FastTrack Recognized Solution Architect
October 1, 2026 to February 15, 2027, 105 days left
Two tracks, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, both nominated on the program site after a sign-in. Read the FAQ there first, then the Learn instruction guide for how to package the evidence. As stated on the program site, read November 2, 2026.
Program site and nomination forms →Instruction guide on Learn
What the program is
Microsoft's own description, from the program site (read November 2, 2026): the FTRSA program "highlights architects who go beyond basic implementation, driving customer success, fostering innovation, and advancing Microsoft's ecosystem through outstanding technical expertise." It was established in 2019, and as of that date 203 architects from 85 partner organisations hold the distinction. The nominating body is the Dynamics 365 product engineering team, the same people who run FastTrack for Dynamics 365, the onboarding program that sits beside large implementations.
In plain words: it isn't a certification you sit, and it isn't a sales award. It's engineering recognising architecture done on live customer projects, judged by people who build the product, renewed every year or lost. You nominate yourself with your partner's backing, you bring the evidence and your customers' endorsements, and then you're interviewed.
Why it matters to the people I work with
When a client brings me a Dynamics 365 or Power Platform problem, three things from this program are in the room with me. The product group's view of good architecture: Success by Design, the well-architected guidance, the reference architectures, and the habit of checking what the product does natively before building anything. A direct line to the FastTrack and Customer Advisory Team architects who review the designs. And a yearly audit of my own work: the renewal asks for last year's implementations, their outcomes and the customers' words, so there is nowhere to coast. The rounds on this site are written the same way for the same reason: measured, dated, failures included.
My record
How to become one
Everything below is from the program site and the Learn instruction guide (updated March 27, 2026, read November 2, 2026); the detailed criteria live in each track's nomination form.
What the program asks for
- Hold active certifications (the site names AB-100, and PL-600 or MB-700; it notes PL-600 and MB-700 are discontinued and stay valid until they expire).
- Demonstrate AI and agentic design through a reference architecture with a supporting business value case study.
- Demonstrate implementation delivery ownership and show the outcomes.
- Contribute reusable IP and leadership to the broader Microsoft and partner community.
- Be endorsed by Microsoft FastTrack or CAT team members, or by currently recognised FTRSAs.
How the evaluation runs
- Nominate during the window, on the program site, for one track. Your partner organisation backs the nomination.
- Once eligibility is confirmed, engineering solution architects evaluate the quantity and quality of what you submitted.
- Candidates who pass the first evaluation interview with the engineering teams, on: Technical and functional expertise; Familiarity with current products; Adherence to best practices; Complexity of the customer implementations.
- The process takes 8 to 12 weeks; the decision arrives by email.
What I'd tell a colleague preparing a nomination
- Start the customer endorsements now. They go by email from the customer to Microsoft's FastTrack Recognized team, and the guide has a template for the request. Customers take weeks; the window doesn't wait.
- The reference architecture is the new centre of gravity. The criteria ask for AI and agentic design with a business value case study. A real pattern from a real project, written up for the Dynamics 365 guidance hub, counts twice: as the design evidence and as the community contribution.
- Package it the way the guide says. One folder, Last_First_Partner_Track, with prerequisites and business-contributions subfolders, zipped, shared so Microsoft can open it. Reviewers read dozens of these; make yours the easy one.
- Show outcomes, not activity. What the customer measured after go-live, in their numbers. That is also what the interview turns on.
If you're going for it and want a second pair of eyes on the evidence, write to hello@lorenckoka.com. I've been through the renewal five times and I'm happy to read a draft.
Program news
- Nominations open for the 2027 cohort
1 October 2026 to 15 February 2027, two tracks: Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. The criteria now include an AI and agentic reference architecture with a supporting business value case study.
- Microsoft's instruction guide for the nomination evidence, updated
How to package the evidence: one folder named Last_First_Partner_Track, subfolders for prerequisites and business contributions, customer endorsements emailed to the FastTrack Recognized team, and a template for asking your customer.