Making work less crap

Work shouldn't feel this hard. Yet for most organisations, modern work is noisy, inefficient and exhausting, even with everything Microsoft 365 and Copilot have to offer. The problem isn't the tools. It's that we're using powerful technology in generic, habitual ways that don't actually fit how we work.

The fix is often simpler than you'd think: using fewer tools, more deliberately, in ways that fit your people and your work.

We have the tools, but not the impact

Lack of alignment and clarity, relying on meetings and guesswork

Digital, hybrid and distributed teams working harder, not better

Microsoft 365 used inconsistently. Employees not gaining productivity benefits

Chat and notification overload destroying focus and deep work

Leaders struggling to communicate and decide inside digital tools

Copilot introduced without clarity, guardrails and skills to use to really make a difference

The result: busy days, long hours, frustrated teams — and surprisingly little impact. This isn't a technology problem. It's a work design problem.

What we do differently

Designing Collaboration helps organisations redesign the way work actually works - in Microsoft 365 and beyond.

We focus on the behaviours, habits and decisions that sit underneath the tools. So technology finally supports people instead of getting in the way.

We help organisations:

Replace meeting-heavy, high-friction ways of working with clearer, more asynchronous practices

Build high-performing digital teams with shared norms, trust and visibility

Develop digital leadership capability - so leaders can communicate, decide and lead effectively in Teams, Viva Engage and Copilot

Create consistency and confidence in Microsoft 365 across teams and functions

Introduce AI and Copilot responsibly, by redesigning workflows first - not just switching features on

This is about making work less exhausting, more human and more effective, without adding more tools, process or noise.

AI doesn't fix broken work

Copilot and AI are powerful. Dropped into broken ways of working, they accelerate the mess.

We help organisations slow down just enough to:

Identify where AI genuinely improves outcomes, not just speeds things up
Redesign work and decision-making before automating it
Build critical thinking and responsible AI practices at the team level
Ensure AI supports collaboration rather than creating surveillance or overload

Used well, AI reduces noise, surfaces insight and protects focus. Used badly, it just makes dysfunctional work faster.

Services

Microsoft 365 Team Skills

Replace tool chaos and inconsistency with simple, shared ways of working that teams actually follow - built around Teams, Loop, Planner and Copilot.

Collaboration Skills for Modern Teams

Solve everyday frustrations: too many meetings, unclear communication, scattered work. Build stronger working relationships through asynchronous habits and shared digital practices.

AI Use Case & Workflow Design

Make AI practical and valuable by identifying real use cases and redesigning workflows to incorporate Copilot adoption, at team and project level.

Digital Leadership Skills

Help leaders engage, communicate and provide clarity in digital environments. Develop leaders who can model modern work and guide AI-enabled teams with confidence.

Hybrid & Distributed Work Design

Make distributed work fair, consistent and effective. Design equitable, sustainable practices with strong asynchronous foundations that 'best practice' advice never delivers.

Modern Team Design

Build your perfect team!
Instead of unclear expectations and no common ways of work, build your team norms.
Define and agree what tools for what purpose, and key habits that will help your team thrive.

Responsible AI Adoption

Move quickly and safely with Copilot. Co-design ethical, practical guardrails that protect trust while enabling innovation.

AI Critical & Strategic Thinking

Move beyond generic prompts. Build the critical and strategic thinking skills to get genuinely better outcomes from AI - and minimise the risks.

Leading AI Through Change

Practical tools for leaders navigating AI adoption resistance. Grounded in the Change Curve and SCARF model, with scenario-based exercises and concrete actions to apply immediately.

Tools and resources to always find the "what's in it for me" with new ways of work

Learning and Team Charter Game Cards

Microlearning and scaling

Books and playbooks

Some of our customers. Can we help you too?

Who are we?

Andrew Pope
Owner & Advisor

Andrew helps leaders and teams work smarter by joining the dots between people, technology and everyday habits. As owner of Designing Collaboration, he focuses on making Microsoft 365 and AI easy to understand and to solve his clients' problems, so organisations can cut noise, reduce meetings, and work together with more clarity and confidence.

He coaches leaders to build digital skills, supports teams to adopt better ways of working, and uses tools like his Digital Team Builder for designing digital experiences and the Modern Team Design for teams and organisations to design smarter ways of work. Turning problems and opportunities into practical results.

Andrew has supported government departments and global organisations to create more connected, productive and human-centred digital workplaces.

Our partner network of trusted experts allows us to deliver together and scale widely. Some of our partners include:

Designing AI Heroes: Human-centric AI Solutions

Hargraves Institute: Collaboration and Innovation

Will Easton: Workplace Experience Design