Episodes

  • The Hard Truths of Building a SharePoint Agent
    Dec 1 2025

    Send us a text

    Building a SharePoint agent looks simple in the marketing demos — just click Create, add your site, and you’re done. But anyone who has tried to build a truly accurate, enterprise-ready agent knows the reality is far more complex.

    In this episode, I share what I’ve learned after spending the past several weeks deep in the trenches building a real SharePoint agent. This is not the polished, theoretical version of AI adoption. This is the messy, difficult, strategic reality that most organisations discover far too late.

    I break down the three hard truths every organisation must understand before they even think about deploying an agent:

    The Metadata Mountain — Why AI collapses without a solid information architecture, and how metadata determines every answer your agent gives.

    The Unicorn Skills Gap — The rare combination of SharePoint architecture, IA, prompting, business analysis, and governance expertise required to build an agent that actually works.

    The Long Road of Governance and Trust — Why the real work begins after the agent is built, and how to create a sustainable model for accuracy, oversight, and responsible use.

    This episode goes beyond the hype to explore the realities of content readiness, skills gaps, organisational maturity, and the long road of governance that follows launch. If you're responsible for Microsoft 365 strategy, AI adoption, information architecture, or governance — this conversation will give you the clarity you need to plan effectively.

    Before you click “Create agent,” listen to this. This is the view from the trenches, and it might change the way you approach AI entirely.


    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • The October Revolution: How AI is Quietly Taking Over Microsoft 365
    Oct 29 2025

    Send us a text

    After a month away from the podcast, I'm back with an episode that perfectly captures why Simply SharePoint is evolving into something bigger. Because what happened in October 2025 proves something I've been thinking about for a while: you can't talk about SharePoint anymore without talking about the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem—and you definitely can't ignore how AI is changing everything.

    This episode breaks down what I'm calling "The October Revolution"—a series of announcements from Microsoft that signal AI is no longer just a feature, but the foundation of how we work in Microsoft 365.

    What we cover:

    SharePoint's AI transformation: The Knowledge Agent that automatically organizes and enriches your content, plus the new document library interface rolling out in November that makes SharePoint more intuitive than ever.

    OneDrive gets smarter: Copilot integration that lets you summarize documents, compare versions, and even generate audio overviews you can listen to on the go.

    Teams becomes an AI collaboration platform: From malicious URL protection to Loop pages in channels, AI is woven into the fabric of how teams communicate.

    The democratization of development: App Builder and Workflows agents that let anyone—yes, anyone—create custom apps and automate processes using nothing but natural language. No coding required.

    Collaboration goes AI-powered: Shared Copilot Notebooks that transform AI from a personal assistant into a team intelligence platform.

    Plus: Practical guidance on data quality, licensing strategy and prompt literacy.

    This isn't just a feature roundup. It's a roadmap for understanding where Microsoft 365 is heading and how to prepare your organization for an AI-first workplace.

    Perfect for: SharePoint admins, Microsoft 365 administrators, IT leaders, knowledge managers, and anyone responsible for digital workplace strategy.

    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • Final_Version_7_REALLY_Final.docx — The SharePoint Intervention You Didn’t Know You Needed
    Oct 6 2025

    Send us a text

    Ever opened a SharePoint library so messy you didn’t know where to start? The kind full of “final_final_really_final.docx” chaos, folders from 2016, and documents with no owner in sight?

    In this episode, we stage a SharePoint intervention. I’ll walk you through how I took one out-of-control document library and transformed it into a clean, structured container that actually works — using nothing but out-of-the-box SharePoint features.

    You’ll learn the exact steps I take to:

    • Identify the mess behind “version seven really final” chaos
    • Apply metadata that instantly brings structure and findability
    • Use content types to separate working documents from published ones
    • Clean up without breaking links, losing history, or starting over

    This story builds on last week’s Policy & Procedure Hub design — but this time, we’re taking it to the ground level: a single library, one team, one intervention.

    And at the end, I’ll share a practical next step if you’re ready to make your own content Copilot-ready — my 60-minute mini course, Fix the Mess™ – Preparing Your SharePoint for Copilot.

    Because the fix isn’t more AI. It’s better organisation.

    Show More Show Less
    17 mins
  • Mental Models, Not Features: The SharePoint Training Revolution
    Sep 28 2025

    Send us a text

    Traditional SharePoint training fails because it focuses on clicks, not concepts. After two decades of watching adoption stall, I developed something different — The Container Method™. In this episode, I share the story behind this new approach, why it works, and how it transforms SharePoint from a confusing tool into something intuitive and usable.

    You’ll hear:

    • Why traditional SharePoint training fails and what’s missing
    • The origin story of The Container Method™, including the metaphors that didn’t work (yes, even sushi boxes)
    • How containers, cabinets, drawers, and labels map directly to SharePoint’s sites, libraries, folders, and metadata
    • Real-world examples showing how this model makes everyday SharePoint tasks faster and simpler
    • Details of the new Container Method™ End User Course, designed to get people productive with SharePoint in just 60 minutes

    If you’re tired of seeing your teams overwhelmed and under-trained, this episode is for you. Learn how to bridge the gap between abstract SharePoint terminology and the way our brains naturally organize information.

    Special Launch Offer:
    The Container Method™ End User Course is now live at simplysharepoint.com/sharepoint-essentials-container-method. Get it for just $67 during the launch period (regular price $97).

    Show More Show Less
    15 mins
  • SharePoint Confessions: Metadata Mayhem, Subsite Chaos & Workflow Woes (and How to Fix Them)
    Sep 21 2025

    Send us a text

    Ever sat through a two-hour metadata committee meeting? Or clicked into a SharePoint subsite only to find… one lonely document? Or maybe you’ve heard the cubicle chorus of “You left it checked out!” echo across the office?

    In this episode, I’m spilling my SharePoint confessions — the good, the bad, and the downright messy. From 13 mandatory metadata fields to 800 empty subsites and workflow meltdowns, these are the real stories from my early days in SharePoint.

    But here’s the twist: for every confession, I’ll share the solution I use today that would have saved me (and my sanity) back then.

    If you’ve ever lived through a SharePoint nightmare, you’ll laugh, nod along, and walk away with practical tips you can use right now.

    And stick around to the end — I’ve got exciting news about a brand-new service I’ve just launched to help you fix your SharePoint chaos for good.

    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot Can Only See What You Can See. But What If You Can See Too Much?
    Sep 3 2025

    Send us a text

    Microsoft 365 Copilot is rolling out across organizations worldwide, promising unprecedented productivity gains. Yet there’s a hidden danger many companies aren’t prepared for. Years of casual SharePoint sharing have created exposure risks that AI is about to amplify in ways you may never have imagined.

    In this episode, I unpack the critical difference between SharePoint’s “Share” and “Copy Link” buttons—a simple misunderstanding that’s creating massive security risks as AI enters the workplace. You’ll hear how oversharing has led to data breaches, competitive intelligence leaks, and compliance violations, and what you can do to avoid them.

    You’ll learn why most users unknowingly expose sensitive data with every “Copy Link” click, the three ways Copilot amplifies oversharing risks—including “ghost files” and permission inheritance traps—real stories of organizations that discovered hidden exposure through AI-generated reports, a simple three-question test to guide every sharing decision, and a clear step-by-step action plan to prepare for Copilot deployment.

    The key takeaway is simple: organizations that clean up their sharing practices now will unlock AI’s full potential safely. Those that don’t will spend their time dealing with data breaches instead of enjoying productivity gains.

    Don’t let convenience turn into a security nightmare. This episode could save your organization from an AI-amplified data disaster.

    Resources mentioned include the free Copilot Security Quick-Start Guide (for newsletter subscribers), the SharePoint sharing audit checklist, and advanced governance strategies for AI readiness.

    This episode is perfect for IT professionals, business leaders, compliance officers, and anyone using Microsoft 365 for collaboration.

    Show More Show Less
    17 mins
  • How Microsoft Copilot Helps People With Learning Differences Like Dyscalculia and Dyslexia
    Aug 24 2025

    Send us a text

    In this short episode, I talk about the new features in Excel Copilot — and why they matter so much to me. I have dyscalculia, a learning difference that makes numbers incredibly difficult. For most of my career, Excel has been the tool that left me behind. I can’t hold more than four digits of a phone number in my head, I still count on my fingers, and sevens and nines in the times tables? They’ve never stuck. Spreadsheets have always taken me longer.

    But now, with Microsoft Copilot in Excel, I finally have a way to work in language, not formulas. And that’s a breakthrough not just for me, but for anyone who has ever stared at an Excel formula bar in frustration.

    This eBook is designed to show you exactly how Copilot can transform SharePoint metadata cleanup — turning messy exports into clear insights, without the headache of formulas or pivot tables.

    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • Is AI Coming for Your Job? What the Data Really Says
    Aug 11 2025

    Send us a text

    Is Artificial Intelligence a threat to your career, or is it the most powerful tool you'll ever have? In this episode, we cut through the hype and get to the facts by breaking down a groundbreaking new study from Microsoft Research that analysed over 200,000 real-world AI interactions.

    Join us as we translate the academic findings into a practical guide for today's professional. You will learn:

    • The real story behind AI's role in the workplace—is it a replacement or a collaborator?
    • Which specific jobs and tasks are being impacted the most right now.
    • Real-world examples of how AI is being used to draft project plans, summarise meetings, and accelerate analysis.
    • The "Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset" framework: a clear, actionable plan to not just survive, but thrive in the age of AI.

    If you want to move past the headlines and build a future-proof career, this episode is your essential starting point.

    Show More Show Less
    15 mins