Musonda Malama - Power Platform Today, March 11th 2025
This is the second episode of the show, where host Reece speaks with his guest, Musonda Malama.
Show Introduction
[00:38] Reece welcomes viewers to the second episode of Power Platform Today, airing live on Tuesdays at 21:00 British time.
[01:19] He introduces his guest, Musonda Malama (Musonda), a Senior D365 Microsoft Project Manager, career coach, and speaker.
Musonda’s Background
[02:14] Musonda explains she came from a legal background (studying law at university) but realised it wasn't for her.
[02:37] She moved into project management, initially working on a programme involving Dynamics 365 (Finance and Operations) in Qatar.
[03:00] Upon returning to the UK, she worked for a Microsoft partner on a Power Platform project. To better support her technical team, she took the "Power Platform Fundamentals" certification.
[03:36] She mentions one of her favourite projects was working with Reece on a "Power Portal" for a major UK alcohol client. She also has experience building portals for housing associations.
[04:12] Musonda expresses her preference for Agile/Scrum delivery over Waterfall.
The Value of Non-Technical Backgrounds
[05:08] When asked for her favourite part of the platform, she jokes about not being a "techie" but mentions Power Apps because it allows people without technical backgrounds to build applications.
[05:52] She actively mentors people to get into the Power Platform as a gateway into the tech industry, noting that skills from other industries are transferable and valuable.
[08:22] Both Reece and Musonda agree that understanding the business problem is often more critical than the pure tech skills. Reece notes his background in customer service helps him translate technical requirements for clients.
Mentorship
[09:23] Musonda discusses her passion for mentorship, which started informally with friends and colleagues asking for career advice.
[10:20] She eventually formalised it to manage her time better, helping people assess their existing skills and transition into tech roles like PMs or consultants.
[12:01] She shares a story about helping an older colleague who lacked confidence despite having 17 years of operational experience. By reframing his experience, she helped him gain the confidence to ask for a promotion.
The Power Platform Community
[17:40] They discuss the unique, supportive nature of the Microsoft community. Musonda mentions receiving help from MVPs for an upcoming presentation at Manchester Tech Week.
[20:20] Reece recalls meeting community "superstars" like Scott Durow and Jonas Rapp (creator of the FetchXML Builder), noting how down-to-earth and helpful they are.
Segment: Community Roundup (Video)
[23:03] Reece presents a pre-recorded segment reviewing interesting LinkedIn posts:
Allan De Castro: Posted about an AI tool with code examples for developers.
Matthew Devaney: Released a blog series on ALM (Application Lifecycle Management).
Reece Campbell: A "shameless plug" for his own post debating Early Bound vs. Late Bound entities in development.
Power Automate Admin Connector: Reece highlights that this will soon be available as a .NET SDK.
Power Pages: New ability to embed site settings directly into Solutions (similar to environment variables).
Janet: A nostalgia post about the Dublin conference 8 years ago.
Solution Assessment Tool: A new tool from Microsoft for governance.
Social Media & Personal Branding
[29:43] Back live, Reece asks Musonda about her social media presence.
[30:04] Musonda admits she struggles with visibility but shares advice she received: stop seeing it as "cringe" and start seeing it as sharing knowledge to help others.
[31:10] She is currently doing a 21-day posting challenge on LinkedIn.
[33:06] Reece discusses his own goal to be more technically focused this year and improve his "personal brand," admitting that family life (a six-year-old) often takes priority.
[35:16] Musonda shares a thought from a recent AI training session: we spend weeks patiently "training" AI or learning new software, yet we often lack that same patience with human colleagues.
Personality Profiles
[39:51] They discuss "Insights Discovery" colour profiles.
[40:19] Reece shifted from Green/Yellow (people-focused/creative) early in his career to Red/Blue (assertive/analytical) as he moved into leadership.
[41:53] Musonda identifies as Red (results-driven and direct) but with a strong caring side (Green).
Quick Fire Round
[42:48] Favourite Power Platform Service: Musonda draws a blank initially.
[43:14] Favourite Conference: Scottish Summit (though she missed the last one for a holiday in Greece).
[43:48] Favourite Colour: Blue (even though she always says purple, she gravitates towards blue).
[44:45] Last Music Listened To: Gravity by L (an acoustic version).
[45:30] Podcasts or Audiobooks: Audiobooks, especially while driving or cooking.
[47:12] Glass Half Full or Empty: Always half full.
[47:18] If you won £1 million: She would keep it secret, put it in the bank, and maybe buy a Bentley (her one luxury wish).
