Microsoft

Microsoft Foundry & Agent Architecture

Microsoft

Microsoft Foundry & Agent Architecture

 Microsoft

Instructor: Microsoft

Included with Coursera PlusLearn more

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

8 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

8 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Design a Microsoft Foundry workspace with hub/project structure, identity configuration, and resource governance controls.

  • Design task, autonomous, and prompt/response agents with structured specifications covering triggers, actions, escalation logic, and success criteria

  • Design multi-agent orchestration systems using orchestrator-specialist patterns, A2A communication, and Foundry Workflow logic.

  • Apply generative AI tools to accelerate and refine agentic AI architecture work.

Details to know

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Assessments

20 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

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This course is part of the Microsoft Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect AB-100 Professional Certificate
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft

There are 8 modules in this course

This module establishes a precise understanding of the Microsoft Foundry platform—its hub-and-project structure, core capabilities, and governance model—before learners apply that knowledge to workspace design in Module 2. Learners develop the conceptual foundation needed to make defensible decisions about hierarchy design, identity configuration, and resource governance in enterprise environments.

What's included

1 video2 readings3 assignments

This module applies the platform knowledge from Module 1 to a complete workspace blueprint design exercise, then extends that work into the communication skills required to get the blueprint approved. You apply a structured three-step design methodology to produce a production-ready Foundry workspace blueprint for a realistic enterprise scenario, then practice presenting and defending that design to a skeptical security stakeholder in a simulated executive review.

What's included

2 readings2 assignments

This module establishes the agent design landscape, introducing the three core agent types as essential context, before focusing exclusively on task agent design. You will develop the ability to identify when a task agent is the right choice and produce a production-ready operational specification with triggers, inputs, outputs, and escalation logic for a real enterprise scenario.

What's included

2 videos1 reading3 assignments

This module develops design skills for the two remaining agent types—autonomous agents and prompt/response agents. You will configure the five foundational pillars of autonomous agent design, specify the key design components of prompt/response agents, and apply both sets of skills through a refinement exercise that integrates all three agent types.

What's included

1 video2 readings3 assignments

This module develops the architectural design skills needed to structure a multi-agent system—defining the orchestrator-specialist topology, assigning agent roles and responsibilities, and specifying the A2A inter-agent communication parameters that govern handoffs. Learners apply these skills to a complex enterprise process that requires coordination among multiple specialist agents.

What's included

2 videos2 readings3 assignments

This module extends the multi-agent topology design from Module 1 into the operational layer—designing the Foundry Workflow logic that orchestrates agent execution, with error handling, retry logic, and observability instrumentation. Learners apply these skills first through a pre-production architecture review coach dialogue, then through a structured workflow failure diagnosis—identifying production gaps, specifying remediations, and communicating findings to an engineering team as a practicing architect would before any enterprise deployment goes live.

What's included

2 videos1 reading3 assignments

This module elevates learners' use of generative AI tools, moving beyond AI-assisted drafting to AI-assisted architectural validation. Learners apply two advanced techniques: using a GenAI tool (like Microsoft Copilot) as an adversarial critic to stress-test their own multi-agent topology before deployment, and using a GenAI tool to run a pre-mortem temporal inversion; forcing the AI to construct a future failure narrative that surfaces the blind spots architects are most likely to ignore when they are proud of their own designs. The result is a more rigorous, production-ready architecture and a validation capability that directly differentiates senior architects from implementation specialists.

What's included

1 video2 readings2 assignments

Learners step into the role of Lead AI Architect for a mid-size commercial insurance company deploying its first enterprise multi-agent AI system. Rather than producing isolated deliverables for each short course, learners produce a single integrated Architecture and Sign-off Package, covering Foundry workspace design, agent operational specifications, multi-agent governance and A2A security design, and a workflow stabilization assessment. The result mirrors the complete pre-deployment architecture package a practicing AI solutions architect produces before any enterprise multi-agent system goes live.

What's included

3 readings1 assignment

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Instructor

 Microsoft
446 Courses2,918,842 learners

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.