Decoding MCP: How Intent-Driven Orchestration Changes Everything (Introduction)

This three-part series takes a practical look at Microsoft’s Model Context Protocol—exploring its origins, demonstrating how it works in real-world deployments, and comparing it with Power Automate flows and AI Builder to show where MCP delivers genuine value.

When Microsoft unveiled Model Context Protocol (MCP) at Build in late 2025, the announcement landed with all the usual fanfare: slides promising “open agentic ecosystems,” demos showing agents discovering tools on the fly, and a flurry of jargon about orchestration and context. It was compelling—but also abstract. For those of us building real solutions, the question was simple: what does this actually mean in practice?

I left Build with a determination to find out. MCP sounded like more than “just another connector,” but I wanted to move beyond the hype and understand its purpose and value through a practical lens. How does MCP change the way we design enterprise applications? Does it really simplify integration, or just shift complexity elsewhere? And most importantly, how does it fit alongside the existing agentic capabilities we already use in Injury Guard AI and Safe Havens AI?

That curiosity became the foundation for this three‑part series. In Part A, we unpack MCP’s origins, Microsoft’s implementation in Copilot Studio, and why it matters for agentic workplaces. In Part B, we share what we discovered applying MCP in real deployments—how plain English instructions became executable logic, how data relationships and metadata navigation got easier, and where deterministic flows still hold their ground. Finally, in Part C, we compare MCP orchestrations with Power Automate flows and AI Builder, offering practical heuristics for when to use each.

This isn’t theory. It’s a candid look at how MCP rewires UI, data, and business rules—and what that means for teams chasing agility without sacrificing governance. If you’ve wondered whether MCP is worth the attention, this series will give you answers grounded in real-world experience.

Read Part A

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