste Stage 2 content; Copilot designs slide-by-slide.
• Analyst agentPython charts for data-driven decks (counts against the shared Researcher + Analyst monthly allowance).

• When you have 3–10 reference files and need a structured client deck.
• When an existing deck needs rebranding or narrative sharpening without rebuild.
• When a single slide must be inserted into a 90% complete deck.
• When the deck's value is data analysis — use Analyst for Python validation.

1. Stage 1: Open Copilot Chat (web mode, no files). Build the master prompt specifying all context.
2. Stage 2: New chat with reasoning model. Upload references. Paste the master prompt.
3. Stage 3: Copy slide-by-slide content from Stage 2 into PowerPoint Copilot's "Create slide".
4. Review for accuracy and sensitivity — every Copilot deck needs a human fact-check pass.

• Arup-branded PowerPoint template with Slide Master + brand palette configured.
• Word Styles applied to any source document — Heading 1/2/3 structure determines slides.
• Reasoning model access (GPT-5.2 Think Deeper or Researcher) — Quick Response is insufficient.

Copilot in Outlook restructures how you touch email — not faster, but in the right order. It ranks your inbox, drafts emails from one-sentence intent, coaches your tone before send, schedules meetings from threads, and prepares you before meetings. Five distinct surfaces — most consultants know one and miss four.

• Summary by CopilotSummarises any email thread with numbered citations to source emails.
• Draft with CopilotGenerates a full email from one-sentence intent — adjustable tone and length.
• Coaching by CopilotReviews your draft for tone, clarity, and reader sentiment before send.
• Schedule with CopilotCreates meeting invite from a thread — attendees and agenda auto-populated.
• Copilot Chat in OutlookPrioritise inbox, prepare for meeting, cross-app synthesis.

• When triaging unread morning email and you don't know what's urgent.
• When you join a thread mid-conversation and need fast context.
• When sending an emotionally-loaded email — bad news, pushback, or decline.
• When a thread ends "let's set up a call" and you'd normally open the calendar.
• When preparing for a meeting that needs prior emails plus context gathered.

1. Morning: Open Outlook, click Copilot, ask it to rank unread by priority. Act on top 3–5 in order.
2. Joining late: Click Summarise, read summary, verify key claims via citations.
3. Sensitive email: Write your blunt version, click Coaching, apply suggestions individually, read aloud.
4. Schedule meeting: On a "let's meet" thread, click Schedule with Copilot, verify attendees, send.

• Confirm licence: File → Account → check for Microsoft 365 Copilot (full features need the paid add-on).
• Switch compose to HTML: Settings → Mail → Compose and reply → select HTML.
• Enable Prioritise: Click Copilot icon → Prioritise → set 3–5 rules using phrases, not keywords.

Copilot in Teams turns live meetings into indexed, searchable assets — and turns shared channels into ongoing AI workspaces. Six distinct surfaces: Intelligent Recap structures recordings; Custom Templates apply formats; Facilitator co-authors visible notes; Channel Agent becomes the project's dedicated teammate.

• Intelligent RecapAI summary, chapters, searchable transcript, speaker timeline, task extraction.
• Custom Summary templatesWorkshop / steering / retro output formats — role-specific summaries.
• Copilot during meetingPrivate side pane — catches you up if late, answers questions, exports to Word/Excel.
• Facilitator agentVisible meeting teammate — real-time co-editable Loop notes, agenda timer.
• Copilot in chats / channelsSummarises 30-day chat history, drafts replies, catches up on long threads.
• Channel AgentPer-project AI teammate — drafts status, flags deadlines, answers project questions.

• When running internal meetings someone used to take minutes for — transcription on, Recap later.
• When you join 15 minutes late and need to know what's been decided without derailing the room.
• When a meeting needs shared visible notes and live timekeeping — use Facilitator.
• When a project channel has weeks of scattered decisions you need surfaced.
• When returning from leave and catching up on a muted channel.

1. Setup: Organiser turns on transcription before start (three clicks). Meeting proceeds — no note-taker.
2. After: Open Recap from calendar. Scan AI summary. Optionally apply a Custom Summary template.
3. Joining late: Click Copilot privately. Ask for summary / decisions / disagreements in the side pane.
4. Project continuity: Add Channel Agent to recurring meetings. Ask it status / deadline / context anytime.

• Admin enabled "Allow transcription" in Teams admin centre (Meetings → Recording & transcription).
• M365 Copilot licence (not Teams Premium alone) — needed for Facilitator, Channel Agent, Custom Summary.
• External-consent protocol — written before, or announced at start: "We'll have transcription on…".

OneNote is your notes container; Copilot in OneNote summarises and rewrites your own notes. Copilot Notebooks is structurally different — an AI workspace grounded only on curated references you add. Six surfaces total — most teams confuse the two and miss four of the six.

• Copilot in OneNoteSummarise / rewrite / extract tasks from your own notes — selection or page.
• Copilot NotebooksAI workspace grounded on curated files (Word, PPT, PDF, OneNote, SharePoint) — up to 300.
• Overview pageAuto-generated synthesis of all notebook references — refreshable.
• Audio OverviewPodcast-style 8–15 min narration of the notebook by two AI voices.
• Study Guides & Mind MapsLearning assets generated from notebook references — team upskilling.
• Shared NotebooksShare to M365 Group — everyone queries the same references; permissions auto-track.

• When you've captured messy meeting notes and need a structured team summary without rewriting.
• When starting an engagement with 3+ source docs (RFP, brief, background) and want instant context.
• When commuting and want to absorb project context passively via Audio Overview.
• When onboarding a new team member to a project and need them aligned fast.
• When you need to surface what's been decided across weeks of scattered project notes.

1. Engagement kickoff: Create Copilot Notebook. Add references. Set custom instructions. Generate Overview + Audio Overview.
2. Post-meeting: Capture rough in OneNote. Select page → Copilot pane → ask for structured summary or action extract.
3. Team onboarding: Share Notebook to M365 Group. New member listens to Audio Overview, reads Overview page, queries Copilot.
4. Weekly refresh: Owner removes stale references, refreshes Overview page, checks custom instructions still apply.

• M365 Copilot licence AND SharePoint/OneDrive service plan on the same account — both required.
• Reference discipline: add references not copies; start tight (10 chosen); remove stale docs.
• Custom instructions set once per notebook to shape tone and structure across all team queries.

Copilot in Microsoft Edge restructures research from sequential reading to parallel triage. Every web page, PDF, and video becomes a queryable surface grounded in the content you're viewing. The sidebar stays live across your session — collapsing afternoon research into minutes.

• Page summarise & Q&ASidebar summaries and targeted questions on any web page.
• PDF question-answeringDrag PDFs into Edge and interrogate them like web pages.
• Multi-tab reasoning (Copilot Mode)Read all open tabs simultaneously and synthesise comparisons.
• Video summariseExtract key points from YouTube and transcripted videos.
• Compose in sidebarTurn a research session into a briefing with tone and format controls.
• Right-click RewriteRewrite any browser text field — LinkedIn, emails, forms — in place.

• When you need to triage 10–12 sources fast and deep-dive only the relevant ones.
• When regulatory PDFs or technical standards need interrogation, not cover-to-cover reading.
• When comparing competitor websites or frameworks in parallel.
• When a 60-minute conference video holds 3 minutes of signal you need.

1. Open multiple tabs in parallel. Sidebar-summarise each in 30 seconds. Close ones that aren't relevant.
2. Deep-dive the 3–4 that matter with targeted narrow questions.
3. Draft a briefing using Compose before switching apps.
4. Verify any claim you'll act on against the source — Copilot summarises confidently, not always correctly.

• Work profile active in Edge — not personal Microsoft account; Microsoft Entra ID from your organisation.
• Green shield visible in sidebar — confirms Enterprise Data Protection is active.
• Explicit page-context permission granted so Copilot answers are grounded in tab content.

Loop is a set of portable, synchronised content blocks (components) that live in the cloud but appear natively in Teams, Outlook, Word, and Loop pages. Copilot Pages are AI-generated canvases that start from a Copilot Chat response. Together they replace document versioning with persistent live state.

• Copilot PagesAI-native canvas created from "Edit in Pages" in Copilot Chat.
• Loop componentsTables, task lists, checklists that synchronise everywhere pasted.
• Loop pagesFlexible canvases with text, headings, images, live components, real-time co-author.
• Loop workspacesProject containers organising pages and members.
• Components in Teams / Outlook / WordPortable synchronised content without opening the source app.

• When AI output needs to become a shareable draft the team can refine.
• When 3+ people need to update the same table or task list simultaneously.
• When weekly status reports should be live components, not email attachments.
• When a project needs persistent shared context that isn't formal enough for SharePoint.

1. Ask Copilot a question. Click Edit in Pages.
2. Iterate side-by-side — keep asking, keep adding to the page.
3. Copy a section as a component. Paste into Teams chat or an Outlook email.
4. Update from any location — changes sync everywhere in 1–2 seconds.

• Loop licence activated in tenant (usually automatic with M365).
• M365 Copilot (Premium) for side-by-side iteration in Pages — Basic Chat only opens existing pages.
• Component permissions follow the source Loop page — verify before pasting into broader contexts.

The Copilot app (m365.cloud.microsoft or taskbar icon) sits above all in-app Copilot surfaces. It centralises conversation history, invokes agents, runs Search across work data, enables voice chat, and schedules recurring prompts. The orchestration layer around in-app Copilot — not a replacement for it.

• Copilot Chat (Basic)Web-grounded chat with EDP — no work data access.
• M365 Copilot (Premium)Work-grounded chat, agents, priority access, Notebooks, voice, scheduled prompts.
• Copilot SearchSemantic search across emails, files, meetings, SharePoint.
• Voice chat + memorySpoken two-way conversation with personalisation memory.
• "Hey Copilot"Hands-free wake word on Windows (English only).
• Scheduled promptsRecurring briefings run in background and appear as chat.

• When you need to search work data semantically ("where is that Q3 deck Rachel shared?").
• When walking and you need to brainstorm or check facts via voice.
• When a recurring briefing — morning triage, Friday week-review — would save time if pre-prepared.
• When coordinating work across multiple apps via one conversation history.

1. Sign into m365.cloud.microsoft. Check your licence tier below your profile name.
2. Pick Work / Web / All grounding deliberately for every prompt — wrong mode is the most common cause of bad answers.
3. Use Search for finding files; Chat for synthesis and tasks.
4. For recurring needs, schedule a prompt once and let it run forever.

• M365 Copilot (Premium) licence for the full stack — Basic accessible to all eligible work accounts.
• Personal details added to Personalisation memory for voice continuity.
• Headphones recommended for voice chat in open-plan offices.

Two pre-pinned Microsoft agents for M365 Copilot Premium users. Researcher produces multi-page structured reports with citations. Analyst executes Python on data files for quantitative analysis. Both take 5–15 minutes per query and produce artefacts consultants would otherwise create manually. They share a monthly query allowance — check current limits in the M365 admin centre.

• ResearcherDeep multi-step research across web + work content with citations.
• AnalystPython data scientist for Excel / CSV analysis — code visible for verification.
• Critique multi-model reviewGPT drafts + a second model reviews for accuracy, completeness, citation integrity.
• Computer UseResearcher accesses gated content (Frontier-only).
• Output format conversionConvert reports to PowerPoint / PDF / infographic / audio without regeneration.
• Monthly quotaResearcher + Analyst share a usage allowance — treat each query as a budget decision. Check current limits in the M365 admin centre.

• When you need synthesis from multiple sources that standard Copilot can't produce.
• When you have data files needing analysis and interpretation, not just a chart.
• When research or analysis will become a deliverable — not a passing question.
• When the task genuinely justifies quota spend versus a 10-second standard Copilot answer.

1. Write a structured brief stating context, what's needed, and desired output format.
2. Researcher: submit query, wait 5–15 min, review citations. Analyst: attach data + plain-language question, verify the Python.
3. Fact-check critical claims before commercial use — even with Critique enabled.
4. Convert report format if needed — no additional quota consumed.

• M365 Copilot (Premium) licence — Copilot Chat Basic is insufficient.
• Copilot admin must enable Researcher / Analyst at tenant level (check policy settings).
• For Critique + Computer Use: Frontier program enrolment (admin decision); Anthropic as subprocessor enabled.

Six content-generation surfaces in Copilot's Create tab — image generation, infographics, posters/banners, video, forms, and prompt-to-presentation. All are brand-kit-aware when configured. Infographics are the highest-value advisory use case: a weekly client brief becomes a one-page visual summary in 2–5 minutes.

• InfographicsUpload a brief → visual summary. Editable after generation.
• AI image generationGPT-Image-1.5 — iterative refinement on a single canvas.
• Posters & bannersBrand-kit integration — best-practice for internal-only comms.
• Sora 2 videoAI short-form video (Frontier-only) with synced audio and a visible AI-generated watermark on every clip.
• Brand kitsAdmin setup — logos, colours, fonts applied to every Create output.
• FormsCopilot Forms — describe purpose + questions, generate.

• When a written briefing needs a visual companion for comprehension.
• For internal event announcements, team comms, or campaign launches.
• When you need a first-draft infographic or concept visual fast.
• For LinkedIn thought-leadership imagery.
• When internal communication genuinely benefits from motion (teaser, explainer).

1. Describe the visual need or upload the source document.
2. Select asset type (infographic, poster, banner, image, video, form).
3. Apply Arup brand kit if available; choose format (portrait / wide).
4. Generate; choose best variant; edit for fact accuracy. Adjust text, icons, hierarchy before sharing.

• Arup brand kit configured in M365 (admin setup via Enterprise Brand Manager policy).
• For Sora 2: Frontier program enrolment (tenant-level admin decision).
• Basic familiarity with PowerPoint / Word so you understand where visuals fit in deliverables.

Four advanced tools for building and shipping custom agents beyond Agent Builder's boundaries: Copilot Studio (low-code, 1,500+ connectors), M365 Agents Toolkit (pro-code, declarative agents), Microsoft Agent Framework v1.0 (open-source SDK, multi-agent patterns), and Microsoft Foundry Agent Service (managed production runtime).

• Copilot StudioVisual designer + YAML — 1,500+ connectors — department-facing agents.
• M365 Agents ToolkitDeclarative agents on the M365 Copilot orchestrator — VS Code extension — JSON/YAML/TS/Python.
• Microsoft Agent FrameworkOpen-source SDK combining AutoGen + Semantic Kernel — multi-agent orchestration — Python or .NET — cross-cloud portable.
• Microsoft Foundry Agent ServiceManaged runtime — Foundry model catalogue — Foundry IQ RAG — RBAC + Entra identity. Requires Azure subscription beyond M365 Copilot.

• When Agent Builder's boundaries pinch — you need external connectors (SAP, Salesforce).
• When the agent will serve a whole department or external audience.
• When you're shipping agents to production with SLAs.
• When you need multi-agent orchestration or the latest frontier models.

1. Walk the decision tree: M365-native (Agents Toolkit) vs external connectors (Studio) vs multi-agent (Framework) vs production scale (Foundry).
2. Scaffold the agent with the chosen tool. Add knowledge sources and tools.
3. Test locally — Agents Toolkit Playground, Framework samples, or Studio test chat.
4. Trace every model call and tool invocation. Deploy: Toolkit → M365 Copilot, Studio → Teams/web, Framework → local or Foundry.

• Python 3.10+ or .NET 8 SDK (pick one). VS Code with M365 Agents Toolkit + Python extensions.
• Azure subscription, CLI, and Entra ID literacy (app registrations, DefaultAzureCredential).
• For Foundry: Azure RBAC (Azure AI User minimum, Owner for setup); M365 Copilot licence to publish.