The digital landscape is evolving at an incredible speed, and nowhere is this more evident than in the integration of AI within Microsoft’s Power Platform. At Marra, we’re following this transformation closely and designing approaches that help organisations turn AI into real, business-aligned impact. As CTO, I see our mission as empowering organisations to harness AI’s full potential, driving innovation and operational excellence.
The Power Platform: Foundation for Enterprise AI
Microsoft’s Power Platform is more than a low-code toolkit. It can be the backbone for building enterprise solutions with business data. With modules like Dataverse, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI, organisations can streamline workflows, surface insights, and deliver robust digital experiences. The platform’s integration with third-party tools (CRMs, HR, Finance systems etc)) ensures seamless connectivity across the business ecosystem.
AI for Makers: Accelerating Solution Design
One of the most exciting developments is the rise of AI-powered tools for developers and makers, the architects and builders of digital solutions. The new Plan Designer, for example, transforms plain-language business scenarios into structured Power Platform solutions, generating requirements, data schemas, and scaffolding for apps, flows, and even Copilot Studio agents. This architectural accelerator moves teams from idea to a solution foundation in minutes, dramatically speeding up design and documentation.
Copilots for developers are embedded in every module (Power Apps, Power BI, Power Automate etc.) allowing creators to build and edit solutions using natural language. Whether starting from scratch or refining existing apps, these Copilots are redefining how digital products are conceived and maintained.
AI for End-Users: Empowering Everyone
As we all know, AI’s impact isn’t limited to developers. End-users now benefit from conversational interfaces that make data exploration, understanding, and decision-making more accessible than ever.
- Ask & Explore: Users can query data in natural language and receive instant insights, eliminating the need for technical skills or complex reports.
- Understand & Summarise: AI-generated summaries and narratives help users grasp information quickly, streamlining reporting and reducing cognitive load.
- Extract & Classify: Document and text processing models automate data extraction, classification, and validation, freeing teams from manual entry.
- Predict & Decide: AI-driven alerts and predictive models surface anomalies and risks, supporting faster, more confident decisions.
Copilot Studio: The Conversational Interface Layer
Copilot Studio is where the future of enterprise interaction comes alive. This low-code environment enables the creation of conversational agents that combine classic chatbot design with GPT-powered generative answers. Integrated with Power Automate and Dataverse, Copilot Studio agents can retrieve information, trigger workflows, and maintain context across multi-turn conversations.
Key capabilities include:
- Generative answers from SharePoint, Dataverse, and web sources
- Custom topics and dialogues
- Actions and connectors for business processes
- Context memory for seamless user experiences
- Deployment across Teams, Power Apps, Power Pages, and websites
Why Marra?
At Marra, we’re committed to not just adopting these technologies, but critically evaluating and advancing them. Our experience shows that while initial creation and setup are faster than ever, fine-grained control and iterative refinement remain essential. We see immense potential in tools like Plan Designer for collaborative prototyping and rapid solutioning.
A recent highlight is our partnership with Mercian Trust, where we’ve built and deployed an AI agent, ‘Sequoia’, that works alongside their human teams.
This agent isn’t just a chatbot; it’s a digital colleague, designed to streamline support, centralise knowledge, and empower staff across the trust. Sequoia answers routine queries instantly, freeing up administrators for higher-value work, and escalates to human experts whenever needed. The project has delivered measurable impact:
- Over 9000 copilot actions recorded in the first weeks, including 5000 chat prompts and 1000 in-app actions
- 500+ copilot-assisted hours saved
- A user satisfaction score of 4.5 out of 5 in UAT, with a 70%+ resolution rate
- Continuous improvement driven by user feedback through a dedicated suggestion hub
Most importantly, Sequoia is a symbol of digital transformation at Mercian Trust. Unifying teams, elevating service delivery, and embedding a culture of innovation. The agent’s success is rooted in a human-centred approach: robust stakeholder engagement, iterative testing, and a clear focus on real-world impact.
We believe the future lies in orchestrating multi-agent workflows, where autonomous agents cooperate across domains to enforce rules, approve actions, and keep users informed. This is a journey that demands technical excellence, business alignment, and a culture of trust.
From Hype to Impact: Making AI Work for Your Organisation
AI in the Power Platform is not hype, it’s here, and it’s transforming how organisations operate. As digital and IT leaders, our challenge is to harness these capabilities thoughtfully, ensuring they deliver real value for our teams and customers.
At Marra, we’re proud to be at the forefront of tackling this challenge head on. If you’re ready to explore what AI and Copilot Studio can do for your organisation, get in touch. Or if you want to find out more, explore the latest AI trends and applications in our comprehensive AI hub.
Written by Ryan Grey, Chief Technology Officer
