The Path to Fast Track Recognition Solution Architect

Recorded live from a professional booth at the Power Platform Community Conference, Ed and Ashley joke about the awkwardness of being in the same room and discuss what they value most at conferences: access to Microsoft product team members and community networking that feels more personal than tech-focused. They share a story about product team feedback after a session on Plans and generative pages, then talk about PPCC moving from Las Vegas to Chicago next year after several years at the same Vegas venue. They also recap the new Makers Market experience, including early crowd and line issues that improved later, and a “human claw machine” activity with big prizes, where one host describes being strapped into a harness, flopping upside down, and grabbing a prize box.

After a long break, Ed and Ashley return to discuss conference season, recapping Ashley’s trip to Community Summit in Nashville—highlighting community connections, keynote takeaways like Lovable as a front-end app builder connecting to Dataverse, and the heavy focus on agents across Microsoft. They preview the upcoming Power Platform Community Conference (PPCC) in Las Vegas, noting that session times are available in the Whova app (and via a PDF) rather than the website. Both share goals for PPCC: learning how agents and Copilot fit real business needs, getting practical guidance for non-developers (including a GitHub Copilot for non-developers session), and networking.

This episode was definitely not on the agenda. What starts as a hot mic moment turns into an accidental deep dive on geography, maps that lie, and the very important question no one asked but everyone now cares about: why isn’t Australia an island?Recorded during one of those moments when we forget we’re already recording, this cutting‑room‑floor clip captures peak Awkward Silence energy—complete with continents vs. islands, misleading maps, sunken continents, fake countries, and solid conspiracy vibes about Australia and New Zealand.No big takeaways. No life lessons. Just curiosity, confusion, and the kind of conversation that absolutely explains why we should’ve hit stop… but didn’t.

Join us as we discuss Wave 1 updates relevant to Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform, focusing on Sales, Service, Power Apps/Dataverse, Project Ops, and Power Automate. On the Sales side, they highlight qualification, close, and research sales agents moving to GA, note FastTrack-enabled production access, question availability in Government Cloud, and debate whether sales agents will become as proactive as service agents. They emphasize that AI setup and evaluation criteria require significant effort and raise concerns about licensing and cost tradeoffs. For Dataverse/Power Apps, they call out restoring deleted records (admin-only, 30-day retention), generative pages going GA, added Copilot customization for summaries, view visualizations, and smart copy/paste. They also mention Project Ops time zone agnostic work to address inconsistencies across apps and scheduling boards. Power Automate items include restoring deleted flows, shared process license capacity, and an improved licensing dashboard.

In this episode, we unpack what vibe.powerapps.com (The Vibe Experience) actually is (and isn’t), how it compares to Plan Designer, and why it feels both exciting and a little off‑brand in the Power Apps world. From AI‑generated, React‑based custom apps to Dataverse‑only constraints, we talk through what Vibe produces, who it’s really for, and where functional consultants, makers, and pro‑code developers might collaborate—or completely check out. Whether you’re curious about Microsoft’s AI‑first direction, wondering if Vibe is the future (or just a fun preview experiment), or you just want to understand why everyone’s suddenly “caught a vibe,” this episode breaks it down with honesty, humor, and real‑world perspective.

In this episode, Ed and Ashley talk through the Fast Track Recognized Solution Architect (FTRSA) process, including the different tracks (Dynamics and Power Platform) and what it takes to qualify. They discuss options for submitting documentation that won’t be publicly published, as well as the review and interview process where work is closely evaluated. The conversation also covers the challenge of holding both Microsoft MVP and FTRSA at the same time, noting that the contribution expectations don’t overlap and effectively create double work, and how rare that combination is within their company. And it wouldn’t be a podcast without a natural transition to TV Series that we’re watching! Stay to the end for recommendations & reviews.

Join us for an exciting episode as we welcome our very first guest, Ali Nelson, to the podcast! Together, we dive into the complicated world of CRM security and discuss strategies for managing security roles and business units effectively. Ali, who just started a new job managing a system with over 11,000 users, grapples with the headaches of security and shares insights and challenges. We explore solutions ranging from automating processes with Power Apps and Power Automate to leveraging dynamic security roles and advanced visualizations. Whether you're an admin or a CRM enthusiast, this episode has valuable takeaways for improving your system's security and efficiency.

In this episode, Ashley and Ed reflect on their experiences at the Power Platform Community Conference. They discuss the challenges of navigating the event venue, the excitement of connecting with peers, and the diverse and evolving session content. With a focus on the growing influence of AI and tools like Copilot, they share their thoughts on how the tech landscape is changing. Additionally, they touch on the communal spirit of the conference, the importance of networking, and share humorous anecdotes about leading sessions and their hopes for future conference locations and entertainers.

In this episode, Ed and Ashley dive deep into workplace dynamics and gender bias, as we share personal experiences and highlight the importance of discussing how women treat each other in professional environments. We explore the value of acknowledging feelings such as jealousy and the profound impact they can have on personal and professional growth. The conversation also touches on the significance of illuminating challenges faced by marginalized groups in industry forums, the biases that shape interactions, and the importance of self-awareness and vulnerability in fostering meaningful change.

In this episode, Ed and Ashley share exciting updates on their upcoming sessions at major Dynamics and Power Platform events, and tease future special guests. They dive into their topics for Community Summit, including applying agile principles to Power Platform projects and enhancing search functionalities in Dynamics.Looking ahead to the Power Platform Community Conference in Vegas, sessions will cover UI/UX design for model-driven apps, decision-making between Canvas and model-driven apps, a panel discussion on transforming real-world problems into Power Apps, and “Design Smarter: Five Proven Patterns for AI and Low-Code Apps That Deliver,” which emphasizes practical design principles for managing AI within the Power Platform using demos and a memorable acronym.