Jon Russell

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A1 Drop the Needle

Jon Russell

Technical Solution Architect

Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Copilot and agentic AI

TL;DR I design Microsoft business apps, automation and AI agents, and I care most about the unglamorous bits that make them stick.

This is my CV, told as a DJ set. Each section is a track. Scroll down to drop the needle and pull back the layers, one groove at a time.

Prefer things still? The accessibility settings turn the motion down.

Sound on: a house groove at 124 BPM, made live in your browser. Press again to stop.

Scroll to drop the needle

A2

The Warm-Up

Before I build anything, I read the room.

I'm a Technical Solution Architect. I work across Microsoft Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Copilot and agentic AI.

A good DJ doesn't walk in and play their favourite record. They watch the floor first. Who's here? What's the energy? What will people actually move to?

I work the same way. People first, problems second, technology third. The tech is usually the easy bit. Understanding what someone really needs, and why the last attempt didn't stick, is where the real work is.

Governance is the bassline nobody notices until it's gone.

Everyone loves a flashy AI demo. I do too. But governance and adoption are what keep it standing: sensible environments, solid ALM, clear ownership, and people who are confident using the thing. Not glamorous. Completely essential.

I also mentor consultants. Helping someone find their feet, and their own voice, is one of the best parts of the job.

Neurodiversity and mental health in tech matter to me. Different brains build better things, and nobody does good work while running on empty.

Jon Russell smiling with his arms folded, standing on a sea wall with two children sitting behind him looking out to sea.

How I work: rules of the booth

  • Read the room

    Listen before I build. Who's in the room, what they need, and what has gone wrong before.

  • Build the foundations

    Governance, ALM and adoption come first. They aren't exciting, but everything else stands on them.

  • Keep it simple

    The best solution is one people understand, can support, and still like a year later.

  • Leave people better off

    Clients, colleagues, the consultants I mentor. If they're more confident when I leave, the job's done.

A3

Crate Digging

The records I reach for most. Flip through the crate.

  1. Power Automate

    Process house

    Liner notes

    Cloud flows are the plumbing that makes a process actually move.

    I build them to be boring in the best way: readable, with errors handled and no mystery loops.

    If nobody notices the flow, it is doing its job.

  2. Dataverse modelling

    Deep structure

    Liner notes

    I get the data model right before I build anything on top of it.

    Tables, relationships and security decided early save months of pain later.

    Get the foundations wrong and every app inherits the problem.

  3. ALM: solutions, environments and pipelines

    Studio discipline

    Liner notes

    Solutions, environments and pipelines are how good work gets to production without drama.

    I set up ALM so every change is tracked, tested and repeatable.

    Nobody should be editing live at five on a Friday.

  4. Custom connectors

    Crossover

    Liner notes

    If it has an API, I can usually get Power Platform talking to it.

    A good custom connector turns someone else's system into a clean action makers can trust.

    I document them, so the next person is not left guessing.

  5. Copilot Studio and agentic AI

    Future sound

    Liner notes

    I design agents in Copilot Studio that do useful work, not just chat.

    That means clear topics, sensible knowledge sources and proper guardrails.

    The flashy demo is the easy bit. Making it safe and reliable is the real job.

  6. Dynamics 365

    Main room

    Liner notes

    I work across Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform underneath it.

    Knowing where the product ends and customisation should start keeps things supportable.

    Extend it well, and stay close to standard where you can.

  7. Governance and adoption

    Foundations

    Liner notes

    Governance and adoption are the unglamorous foundations under every flashy AI demo.

    I work on the Centre of Excellence side: guardrails, environments, policies, and helping people actually use what gets built.

    Safe and used beats shiny and abandoned.

  8. Consulting and pre-sales

    Crowd work

    Liner notes

    Most of the job is stakeholder conversations: finding the real problem behind the request.

    In pre-sales I tell the story with a demo that works, not a wall of slides.

    Listen first, then show them something real.

  9. Mentoring and community

    Back to back

    Liner notes

    I mentor consultants and help them grow in confidence as well as skill.

    Sharing what I have learned, mistakes included, is part of the job.

    Teaching something is the best way to really learn it.

  10. Certifications

    The paperwork

    Liner notes

    The official stamps that back up the records above.

    Power Platform and Dynamics 365: Solution Architect Expert, Developer Associate, Functional Consultant Associate, Power Automate RPA Developer Associate, Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant Associate.

    AI and agents: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect, Azure AI Engineer Associate, AI Transformation Leader, AI Business Professional, GitHub Copilot, plus 29 Microsoft Applied Skills.

    Anthropic: Claude Certified Developer and Claude Certified Associate (Foundations).

A4

The Mix

Every role mixed into the next. Here is the running order.

I have played it in order, oldest first, so it builds like a set towards peak time.

Short on time? Skip to what is playing now.

  1. Track 1 of 6 Energy: warming up In the mix

    Application support and IT operations

    Where: VolkerWessels UK, BBC, Siemens and Amazon When: to

    • Supported enterprise HR and payroll systems, among others, across globally distributed teams.
    • Built twenty years of IT service management experience: what breaks, why, and who it hurts.
    • Started with a BSc (Hons) in Business Information Technology from Southampton Institute in 2001.

    Transition By day, keeping systems running. By night, a different kind of booth.

  2. Track 2 of 6 Energy: after hours In the mix

    Nights on the decks

    Where: London, Southampton and Ibiza When: to

    • Read a room in real time, and changed course when something was not landing.
    • Planned a set, then threw half of it away when the crowd wanted something else.
    • Learned that good preparation is what makes it safe to improvise.

    Transition Reading a dance floor turned out to be decent practice for reading a meeting room.

  3. Track 3 of 6 Energy: finding the groove In the mix

    Power Platform Consultant

    Where: QuantiQ (later acquired by Avanade) When: to

    • Led a Power Virtual Agents chatbot for a major retail beverage client, improving customer self-service.
    • That was early hands-on time with the technology that became Copilot Studio.
    • Co-developed a Power Apps portal for a national rail industry client.

    Transition From building apps to governing the platform they run on.

  4. Track 4 of 6 Energy: building In the mix

    Power Platform Consultant (contract)

    Where: Sword Group When:

    • Deployed the Power Platform Center of Excellence toolkit.
    • Gave the client the governance and visibility they needed to scale adoption safely.

    Transition Then a longer residency, with more clients and more people to bring along.

  5. Track 5 of 6 Energy: lifting In the mix

    Senior Power Platform Consultant and Customer Success Architect

    Where: ANS Group When: to

    • Delivered Power Platform projects end to end, from ideation to deployment, as a trusted technical advisor.
    • Led an invoicing solution for a multi-academy trust that saves around £111k a year (about 2,200 hours), with two 10/10 client satisfaction scores.
    • Introduced ALM best practice and mentored junior consultants. Mental Health First Aid lead and People Champion.

    Transition Then Capgemini, where the programmes got bigger and the stakes got higher.

  6. Track 6 of 6 Energy: peak time In the mix

    Now playing: Technical Power Platform Solution Architect

    Where: Capgemini When: to now

    • Joined as a Senior Power Platform Developer and Functional Consultant. Promoted to Technical Solution Architect in March 2026, with an Exceptional performance rating in 2025.
    • Technical solution lead on a UK defence digital programme: architecture, design assurance and governance in a regulated environment.
    • Led a Dynamics 365 Field Service fleet-management programme through a difficult go-live, and delivered a first department-wide integration with an external partner.
    • Created the Essential Skills mentoring framework (39 cohorts against a target of 25), ran PL-900 sessions for 165 people, and manage three consultants.

    Up next Peak Time: talks, the podcast and community.

Use the arrow keys or drag to jump between tracks.

Side B

B1

Peak Time

TL;DR: the floor is full. This is my public work: talks, the podcast, writing and mentoring.

Now playing Four headline acts, one aim: helping people build things that actually get used.

B2

The B-Side

Every record has a B-side. This is mine.

Family and friends first

Family and friends come first, always. Work matters to me, but they're the reason I do it. They're also very good at reminding me there's more to life than a tidy Dataverse model.

The DJ years

Before the solution designs, there were the decks. I used to DJ, and I loved all of it: the digging, the prep, the nerves, and that moment when a room clicks.

From 2004 to 2012 I played Pacha, Ministry of Sound, The Key and The Cross in London, Junk in Southampton, and Kanya, Bar M and Es Paradis in Ibiza. Mostly house, with a soft spot for drum and bass.

My favourite memory: playing The Cross with John, my brother from another mother. Two of us, one booth, and a crowd that never sat down.

What the decks taught me

  • Read the room

    The crowd tells you what to play next, if you're watching. Clients do too.

  • Smooth transitions

    Nobody should notice the join. Same goes for go-lives and handovers.

  • Preparation

    Good sets look spontaneous because the crate was sorted beforehand.

  • Know when to drop the big one

    Timing matters. The best idea at the wrong moment still clears the floor.

Pick a genre

I love all kinds of music, but house is home. It started in 1996 at university, with Radio 1 and Pete Tong. Choose a style to see its shape on the EQ.

Tip: arrow keys move between styles. The EQ shapes are for fun, not a lab measurement.

Now playing

Nothing yet. Pick a genre.

Deep House
Warm chords, rolling bass and plenty of space. The sound of a long night that is only just getting started.
Soulful House
Big vocals, gospel chords and a lot of heart. House music with its arms open.
Funky House
Disco loops, filtered horns and pure joy. Hard to stand still to.
Progressive House
Long builds, layered melodies and patience. The record that takes eight minutes to arrive and is worth every one.
Tech House
Tight, stripped back grooves where every small change matters.
Acid House
The squelch of the 303. Raw, hypnotic and where a lot of it began.
Drum and Bass
Not house, but I love it. Fast breaks over deep, rolling bass. Pure energy.

Desert island discs

Five records I'd take if I could only take five. Each one opens on Spotify.

  1. Sander Kleinenberg, My Lexicon
  2. Gat Decor, Passion
  3. Basement Jaxx, Jump N' Shout
  4. The Chemical Brothers, Star Guitar
  5. Josh Wink, Higher State of Consciousness

B3

Encore

TL;DR: one more tune? If you want to build something useful, let's talk.

One more tune?

Let's build something people actually use.

I'm always up for a good conversation. Bring me a messy problem and a whiteboard.

These are the requests I love to play:

  • Solution architecture
  • Power Platform
  • Copilot and agents
  • Governance
  • Speaking
  • Mentoring

Play it again