Digital Transformation on the Power Platform

Utilizing Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft 365 for Digital Transformation

Introduction:

The discussion focuses on Power Platform, digital transformation, and the use of Excel as a business app. The goal is to explore real-world examples of using Power Platform and Microsoft 365 technologies to create technical solutions for digital transformation through seven scenarios.

1. Annual Budgets

• To handle annual budgets, build an app to capture and store budget information in Dataverse.
• The app allows multiple users to edit simultaneously without locking cells, centralizing data and avoiding tracking issues associated with email and Excel.
• Once data is captured, it can be uploaded to financial tools like Microsoft Dynamics for further processing and tracking progress against budgets.

2. Holiday/Vacation Planner

• Create a holiday/vacation planner using a model-driven app for mobile users to submit requests.
• Capture data in Dataverse, track leave days, and send approval emails via Power Automate.
• Automate calendar blocking and out-of-office notifications.
• Integrate with Exchange for managing notifications and calendar events, and include Power BI reports for leave tracking.

3. Expenses with Authorizations

• Manage expenses using a mobile app to photograph receipts and submit claims.
• Store documents in SharePoint or Dataverse. SharePoint offers better searchability, while Dataverse provides secure file attachments.
• Address complexities of US-centric expense systems and automate tax calculations.

4. Creating and Sharing Reports

• Power BI is the recommended tool for sharing reports, offering both interactive and fixed-format (paginated) reports.
• While Excel can be useful for localized exploratory work, Power BI is ideal for sharing to avoid versioning issues.

5. Internal Contracts

• Replace Excel spreadsheets with Power Platform and SharePoint to manage internal contracts.
• Centralize contract data in Dataverse with model-driven and canvas apps, enhancing searchability and document management.

6. Customer Portals

• Use Power Pages to allow external users to access information without individual licenses.
• Enable customers to self-serve for invoices, receipts, and order history, reducing customer service calls.
• Integrate with courier systems for delivery information, providing tracking details and reducing inquiries about order status.

7. Microsoft Planner for Project Plans

• Utilize Microsoft Planner for project management, leveraging its Kanban functionality.

8. Joiners, Movers, Leavers (JML) Process

• Automate the JML process with Power Platform to streamline provisioning, updating records, and managing access.
• This automation saves time and improves security in handling JML tasks.
• Emphasize that automating non-value-adding processes like JML can significantly enhance efficiency.

Transcript

Utilizing Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft 365 for Digital Transformation

Introduction by Andy:

We’ve been discussing Power Platform, digital transformation, and the use of Excel as a business app. Today, we’ll explore real-world examples of using Power Platform and Microsoft 365 technologies to create technical solutions for digital transformation. We have seven scenarios to discuss.

1. Annual Budgets

Andy: How do you handle annual budgets with Power Platform?

Shailan:

• Use an app to capture and store budget information in Dataverse.
• The app allows multiple users to edit simultaneously without locking cells.
• This centralizes data and avoids the issues of tracking information via email and Excel spreadsheets.

Tom:

• Once data is captured, it can be uploaded to financial tools like Microsoft Dynamics.
• This integration allows for tracking progress against budgets.

2. Holiday/Vacation Planner

Andy: How would you build a holiday/vacation planner?

Shailan:

• Use a model-driven app for mobile users to submit requests.
• Capture data in Dataverse, track leave days, and send approval emails via Power Automate.
• Automate calendar blocking and out-of-office notifications.

Tom:

• Integrate with Exchange for managing notifications and calendar events.
• Include Power BI reports for leave tracking.

3. Expenses with Authorizations

Tom: How to manage expenses with authorizations?

Shailan:

• Use a mobile app to photograph receipts and submit claims.
• Store documents in SharePoint or Dataverse.
• SharePoint offers better searchability, while Dataverse provides secure file attachments.

Andy:

• Discussed the complexities of US-centric expense systems and the need for automated tax calculations.

4. Creating and Sharing Reports

Tom: Power BI is the best tool for sharing reports, offering both interactive and fixed-format (paginated) reports.

Andy:

• For localized exploratory work, Excel can be useful, but for sharing, Power BI is ideal to avoid versioning issues.

5. Internal Contracts

Andy: How did you manage internal contracts for a large organization?

Shailan:

• Replaced Excel spreadsheets with Power Platform and SharePoint.
• Centralized contract data in Dataverse with model-driven and canvas apps.
• Enhanced searchability and management of documents.

6. Customer Portals

Tom: Using Power Pages for customer portals.

• Allows external users to access information without individual licenses.
• Enables customers to self-serve for invoices, receipts, and order history, reducing customer service calls.

Andy:

• Highlighted the benefit of integrating with courier systems for delivery information.

7. Microsoft Planner for Project Plans

Andy: Briefly mentioned using Microsoft Planner for project management, utilizing its Kanban functionality.

8. Joiners, Movers, Leavers (JML) Process

Shailan:

• Automated JML process with Power Platform.
• Streamlined provisioning, updating records, and managing access.
• Reduced time and improved security in handling JML tasks.

Andy:

• Emphasized that automating non-value-adding processes like JML can save time and improve security.

Conclusion:

Andy: Announced the next podcast topic on client interactions and introduced a guest for the upcoming discussion.