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There are 12 modules in this course
Owning the AI Lifecycle in Azure focuses on managing AI system delivery from build through deployment and ongoing operations. AI initiatives introduce new complexities in data architecture, model development, performance evaluation, and production monitoring. This course equips you to coordinate those moving parts within enterprise environments.
You’ll examine cloud-native AI architecture decisions, data readiness requirements, and model development workflows using Azure Machine Learning and Microsoft Foundry models. The course explores how AutoML, generative AI, AI agents, and Copilot deployments fit into structured delivery processes.
You will also learn how to interpret model performance metrics, support MLOps practices, and guide production monitoring strategies to ensure AI systems remain reliable and aligned with business objectives.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to coordinate AI delivery across development and operational stages while supporting scalable, production-ready AI systems within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.
This module builds your ability to evaluate and compare Azure AI services as a decision-maker, not as a technical implementer. You'll learn how project context, including business goals, delivery timelines, data constraints, and organizational requirements, shapes which services are viable for a given initiative. By the end of this module, you'll be able to assess service options, identify misalignments between proposals and requirements, and justify selection recommendations to stakeholders with confidence.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 15 minutes
Understanding your Azure AI service options•3 minutes
Azure AI services capabilities•6 minutes
Azure AI services tradeoffs and selection•6 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Azure AI service selection guide•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
Applying Azure AI service selection criteria•15 minutes
How to make AI architecture decisions
Module 2•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module develops your ability to reason through AI architecture decisions and evaluate trade-offs that shape system design. You'll learn how teams move from business requirements to architectural choices, when specific Azure services are appropriate, and how to assess cloud versus on-premises deployment options. By the end of this module, you'll be able to participate meaningfully in architecture discussions, evaluate proposals against project constraints, and guide teams through decisions that balance performance, cost, security, and operational feasibility
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 14 minutes
How teams design AI architectures that actually work•3 minutes
Choosing the right Azure services for AI projects•6 minutes
How to decide between cloud and on-premises for AI•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Architecture decision framework and migration analysis•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Making Azure service choices•30 minutes
Designing and governing data pipelines for AI projects
Module 3•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module builds your ability to evaluate data pipeline designs and assess governance readiness for AI projects. You'll learn how Azure Data Factory and Microsoft Purview work together to move data and maintain oversight, how to interpret pipeline structures and governance outputs without configuring them yourself, and how to identify risks related to data lineage, PII classification, and compliance. By the end of this module, you'll be able to review pipeline proposals, assess governance gaps, and guide teams toward designs that meet both delivery and compliance requirements.
What's included
3 videos1 reading3 assignments
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 16 minutes
How Azure Data Factory and Purview work together•4 minutes
How to build a basic Data Factory pipeline •6 minutes
Using Microsoft Purview to govern AI data pipelines•7 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Explore a real Azure Data Factory pipeline •10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 45 minutes
Evaluate an AI data pipeline design and assess governance readiness•20 minutes
Making data pipeline design and governance decisions•10 minutes
Designing and governing AI data pipelines in practice•15 minutes
Making model development decisions with AutoML
Module 4•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module builds your ability to use AutoML (Automated Machine Learning) strategically as a decision-making tool rather than treating it as a shortcut for model development. You'll learn when AutoML is appropriate for establishing baselines and testing feasibility, how to interpret AutoML results to assess model readiness, and how to decide when results are "good enough" versus when custom development is warranted. By the end of this module, you'll be able to review AutoML outputs, document defensible recommendations, and guide teams through model development decisions with confidence.
What's included
2 videos1 reading2 assignments
Show info about module content
2 videos•Total 6 minutes
When and why teams use AutoML•2 minutes
How teams manage AutoML models•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Deciding between AutoML and custom model development•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 30 minutes
Interpreting AutoML results to decide model readiness•15 minutes
Applying the AutoML decision flow•15 minutes
Choosing the right AI approach for your project
Module 5•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module develops your ability to choose between AI implementation approaches and communicate requirements clearly to technical teams. You'll learn how business constraints, including content volatility, cost sensitivity, compliance exposure, and delivery timelines, shape whether fine-tuning or RAG is appropriate for a given situation. You'll also learn to write structured requirements that technical teams can execute without ambiguity. By the end of this module, you'll be able to evaluate implementation options, justify your recommendations, and translate strategic decisions into actionable specifications.
What's included
3 videos1 reading2 assignments
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 16 minutes
When teams choose fine-tuning vs RAG•4 minutes
How to write AI requirements that technical teams can execute•6 minutes
How to evaluate fine-tuning vs RAG and make a recommendation•6 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
AI implementation decision guide for project managers•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 30 minutes
Evaluating AI implementation options under constraints•15 minutes
Making model development decsions•15 minutes
Managing AI agent workflows
Module 6•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module builds your ability to oversee AI agent deployments and diagnose workflow issues when they arise. You'll learn when agents are appropriate for automating complete business processes, how agent workflows are structured and where failures typically occur, and how to interpret log information to identify problems and coordinate resolution. By the end of this module, you'll be able to evaluate agent proposals, review workflow designs for risk, and guide troubleshooting conversations with technical teams, without performing technical debugging yourself.
What's included
3 videos1 reading2 assignments
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 18 minutes
When and why teams deploy AI agents and Copilots•6 minutes
Setting up agent workflows for business processes•5 minutes
How to diagnose agent workflow failures using logs•7 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Agent communication protocols (A2A and MCP)•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 30 minutes
Diagnosing agent failures through log analysis•15 minutes
Agent workflow design and troubleshooting•15 minutes
Building and governing Copilot deployments
Module 7•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module develops your ability to evaluate and govern Copilot deployments within Microsoft 365 environments. You'll learn how to assess no-code Copilot designs for business fit and integration appropriateness, how to conduct Responsible AI reviews that identify fairness, transparency, and accountability concerns, and how to document remediation steps when issues are found. By the end of this module, you'll be able to review Copilot proposals, guide deployment decisions, and ensure AI assistants operate within organizational and ethical guidelines.
What's included
1 video1 reading3 assignments
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 5 minutes
Evaluating a Copilot design and conducting a responsible AI review•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Microsoft 365 Copilot implementation approach•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Evaluating a no-code M365 Copilot design•15 minutes
Copilot design and responsible AI assessment•15 minutes
Managing AI agents and Copilot deployments•30 minutes
Reading AI performance reports for business decisions
Module 8•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module builds your ability to read AI performance reports and translate technical metrics into business impact. You'll learn what classification metrics like precision, recall, F1-score, and AUROC actually measure, how different metrics reflect different types of business risk, and how to connect performance data to ROI and resource allocation decisions. By the end of this module, you'll be able to review performance reports with confidence, identify when intervention is needed, and communicate findings to executives in terms that drive action.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 16 minutes
Understanding key performance metrics•4 minutes
How to read AI performance reports for business impact•6 minutes
Creating executive performance reports•6 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
A practical framework for connecting AI metrics to business outcomes•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
Analyzing AI performance for strategic business decisions•15 minutes
Building and operating reliable ML pipelines
Module 9•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module develops your ability to oversee machine learning pipelines and make deployment decisions based on operational signals. You'll learn how Azure ML pipelines structure work across training, validation, and deployment stages, how to interpret pipeline results to identify failures and their likely causes, and how CI/CD practices connect monitoring outcomes to release decisions. By the end of this module, you'll be able to review pipeline status, coordinate resolution when issues arise, and guide teams through deployment decisions that balance delivery speed with operational safety.
What's included
3 videos1 reading2 assignments
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 13 minutes
What Azure ML Pipelines are and how they work•3 minutes
Designing effective Azure ML Pipelines and diagnosing failures•6 minutes
Connecting Azure ML Pipelines monitoring and CI workflows•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Production AI monitoring and performance frameworks•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 30 minutes
Making deployment decisions from MLOps signals•15 minutes
Reading AI performance for business decisions•15 minutes
Production monitoring and retraining decisions
Module 10•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module builds your ability to monitor production AI systems and make retraining decisions based on drift and degradation signals. You'll learn how AI systems degrade over time, what monitoring signals indicate emerging problems, and how to decide when investigation, retraining, or continued observation is appropriate. By the end of this module, you'll be able to interpret alerts and dashboard trends, distinguish between noise and meaningful signals, and guide teams through retraining decisions that balance responsiveness with restraint.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 15 minutes
Early warning signs in production AI systems•4 minutes
Using Azure Monitor to decide when to act•5 minutes
Setting up monitoring and security for production AI systems•7 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
How teams monitor, alert, and decide on model retraining•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
Production monitoring and retraining decisions•15 minutes
Enterprise integration and access governance
Module 11•1 hour to complete
Module details
This module develops your ability to oversee enterprise integrations for AI systems and ensure they operate securely within organizational boundaries. You'll learn how Copilots and agents connect to enterprise platforms like Microsoft Graph, SharePoint, and Teams, how to evaluate API permission requirements and apply least-privilege principles, and how to audit access over time to identify and remediate overly broad permissions. By the end of this module, you'll be able to assess integration proposals, guide access governance decisions, and coordinate with security teams to maintain secure AI operations.
What's included
2 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
2 videos•Total 10 minutes
Enterprise integration and access decisions in production AI•5 minutes
Auditing and managing enterprise integration access•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Enterprise integration security and access governance•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Managing AI performance after deployment•30 minutes
End-to-end AI system delivery project
Module 12•2 hours to complete
Module details
This module gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to plan and justify end-to-end AI system delivery in an enterprise environment. You will develop a complete AI system delivery plan that brings together conceptual architecture, operational oversight, governance, and business integration for an AI-enabled decision support system. In your project, you’ll show how data, AI capabilities, workflows, monitoring signals, accountability, and stakeholder communication connect to support reliable business decision-making. By the end of this module, you’ll have produced a structured, business-facing delivery plan that demonstrates system-level reasoning, clear trade-off analysis, and responsible AI project leadership.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 14 minutes
Designing AI systems that actually work in production•3 minutes
What you are building and how it will be evaluated•4 minutes
A practical framework for building an AI system from data to deployment•7 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
AI system delivery project guide and evaluation criteria •10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 70 minutes
Create a complete AI system delivery plan•70 minutes
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Our goal at Microsoft is to empower every individual and organization on the planet to achieve more.
In this next revolution of digital transformation, growth is being driven by technology. Our integrated cloud approach creates an unmatched platform for digital transformation. We address the real-world needs of customers by seamlessly integrating Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, LinkedIn, GitHub, Microsoft Power Platform, and Azure to unlock business value for every organization—from large enterprises to family-run businesses. The backbone and foundation of this is Azure.
This program is designed for project managers, program managers, and business or technology professionals responsible for coordinating AI initiatives. It is ideal for those working within or alongside technical teams in the Microsoft Azure AI ecosystem who want to strengthen their ability to manage AI delivery from strategy through production.
What background knowledge is necessary?
Learners should have prior experience leading projects or cross-functional initiatives. Familiarity with project management principles and basic AI/ML terminology such as models, training, and inference will support success in this Intermediate-level program.
Do I need coding or technical AI experience to take this program?
No coding experience is required. This program focuses on managing AI initiatives rather than building models. You will learn how to coordinate data scientists, engineers, and stakeholders, oversee AI workflows, and support responsible AI governance within Azure environments.
What tools and technologies will I work with?
You will explore AI delivery within the Microsoft Azure AI ecosystem, including Microsoft Foundry, Azure OpenAI Service, and Azure Machine Learning. The program emphasizes understanding capabilities, constraints, and use-case alignment at a manager level.
What roles does this certificate support?
This certificate strengthens readiness for AI Project Manager, AI Program Manager, and technology delivery roles involving AI oversight. It builds the structured coordination and governance skills required to manage AI initiatives in enterprise environments.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Certificate?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Certificate, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.