iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

/5 More on the docket: ✅ Real examples of Copilot agents that have landed with users — including a few I built to run Voitanos ✅ "Should I even be using a Copilot agent for this?" (sometimes no — and I'll tell you when) ✅ A few cool tricks I've picked up

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/4 A preview of what registrants have already asked me to cover: ✅ How declarative agents stack up vs Copilot Studio agents (this one came up a LOT) ✅ The options, trade-offs, and impacts nobody talks about until you're 3 weeks in

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/3 In a few hours, I'll give you a framework for choosing — based on what you're actually building, who it's for, and what your org can realistically support.

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/2 SharePoint Agents. Copilot Studio. Declarative Agents with the M365 Agents Toolkit. Three doors. Microsoft says all three are great. You have to pick one and live with it.

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⏰ Last call: today at noon ET. A few hours from now I'm going live to answer the question I get more than any other right now: "Andrew, which agent option should I actually use?"

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I don't have a unique process tho... 1. start by putting Claude into plan mode 2. explain what I have (context) & what my desired outcome is (goals) 3. explain validation gates 4. ask "do you have any clarifying q's?" Then we go back and forth until it creates a plan (that I review & edit).

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Sure it happens, but for the most part, that's not been my experience. Usually, a detailed plan that includes validation checks can self-heal & fix itself. At least that's my experience with Claude Code

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/7 FREE Webinar: Evaluate Your Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Options 📅 Tomorrow, April 8 🕛 12:00 PM ET 🎟️ Free — registration required 👉 vtns.io/b5czob

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/6 More from the registrant questions: Real examples of agents getting actual adoption (I'll share a few I built to run my own business) 🤔 "Should I even be using a Copilot agent for this?" I'll address all of these live, plus whatever comes up in chat.

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/5 Looking at questions registrants have already submitted, here's what's on people's minds: 🤔 "How do declarative agents compare to Copilot Studio agents?" 🤔 What are the real trade-offs of each choice?

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/4 So tomorrow I'm running a free webinar to cut through it: 👉 Evaluate Your Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Options What each option actually does, where each falls down, and how to match the tool to the problem — not the other way around.

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/3 But now you've got a new problem: which kind of agent? ✅ SharePoint Agents ✅ Agent Builder ✅ Copilot Studio ✅ Declarative Agents w/ the M365 Agents Toolkit in VS Code Microsoft says all are great. Not helpful when you have to ship.

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/2 Copilot only knows the underlying LLM and what's already in your tenant. The valuable stuff — manuals, policies, inventory, customer records — lives somewhere else. Custom agents are how you bridge that gap.

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 24/03/2026

You rolled out M365 Copilot. Leadership's happy. Press release went out. 🚀 Then someone asks: "Can it answer questions from our SOPs? Our ERP? That SharePoint site nobody's touched since 2019 but somehow runs half the company?" Out of the box? No. 😳 🧵 👇

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#VibeCoding and #AgenticEngineering are NOT the same thing. After months of using AI agents daily, I wrote about where vibe coding falls apart and why agentic engineering is the better path for professional devs. 📧 That's what today's newsletter is about 🔗 vtns.io/zid6jj #ClaudeCode

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[7] I wrote a full breakdown covering every change and what it means for developers in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Check it out: vtns.io/atk-6.6-bs What stands out to you most?

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[6] This template cleanup is a clear signal: Microsoft sees the future of M365 development as agent-centric. If you're still building with the old patterns, now's the time to start learning the new approach.

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[5] 🗑️ Microsoft removed 61 project templates from ATK. Notification bots, link unfurling, message extensions, dashboard tabs, SPFx web parts... all gone. The toolkit is consolidating around Declarative Agents, Custom Engine Agents, and Foundry Agents.

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[4] 🔌 Model Context Protocol (MCP) support for Declarative Agents just went GA. This is a big deal for how agents interact with external tools and data sources.

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[3] 🧠 Embedded knowledge for Declarative Agents is the highlight for me. Package SOPs, reference docs, and product documentation directly inside your agent. They deploy and version together. No SharePoint or OneDrive connections required.

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[2] 🏛️ GCC-M support is finally here. If you're building Microsoft Teams apps or Declarative Agents for government customers, you can now target GCC-M environments directly from ATK. GCC High & DoD are on the roadmap.

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 13/03/2026

Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit v6.6.0 just dropped and it's a big one. 🏛️ GCC-M support 🧠 Embedded knowledge for Declarative Agents 🔌 MCP going GA 🗑️ 61 templates removed Here's what you need to know. 🧵 👇

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Latest newsletter: 🎂 SharePoint turned 25 and I turned 50. I reflected on half a life spent on one platform - the undocumented hacks, two businesses, decades of friendships, and hard lessons. 📧 Subscribe for this issue plus weekly M365 dev news. vtns.io/iencga

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 10/03/2026

Def take the time to write it up!

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 10/03/2026

🎂 SharePoint turned 25. I turned 50 two days earlier. Half my life on one platform - I wrote about the hacks, the hard lessons, two businesses, and why the people matter most. Subscribe to my newsletter for the full story plus weekly M365 dev news. vtns.io/nfta51 #sharepoint25 #SharePointat25

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FLAVOR FLAV ⏰ @flavorflav.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Thankx again for the brands who have reached out about She Got Game weekend,,, I gots a small but mighty staff starting to work thru those requests and we working with the athletes to see what they want.

Screenshot of IG DMs between Flav and athlete about products they might want

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God @thegodshow.com · 28/02/2026

The ‘Board of Peace’ started World War 3 so fast.

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 27/02/2026

Microsoft says don't do DOM manipulation in SPFx. I teach devs the same. But I do it myself. In this week's newsletter, I shared the responsible approach I follow and the real-world solutions I've built with it. Subscribe to catch this issue and future ones!

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Vesa Juvonen @vesajuvonen.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

💡 SPFx 1.22 updates the toolchain; Gulp is out, Heft is in. Let @vesajuvonen.bsky.social and @andrewconnell.com show what changes and how the new build pipeline works. 📺 Watch the demo → youtu.be/ofd2pLMVvS0

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Code. Deploy. Go Live. @codedeploygo.live · 21/01/2026

Episode 023 Cloud Dev Trends: Our Wishes & Predictions for 2026! @julieturner.net and @andrewconnell.com talk wishes and predictions for Microsoft 365 developers in 2026. Watch or listen to the full episode! 👇 📺 aka.codedeploygo.live/v023 🎧 aka.codedeploygo.live/e023

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 12/02/2026

Did you know M365 Copilot has a hidden default that overrides your agent's instructions? In my latest newsletter, I break down the problem, how I discovered it, and the fix. Subscribe to get this issue and future ones 👇 vtns.io/h51kvz

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 10/02/2026

Your M365 Copilot agent isn't ignoring your instructions by accident. There's a hidden default workflow overriding your prompt engineering. I'm breaking down the problem and the fix in my next newsletter issue today! Subscribe so you don't miss it 👇 vtns.io/4ss7ss

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 05/02/2026

Workshop starts Monday. Discounted early-bird seats still available for hands-on #MicrosoftTeams app development training. This isn't recorded content - it's live instruction with real-time help. 📅 Feb 10-12 & Feb 17-19 🎟️ vtns.io/fghfz1 #MicrosoftTeams #DevTraining

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/5 Feb 10-12 and Feb 17-19. Live instruction, hands-on demos. Direct access to me when you get stuck. First 25 save $50. Serious about Teams development? Join the February workshop. 🎟️ vtns.io/fghfz1 #MicrosoftTeams

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/4 Real examples. Real solutions. Real skills you can use Monday morning. You'll build actual Teams apps, learn debugging strategies, authentication patterns, and deployment workflows.

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/3 "The course is filled with examples and best practices that can be immediately applied in real-world situations. The live cohort format adds to the collaborative nature." - Kurt Rolland, Principal Architect

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/2 I teach foundational knowledge that'll serve you for years, regardless of what Microsoft changes next quarter. That means tabs and personal apps - the building blocks of 80% of Teams solutions.

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 02/02/2026

Here's what you WON'T learn in my Microsoft Teams workshop: shortcuts that break in production, theory without practice, and how to chase every feature Microsoft announced last week. Here's what you WILL learn: How to build Teams apps that actually work. 🎟️ vtns.io/fghfz1 🧵 👇

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Early-bird pricing ends soon. Save $50 on my #MicrosoftTeams AppDev workshop - but only if you're one of the first 25 to register. Feb 10-12 and Feb 17-19. Live instruction. Small class. 🎟️ vtns.io/fghfz1 #Teams #Workshop

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 30/01/2026

Checks notes... yup... this tracks...

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Code. Deploy. Go Live. @codedeploygo.live · 28/01/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of Code. Deploy. Go Live.: 024 | SharePoint Framework Issues, Upcoming Features, & Data-Bound Controls. Have a listen:

share.transistor.fm

024 | SharePoint Framework Issues, Upcoming Features, & Data-Bound Controls

In this episode, Andrew Connell and Julie Turner cover critical...

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Andrew Connell @andrewconnell.com · 29/01/2026

"Truly an exemplary learning experience!" - Rod Merritt, Staff Engineer at Monster Energy Join my Microsoft Teams Apps workshop this February and get the same hands-on, expert instruction. 🎟️ Register: vtns.io/fghfz1 #DeveloperWorkshop

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/5 Microsoft Teams Apps workshop: Feb 10-12 and Feb 17-19. Live instruction, hands-on demos. First 25 save $50. Ready to build production-quality Teams apps? Join me in February. 🎟️ vtns.io/fghfz1 #TeamsAppDev #DeveloperWorkshop

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/4 My approach: ✅ start with fundamentals ✅ build systematically ✅ make sure everyone understands before moving forward. Small class size means personalized attention and real-time troubleshooting.

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/3 💬 "If you want to learn the ABC's of Teams app development then I highly recommend taking this course. The syllabus had a logical weekly progression in terms of difficulty and complexity." - Joe Botelho

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/2 I don't just show you the happy path. I show you the debugging, the "why isn't this working?" moments, the real-world challenges that official documentation conveniently skips.

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