Use this checklist to assess your organisation’s readiness for Microsoft Copilot. Print it, share it with your IT team, and mark off each item as you verify it.
1. Licensing & Prerequisites
Compatible M365 plan — Business Premium, E3, or E5 (not Basic or Standard)
Copilot license budget approved — ~US$30/user/month for pilot group
Pilot group identified — 20-50 power users selected for initial rollout
EDG grant eligibility checked — Singapore SME Copilot Programme application reviewed
2. Data Governance & Permissions
SharePoint permissions audited — no sites with “Everyone except external users” access
OneDrive sharing reviewed — no “Anyone with a link” shares for sensitive files
Teams channel access verified — private channels properly restricted
Stale permissions removed — former employees and expired guests cleaned up
Intune device compliance set — Copilot accessible only from managed devices
Microsoft Secure Score reviewed — baseline recorded, improvement plan created
DLP policies configured — prevent sensitive data (NRIC, credit cards) from leaking via Copilot
4. PDPA & Compliance (Singapore)
Data residency confirmed — M365 tenant data stored in appropriate region
Data protection policy updated — covers AI-assisted processing of personal data
Audit logging enabled — unified audit log active with 12+ month retention
Retention policies set — Copilot-generated content covered by retention rules
Staff notified — employees informed about AI tool usage in the workplace
5. User Readiness & Adoption
Training programme planned — live sessions on Copilot prompting for each M365 app
Prompt library created — role-specific prompts for sales, HR, finance, marketing, ops
Champion network identified — internal advocates to drive peer adoption
Success metrics defined — adoption rate, time saved, quality improvements
Feedback mechanism set up — channel for users to report issues and suggestions
6. ROI & Business Case
Total cost calculated — licenses + upgrade + deployment + training + ongoing management
Time savings estimated — per role: executives, managers, knowledge workers
Measurement plan in place — how you’ll track and report ROI monthly
Pilot success criteria defined — what needs to be true after 60 days to justify expansion
Stakeholder buy-in secured — leadership alignment on investment and timeline
Need Help With Your Assessment?
Sakal Network provides free Copilot readiness assessments for Singapore businesses. We audit all six areas above and deliver a scored report with a prioritised remediation roadmap.
What Microsoft 365 licenses do I need for Copilot?
Microsoft Copilot requires Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, E3, or E5 licenses. Business Basic is not eligible. Each user needs a Copilot add-on license at S$42/user/month.
Is my company data ready for Microsoft Copilot?
You need proper data governance: SharePoint sites organized with clear permissions, OneDrive files labeled, sensitivity labels configured, and overshared folders cleaned up. Copilot surfaces data based on user permissions, so poor governance means poor results.
What security requirements does Copilot have?
Enable MFA for all users, configure Conditional Access policies, set up DLP policies, enable audit logging, and review external sharing settings. Copilot accesses the same data your users can access, so security gaps are amplified.
Does PDPA affect Copilot deployment in Singapore?
Yes. Under Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act, you must ensure Copilot does not process personal data without consent, data residency requirements are met, and AI-generated content using personal data complies with PDPA obligations.
What ROI can I expect from Microsoft Copilot?
Early adopters in Singapore report 5-10 hours saved per user per month. At S$42/user/month, break-even is roughly 2 hours saved. Best ROI comes from knowledge workers who write documents, analyze data, and manage email heavily.
How long does it take to deploy Microsoft Copilot?
With proper preparation, technical deployment takes 1-2 weeks. However, readiness assessment and data governance cleanup typically take 4-8 weeks. User training and adoption programs should run for at least 3 months for full ROI.
