Microsoft Copilot Agent Development for HR and Knowledge Management

A multi-disciplinary engineering and consulting organization engaged Emergent Software to explore the use of Microsoft Copilot agents across internal knowledge management and HR workflows. The organization operates across several core infrastructure sectors and supports a distributed workforce, with communication, collaboration, and file management built around Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. 

As generative AI tools matured and organizational interest in AI-assisted workflows grew, the organization approached the opportunity thoughtfully. Rather than adopt tools broadly without a clear use case, leadership wanted to understand where Copilot agents could deliver practical value, what the technical boundaries of those tools were within their environment, and how Microsoft’s native integration with their existing Microsoft 365 platform could be leveraged effectively. Microsoft’s commitment to enterprise data protection within Copilot, ensuring that organizational data remains within the tenant and is not used to train external AI models, aligned well with the organization’s standards for responsible technology adoption. 

The organization engaged Emergent Software, a member of Microsoft’s Copilot Jumpstart partner program, to explore, build, and refine agents across two distinct use cases.

The first engagement was a proof of concept focused on an intranet knowledge agent. The organization’s intranet lived outside of Microsoft 365 on an external platform, and the team wanted to understand whether a Copilot agent could answer common employee questions drawing from that content. Emergent worked with the organization’s IT team to scope the proof of concept, select a representative sample of intranet content, migrate it into SharePoint, and build an agent pointed at that knowledge source. The agent was tested with a pilot group of users on topics such as company holidays, dress code, and benefits information. 

The proof of concept delivered valuable insights for leadership and provided the evidence needed to make informed decisions about the future direction of the intranet platform and the conditions under which a broader agent deployment would be most effective. Emergent helped the organization explore the boundaries of Copilot agent deployment, including custom knowledge source integrations and external deployment configurations, building shared expertise that will inform future decisions as the technology continues to evolve.

The second engagement addressed a high-priority need within the organization’s HR function: a manager coaching agent. The goal was to provide managers with an always-available resource for navigating common leadership challenges, whether motivating a team, addressing performance concerns, or preparing for difficult conversations. This approach extended the reach of HR expertise, offering a meaningful first step before escalating to formal HR involvement. 

Emergent worked closely with members of the HR leadership team alongside an IT administrator over several weeks of collaborative sessions. The agent was built using Microsoft’s Agent Builder, following a no-code approach grounded in best practices for agent development. A parallel version was developed in Copilot Studio using a low-code approach, providing a more extensible option for scaling capabilities over time. The agent’s knowledge base incorporated both internally developed manager resources and frameworks aligned to the organization’s leadership philosophy. Following an initial pilot with a group of managers, feedback was gathered, refinements were made, and the rollout expanded.

The manager coaching agent has seen strong adoption and is actively scaling across the organization. Following an initial pilot group, the organization expanded access to a broader group of managers, reflecting confidence in the tool’s practical value. The agent provides an on-demand resource for navigating leadership challenges, reducing routine escalations to the HR team and creating a productive middle layer between managers and formal HR processes.

The intranet agent proof of concept delivered a different but equally important value. By testing what Copilot agents could and could not do within the organization’s environment, the engagement enabled leadership to make informed, evidence-based decisions about the future of the intranet platform and the broader AI roadmap. Understanding the content architecture and access requirements needed for successful deployment provides a clear path forward as the technology continues to mature.

Across both engagements, the collaboration reflected the nature of working at the leading edge of a rapidly evolving technology. The organization approached the work with clear goals and a willingness to explore the platform in depth, including areas that required hands-on experimentation. Emergent’s participation in Microsoft’s Copilot Jumpstart program ensured the work was aligned with current best practices and the latest available capabilities. The relationship continues as the organization scales its manager coaching agent and evaluates additional opportunities for AI-assisted workflows.