Define Your AI Priorities

Define a clear 12-month AI aspiration and identify the highest-impact initiative to accelerate value.

In this exercise, Copilot acts as a strategic thinking partner to help you clarify outcomes, identify opportunities, and focus your efforts.

You’ll complete three steps:

  • Define your AI aspiration (12 months)
  • Identify key AI initiatives
  • Prioritize one initiative to take forward

NOTE: Sample prompts are provided to help you get started—feel free to personalize them for your role, organization, and priorities.

Step 1: Define Your AI Aspiration (12-month)

Start by identifying a high-impact business outcome that AI could drive over the next year.

Focus on outcomes that would represent a meaningful shift in how your organization operates or delivers value.

1. Identify Your Priority Outcome

  • Open a new browser tab and navigate to m365.cloud.microsoft/chat.

  • Ensure the Work mode tab is selected in Copilot Chat.

    Screenshot showing Work mode tab in Copilot Chat.

    Sample Prompt:

      For my [insert business unit, function, or organization], identify the top 2–3 business challenges or opportunities where AI could materially drive value over the next 12 months.
    
  Focus on organization-level outcomes — not individual productivity.
    
  For each opportunity, capture:
  -Title
  -Business problem or opportunity
  -Why it matters
    
  Then define:
  -1–2 measurable success metrics 
  -A clear AI aspiration

    Capture your response in Word, OneNote, or Copilot Pages. You will use these notes in the next steps.

2. Define What Success Looks Like

Describe the measurable outcomes or KPIs that would indicate success if your AI aspiration were realized.

Sample Prompt:

If we successfully achieved this AI aspiration, what measurable outcomes or changes would indicate success? Provide examples of metrics or observable improvements.

Capture your response for use in the next steps.

3. Select AI Value Areas

Review the four AI value areas and identify which would most directly advance your aspiration:

Screenshot four Ai value areas.

Step 2: Identify Your AI Initiatives

Now break this aspiration into smaller, actionable initiatives.

1. Generate Initiative Ideas

Sample Prompt:

Based on this AI aspiration:

[paste your aspiration]

Suggest 2–3 practical AI initiatives that could help achieve this outcome.

2. Capture Your Initiatives

Write down:

  • One existing initiative contributing to this aspiration
  • One new opportunity that could accelerate progress toward it

Keep this short — just a name and a one-sentence description for each.

Step 3: Prioritize Your Focus

Select the initiative most likely to deliver measurable value in the next 90 days.

Identify Your Gap and Focus

Given my AI aspiration and these initiatives:

[paste your aspiration and initiatives]

What is the biggest gap or risk that could prevent success?

Which initiative would create the most measurable value in the next 90 days, and why?

Final Output

By the end of this exercise, you should have:

  • One clear AI aspiration (12-month outcome)
  • Two initiatives (current + new)
  • One prioritized initiative to take forward

You will use this prioritized initiative as your entry point to begin delivering on your broader AI aspiration through a focused 90-day plan.