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The Scout ReportWhat did I miss during my vacation

On your first day back from vacation

The situation

After your vacation the inbox is full, and the Teams chats kept going without you. You read what is on top instead of what matters.

The cut

Before

“What did I miss?”

After

Make it yours

Nothing leaves your browser.

e.g. date
e.g. date

Prompt to copy

Goal: I was away from [Away from, e.g. date] to [Away until, e.g. date]. Give me a status report so I know where to start.

Source: My emails, Teams chats and meetings from this period.

Expectations:
1. What is waiting for a reply from me, with sender and date, oldest first.
2. Decisions that were made without me.
3. Meetings in the next five business days that need preparation.
4. What I can ignore, with a short reason.
Name the source for every point. If you are not sure about a classification, say so.

With license. Limited without a license in Outlook. Without a copy button: select the text and copy it with Ctrl+C.

How to use it

  1. With a license for Microsoft Copilot: paste the prompt, fill in the dates, send.
  2. Without a license: open Microsoft Copilot Chat in Outlook. According to Microsoft, it draws on your inbox, calendar, meetings, chats and a limited set of files there, to a smaller extent than with a license.
  3. For every point under “waiting for a reply”, open the source before you answer.
  4. Skim the “can ignore” list once before you really ignore it.

How to spot a good answer

  • Four sections in the requested order.
  • A source you can open for every point.
  • Uncertain classifications are marked as uncertain.

The check

Measure the time from your first login after vacation to the first reply you finish, and compare it with your last return.

Limits

  • According to Microsoft, the answer only sees content you already have access to. What is not in your inbox or chats is also missing from the report.
  • Verbal agreements without a note do not appear.
  • “Can ignore” is a suggestion, not a decision.
  • Without a license, Microsoft Copilot Chat does not automatically access emails and chats outside of Outlook.

Sources

Microsoft Learn: Overview of Microsoft Copilot Chat, Microsoft Learn: What is Microsoft Copilot?. As of .

Prefer to practice with guidance? Live course “Copilot Ninja in 4 Wochen” (in German) at the Power Platform Academy

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Suggested text for your post 
Technique 4 from the PowerPlatformAcademy Dojo: The Scout Report. After your vacation, first read what is waiting for you and what was decided without you, each with a source. Free to copy, with a source on Microsoft Learn.

https://copilot.ninja/en/techniken/nach-den-ferien-lagebericht/

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