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Copilot Champions guide
Template id: champion-guide
Responsible skill: champions:champion-recruitment. The guide summarises the programme set out in the champion-programme-charter, and is the source that self-service guidance or an advisor agent designed through champions:champion-advisor explains to participants.
This is the guide prospective and current Champions read. Write it in plain language for participants, not for the programme team. Every fact the organisation must supply is marked [To confirm: ...]; replace the marker when the fact is confirmed, and never fill it with a guess. Example content is fictional and is there to be replaced or deleted. Champions are selected on declared interest, skills and availability, and the programme never ranks individuals.
Guide details
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Programme name | [To confirm] |
| Programme owner and contact route | [To confirm: role and channel, not a personal phone number] |
| Executive sponsor | [To confirm: name and role] |
| Version | [To confirm] |
| Last reviewed | [To confirm: date] |
| Next review | [To confirm: date] |
1. Why the programme exists
[To confirm: the purpose statement from the charter, in one or two sentences]
Fictional example: "We want every team to have someone who can show colleagues how to use Copilot safely and usefully in their own work, and who helps good ideas reach the right place."
2. What a Champion does, and what a Champion does not do
| Champions do | Champions do not |
|---|---|
| Use Copilot safely and responsibly in their own work, and show others how | Replace the service desk or formal training |
| Share prompts, examples and success stories | Approve solutions, agents or releases |
| Help colleagues in their own team with "how do I" questions | Act as solution architects |
| Promote approved tools and the organisation's AI guidance | Make governance or policy decisions |
| Spot ideas and send them to the right route | Build high-risk or externally facing solutions outside the Centre of Excellence |
| Take part in the community and give feedback | Become a queue for every AI request |
Where things go instead: faults and access to [To confirm: service desk route]; suspected data exposure to [To confirm: security route]; ideas to [To confirm: intake route]; formal training to [To confirm: learning calendar].
3. Time commitment
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Time agreed for the role | [To confirm: for example hours per month] |
| How your manager confirms it | [To confirm: manager confirmation in section 11] |
| What happens if your workload changes | Talk to your manager and the programme owner; you can pause or step back at any time without it being treated as failure |
4. Who can join
Anyone in scope who wants the role and whose manager agrees the time. You do not need to be an expert: there is a training route for people still learning. We aim for Champions in every team, site and type of role, including frontline and part-time colleagues.
In scope: [To confirm: business units, locations, roles]
Selection uses only what you tell us (your interest, skills and availability) and the coverage the programme needs. It never uses performance ratings, talent lists or Copilot usage data. If there are more volunteers than places, we prioritise teams and sites without a Champion and offer everyone else the waiting list and open learning sessions.
5. The journey
| Stage | What you do | How it is confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Join the community | Agree time with your manager, join the community and the learning sessions | Manager confirmation |
| 2. Verify Chat capability | Show effective, responsible use of Copilot Chat | Training route or evidence route, assessed against published criteria |
| 3. Verify productivity capability | Create useful, checked outputs with Copilot across the Microsoft 365 apps | Training route or evidence route |
| 4. Verify agent capability | Explain agents, judge good use cases and, where approved, configure and test a basic agent | Training route or evidence route |
| 5. Complete a Champion Challenge | Deliver one practical contribution that helps others | Challenge assessment |
| 6. Recognised Champion | Keep modelling good practice and supporting colleagues | Renewal at [To confirm: period] |
Detailed criteria: [To confirm: link to the published capability framework and challenge catalogue]
6. Two routes to each capability
| Route | For whom | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Training route | People building their skills | [To confirm: sessions plus a guided exercise on your own work] |
| Evidence route | Experienced users | [To confirm: submit practical evidence directly against the criteria] |
Both routes are assessed against the same criteria. Assessors judge the evidence, not the person. If you disagree with an outcome, you can ask for a review: [To confirm: appeal route].
7. Recognition and what it opens
| Milestone | Recognition | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Each capability verified | [To confirm: for example a badge] | The next stage |
| Challenge completed | [To confirm: for example a showcase] | Eligibility for recognition |
| Recognised Champion | [To confirm] | [To confirm: advanced materials, pilots, specialist pathways that have an agreed owner] |
Recognition is based on verified capability and contribution, never on attendance or how much you use Copilot.
8. Community and learning
| Element | Where and when |
|---|---|
| Community space | [To confirm: channel or community] |
| Regular community call | [To confirm: rhythm] |
| Learning sessions | [To confirm: calendar location; which sessions count towards which stage] |
| Office hours | [To confirm] |
9. Staying safe
- Follow the organisation's approved-use guidance: [To confirm: link].
- Never share examples that contain personal or confidential information in the community or in evidence.
- If Copilot shows you something you should not see, report it straight away through [To confirm: security route].
- Being a Champion does not give you extra access or admin rights.
10. Your information
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| What the programme holds about you | [To confirm: for example name, team, location, stage, evidence outcomes] |
| Who can see it | [To confirm: programme owner and assessors only] |
| How long it is kept | [To confirm: retention period] |
| Questions about your data | [To confirm: data protection contact] |
Programme measures are reported only at programme level. Nobody is ranked.
11. Expression of interest and manager confirmation
Expression of interest
| Question | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Name, team and location | [To confirm] |
| Why you would like to be a Champion | [To confirm] |
| How you already use Copilot or similar tools, if at all | [To confirm] |
| Languages you could support colleagues in, if relevant | [To confirm] |
| Time you can give, agreed with your manager | [To confirm] |
Manager confirmation
| Statement | Confirmed |
|---|---|
| I agree to the time commitment in section 3 | Yes / No |
| I understand what Champions do and do not do (section 2) | Yes / No |
| I will review the time with my colleague after the first quarter | Yes / No |
| Manager name, role and date | [To confirm] |
12. Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need to be an expert? | No. The training route is designed for people still learning. |
| Will this affect my performance review? | [To confirm: HR position; by default, Champion status is not linked to pay or promotion] |
| Can I step back? | Yes, at any time. You become an alumnus and can return later. |
| What if colleagues ask me to fix access problems? | Point them to [To confirm: service desk route]; that is outside the Champion role. |
| Where do I send an idea for an agent? | [To confirm: intake route] |
Credit: Template from CopilotForge by Simon Foote (https://github.com/SimonFoote-greensparx/CopilotForge), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Keep this credit when you share or adapt the template; in your own completed document you may keep it as a footer or remove it.