I feel I am smack dab in the most exciting time of my life with the launch of SalesSpark. Each day I learn more about Sales Engagement and how the technology provided in SalesSpark saves hours and hours a day in admin-based activities.

As per my previous blog post on Microsoft Virtual Agents, this is Microsoft’s fourth tool designed for the Power Platform to empower Citizen Developers to build solutions with low to no coding requirements.

What I wanted to do in this post is give you some food for thought, some things to consider to boost your career and get you into the driver’s seat of your life. I work with the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 and have done for many years. For years I did what I was asked to do on the job, delivering results for other people but not thinking about where I was going or keeping my career in tip-top condition.

Time to update on my progress in the 90-Day Mentoring Challenge. With 2020 fast approaching, and already over 150 requests to join this intake, I decided to review where I am at and how things have gone so far.

the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) and also making sure we are prepared to deploy via AppSource on the new ISV Connect program.  As someone that has worked in the Microsoft ecosystem for over 20 years, I was keen to see what it was like starting on this journey from zero, although I have been involved in taking multiple partners through to Gold competencies in the past in several countries.

Last week at Ignite 2019 Orlando, Microsoft released a brand new app Power Virtual Agents to join the other three apps Power Apps, Power BI, Power Automate the app (formerly known as Flow). Charles Lamanna, CVP of the Citizen Application Platform, demoed it live in Satya’s keynote.

I have been getting lots of questions about what is involved in becoming a Power Platform Functional Consultant. What skills are needed, and do the skills align with the skills used by Functional Consultants who have a history of working on Dynamics 365?

With Microsoft Ignite in full swing and me on the other side of the world, I found myself reflecting on discussions that I have had over the past few weeks with various people. When the opportunity to make submissions for speaking sessions or the role of community reporter came up, I decided to submit.

The concept of a “ship date” has been around for some time in the software industry. The idea being that you need to set the date that your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is going to be ready to show to the world.

When a company needs to decide on tools of the future, software tools that will catapult them forward, the Power Platform requires serious consideration. People, Process, Projects and the Platform come together to establish the future of business systems and create opportunities for those businesses to thrive.

I have been pretty vocal about Dynamics Communities Inc. (DCI) in the past. I felt they had lost their way and there was a need for change. I was unsure if the organization still had a fire burning in their belly for technology and this global community that we are all a part of.

At this stage in the ISV process I am thinking about SELLING, how do I build sales momentum and become profitable straight away. I have reached out to others in the industry for insights about the early days of getting your product to market that I will be testing myself in 2020.

I may have the title wrong for this post as what I am really trying to do is crowd source my first practical Microsoft Flow. For some time, I have been thinking about how I can work Flow into my practical everyday life, to save me time and make me more productive. The other day a use case hit me in the face. Let me give you some background on my situation.

Many people ask me how to shift careers from where they are, to where they want to go. Some people are stuck working in On-Premise Dynamics 365 Projects and feel they are getting left behind because they are not getting exposure to online Dynamics 365 Projects or working on the Power Platform with PowerApps, Flow and AI Builder.

Getting your minimum viable product (MVP) right is one of the critical things when bringing a product to market as an ISV building on the Microsoft Power Platform. This post is based on what I have learned so far from in my own experience, speaking with various ISVs and from the reading I have done in this area.

If you are planning on attending any Microsoft training or doing an eLearning course I recommend you start by setting up a trial environment, so you can try what you are learning. Everyone working in this industry should be able to quickly set up a trial.