Increased data and a rapidly changing global economy mean businesses have to act quickly to meet customer expectations.

The need to innovate is often reined by budgets and IT resources. Sometimes, there just isn’t enough capacity for a new project or idea.

That’s where the Microsoft Power Platform comes in. A no-code/low-code solution, the Power Platform allows organizations to build cost-effective, data-driven solutions quickly.

In this article, we’ll review the components of the Power Platform: Power BI, Power Automate, and Power Apps.

What is the Microsoft Power Platform?

Built on Azure, the Microsoft Power Platform is a collection of applications that allows organizations to build end-to-end business solutions.

Microsoft Power Platform Components

Power Platform comprises of:

• Power BI, a set of tools for data analysis and visualization.

• Power Automate, a template-based application for building workflows and automating key tasks.

• Power Apps, a no-code/low-code way to build apps.

• Power Virtual Agents, a solution for creating AI-powered chatbots to help your employees and customers.

Together, these solutions allow users to leverage data to analyze, act, and automate business processes.

No-Code and Low-Code Solutions for Citizen Developers

The Power Platform is a layer on top of various data sources, which allows anyone of any technical ability to work that data.

The no-code/low-code approach gives non-developers (citizen developers) the tools to build custom apps, create workflows, or leverage AI to solve problems and business needs.

Teams no longer have to wait for IT to tackle a new project such as digitizing paper-based processes.

They can build an app to replace old systems, create a Power BI dashboard, or automate project tasks within hours using the MS Power Platform tools.

This allows businesses to try new ideas and iterate quickly whilst also getting more from their data.

Connecting Data Sources with the Microsoft Dataverse

Microsoft’s Power Platform connects to several data sources, including Azure, Dynamics 365, and the Dataverse.

The CDS, a unified data scheme that allows applications and services to interact, is key to the Power Platform.

The CDS allows organizations to work with any type of data from Microsoft and non-Microsoft sources in a secure, scalable way without the need for complex coding.

For more details on the Power Platform, including use cases and business value, check out this video session from Microsoft Ignite 2020.

In the next sections, we’ll take a closer look at the elements of the Power Platform, starting with Power BI.

Analyze with Power BI

Whilst organizations are generating more data than ever, the skills and technology to leverage that data is often missing.

Power BI helps organizations collect, analyze, and use data from multiple sources such as SharePoint, Excel, and non-Microsoft systems, in one tool.

With no coding or statistical expertise required, end-users can work with a data source, and build and share engaging reports with their team.

The goal is to find, surface, and act on business insights.

Power BI Formats

The platform is available in three formats:

• Power BI Desktop: Used to create and share reports.
• Power BI Service: Used to view reports online.
• Power BI Mobile Apps: Used to access reports and dashboards on Windows, iOS, and Android.

Consumer vs. Designer Roles

There are two main end-user roles for Power BI:

• Consumer or user: An individual who uses Power BI Service in a browser to view reports and complete light editing on datasets.
• Designer: An individual, often a business analyst, who creates and shares reports using Power BI Desktop.

Automate Workflows with Power Automate

Every day, we waste time on repetitive tasks or re-doing work due to an error.

Automation, the use of technology to complete processes with little or human input, helps us to reclaim this time.

Automating important yet repetitive tasks reduces mistakes and delivers a consistent result every time.

Previously, users needed to work with complex tools like SharePoint Designer to create workflows – or ask IT for help.

Power Automate, a no-code solution, has changed that.

No-Code Workflow Automation

With out-of-the-box templates, end-users can quickly automate tasks and create workflows for key business processes.

Power Automate includes over 300 connectors, which allow users to access and use data across Microsoft and non-Microsoft apps, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Twitter, and more.

The platform facilitates automation on a large scale within an organization without reliance on limited IT resources.

Types of Power Automate Flows

There are five main types of Power Automate flows:

• Automated, a flow triggered by an event, for example, send an email if an item in a SharePoint list is changed.
• Instant flows allow users to manually trigger a flow from the mobile or desktop app with the click of a button. As an example, easily send a reminder email to your team before a meeting.
• Scheduled, which runs at certain times.
• Business Process flows are based on a defined set of actions.
• UI flows, used to record clicks and keystrokes and automate the execution of tasks.

Microsoft Power Platform Use Cases

Uses for Power Automate include:

• Managing approvals, tasks, and documents during a project.
• Streamlining onboarding for new employees.
• Saving time with daily reminders about upcoming tasks and meetings.
• Creating and sharing reports from Power BI.
• Sharing files between SharePoint, OneDrive, and other sources such as Dropbox.
• Tracking changes in a SharePoint site.
• Running a help-desk ticketing system.
• Collecting customer feedback.

Create Custom Applications with Microsoft Power Apps

Power Apps helps users to build low-code web and mobile applications based on their data sources, including the CDS, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and SharePoint.

The primary benefit of Power Apps is a faster response to business requirements and opportunities. If a team has an idea or wants to improve a process, they can quickly build an application or create a Microsoft project site for streamlined collaboration.

Power Apps for Cost-Efficient Accelerated Business Solutions

A recent Forrester study found that Power Apps:

• Reduces the cost of developing and maintaining an application by 74%.
• Adds value to other Microsoft 365 products such as Teams and Dynamics 365.
• Frees up valuable IT resources.
• Accelerates time-to-market, increasing revenue and customer satisfaction.
• Helps employees to make decisions faster with easier access to information and processes.

Applications developed via Power Apps are also more secure as they leverage the CDS and Azure Active Directory, and are GDPR compliant.

Types of Power Platform Applications

There are three types of applications within Power Apps.

1. Canvas Apps

A Canvas App is built from scratch using a drag-and-drop interface.

Start with a sample app, a template, or connect to a data source such as the CDS, SharePoint, or Excel.

This approach ensures your application meets your requirements, is suited to your data sources, and delivers an experience suited to your organization.

These project management power apps can be embedded in a SharePoint site, Teams, or Power BI for enhanced usability.

2. Model-Driven Apps

In a Model-Driven App, the layout is determined by the elements you add to the app. There are fewer customization options than a Canvas App.

Model-driven design allows users to select and use data and to define and enforce business processes.

3. Portals

Power Apps users can create portals ( websites) for internal and external uses, for example, a secure means for clients and vendors to interact with your company.

For more details, check out this in-depth video on building intelligent and scalable solutions with Power Apps and Power Platform from Microsoft.

Project and Portfolio Management on the Power Platform with BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 is a project and portfolio management app built on Microsoft 365 and the Microsoft Power Platform. 

BrightWork 365 combines the best elements of Microsoft 365, such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Power BI, and Microsoft Power Automate, with our proven project management processes.   

BrightWork 365 helps teams to balance a flexible, collaborative approach to projects with the visibility and processes required by senior executives.

For further details, please contact our team.

What is a Project Intake Process?

A project intake process is a structured approach or procedure used by organizations to evaluate, prioritize, and approve incoming project requests.

Project request management (PRM) is a vital process that ensures the right projects happen at the best time to fulfill your organization’s short and long-term strategic goals. PRM helps organizations to track and balance resources, improve visibility, and avoid scope creep during project execution.

Depending on your organization’s size and type of projects, your project intake process can be quite tricky.

Simplifying the Work Intake Process

You will need to consider questions like:

• Where do the project ideas come from?
• How are requests logged?
• What is the selection criteria for a new project?
• How do you select and approve the right projects?

Without a simple and scalable project intake process, you may be quickly overwhelmed with ad-hoc requests from stakeholders and the team. In turn, this will lead to conflicting demands on resources, incomplete project plans, and subpar project deliverables.

What Are the 5 Steps for Building Your Project Intake Process Workflow?

The success of your project portfolio lies heavily on how you select and prioritize the projects. Managing the new project pipeline allows you to choose the right projects and in the order that fits your business strategy the best.

Here are five steps to consider in your intake process flow.

1. Define a Process

The specific steps and components of a project management intake process can vary depending on the organization and its project management framework. However, here are some common elements typically involved in a project intake process like:

• Collecting ideas for new projects
• Prioritization of project requests
• Decision and approval (or rejection)
• Project initiation

You will also need to decide things like:

• Is there going to be a committee to approve projects? And if so, who is going to be on it?
• What kind of data about the project intake request will be required?
• What is the timeframe for approving projects?

2. Determine Required Information for Your Project Request Form

Using a project request form template will make it much easier for you to rank, assess, and compare various submissions. The required information will depend on your organization and the scale of the project.

Important Fields to Include in Your Project Intake Form Template

Here are a few items worth including:

• Project owner
• Project name, description, and objectives
• Proposed timelines. This should include a final deadline to indicate the urgency of the deliverables
• Budget
• Known risk and constraints
• Required resources
• Project Sponsor
• Metrics and KPIs
• Supporting documentation.

Below is an example of project intake form in BrightWork 365.

Once the required information is determined, share the details with your team for future requests and build it into your project management software. Ensuring that your team understands the importance of the requested information will save time later on.

3. Track Requests in Project and Portfolio Management Software

Using a platform like Microsoft 365 makes it easy to log and track project requests in one centralized location.

• Easily create a PRM Command Center to track and report on project requests.
• Create a project request intake form to capture key information about a new proposed project.
• Send automated updates to the requester, letting them know whether their project was approved or rejected.
• Create a project site using the original request form.

4. Develop Assessment Criteria

Review, compare, rank, assess, and approve or reject the project request using the supplied information and urgency.

You should consider the feasibility of the project, its impact on strategic goals, and the implications of not approving the work.

5. Communicate the Decision Clearly

Finally, inform the relevant team member of your decision and next steps. Update associated documentation.

If the project is rejected, explain why to help improve the quality of future project requests.

How to Manage Project Intake with Microsoft 365

BrightWork 365 is a flexible project and portfolio management solution, deployed on the Microsoft Power Platform in your Microsoft 365 cloud environment.

Using BrightWork 365, teams can log requests, manage projects, and control programs and portfolios in one place.

Project Intake Templates in BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 project intake templates are set up to support a process that is configurable for any project type you have, from a zero stage to a three-stage approval process.

At any stage, a request can be sent back to the previous step for more information. This ensures the project stakeholders can track the progress of a project request through the process of – Drafting, Accepting, Reviewing, and Approval. All requests and their status can be tracked in the Request Area.

Launching New Projects from Approved Requests

Once a project request is approved, the relevant intake manager can use the original request to launch a new project. They can carry over the key information, filled in at the stage of drafting, to the new project site. This ensures the new project has the strategic alignment information that was utilized in the governance process.

Project Intake Process Workflows With Microsoft Power Automate

BrightWork 365 integrates with Microsoft Power Automate to help you create and standardize a system to manage your new project requests. This project intake dashboard gives you ample visibility and control to optimize your project pipeline.

You can choose from pre-built project request templates or configure them for each stage of the process as you go. Once set up, you can also automate the process flows, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for different project portfolios.

Streamlining Project Request Approvals

BrightWork 365 leverages Power Automate to deliver four Business Process Flows with four levels of request approvals.  The levels relate to the number of approval stages a project request will go through before project creation.

• Project Request 0 Stage
  • A project is created without approval. This is ideal for organizations that don’t need a formal approval process but want to track the launch of new projects.
• Project Request 1 Stage
  • The request is received and approved by a receiver. At this level, the request goes through four stages: Draft, Accept, Approve, and Create Project.
• Project Request 2 Stage
  • The receiver accepts the request and sends it to nominated Approvers for approval and subsequent project creation is received and approved by a receiver. The request goes through the above four stages (Draft, Accept, Approve, and Create Project).
• Project Request 3 Stage
  • The Receiver accepts the request and sends it to the Reviewer for review. If they accept the request, it gets sent to the nominated Approvers for approval and subsequent project creation. Here, the request is worked through five stages: Draft, Accept, Review, Approve, and Create Project.

The submit-review-approve process varies slightly depending on the type of request.

Project Request Management with BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 streamlines project request management by automating submissions, reviews, and approvals. Teams can easily track project request forms and create project sites based on approved requests.

Complete the Project Request Form

Start by creating and submitting a draft idea.

Next, click ‘+new’ in the top menu to add a new business case. Give your project a name and pick the right template for the request.

Add as much detail as possible under two tabs:

• Idea Details: Add key information such as a description and customer needs.
• Project Details: If available, add details about project execution like the assigned project manager.

When you’re ready, submit your idea for initial review. A new project proposal is submitted for initial consideration. An email is automatically sent to the request Receiver, starting the approval process.

Stakeholders Accept, Review, and Approve Requests

The reviewer can:

• Accept the request and send it for approval. To do so, the reviewer simply updates the Approvers field. The Approver will receive an automated email with details about the request.
• Send the request back to Draft to get more information from the requestor.
• Reject the request.

Automating Project Submissions and Approvals

Leverage automated notifications and reminders so the original requester is notified about the decision via email.

At every step, the requester, the reviewer, and the approver receive automated emails.

Reviewers and approvers can act on the request directly from the email. A Power Automate workflow automatically updates the status of the request in BrightWork 365.

Requesters can easily track the status of the request and comments shared by the reviewers and approvers.

Create Project Site Based on Approved Requests

The idea is either approved or rejected. If the idea is approved, the requester or approver can create a new project site using the business case.

Get Visibility Across All Project Requests

Select ‘Requests’ in the left-hand menu to access a list of all requests. Think of this area as your ‘Project Request Management Command Centre’ in Microsoft 365.

It’s a useful way to get a snapshot of all requests in one place.

Use the drop-down to sort and filter requests as needed, for example, active or rejected items.

In summary, BrightWork 365 makes Project Pipeline Management Easier by setting up a system to:

• Capture new project requests
• Review the projects and approve the right ones
• Create project sites for approved requests
• Evolve your project request process

How to Manage Project Intake with SharePoint 2016 and SharePoint 2019

BrightWork is a project management software designed to enhance project and portfolio management capabilities within Microsoft SharePoint Server environments (2016 and 2019). It provides a range of tools and templates to assist organizations in planning, executing, and tracking projects effectively.

With the Project Request Management template from BrightWork, you can combine your project selection methods into one easy to deploy tool. This template gives you a simple, scalable approach to your project pipeline on SharePoint Server (2016 and 2019).

BrightWork Project Request Manager Template

The Project Request Manager Template is your project intake “Command Center” in SharePoint, a single place for users to submit their project requests.

Stages of the Project Request Life Cycle

The template is split into four different states:

• Draft: A new project proposal is submitted.
• Review: The relevant individual receives an email notification about the new request.
• Pending Decision: Once assessed, the reviewer makes a decision about the proposal, including sending the proposal to senior management for further review.
• Approved or Rejected.

At any stage, a request can be sent back to the previous step for more information.

Automated email notifications and reminders keep the process flowing.

PRM Command Center

Below is the PRM command center in BrightWork. As you can see, it’s easy to move through the entire project request life-cycle from logging a request to project site creation after the project is approved.

The PRM ”Command Area” also contains a Resource Allocation list. When submitting a request, users can allocate resources at a high-level to determine availability.

This helps to centralize all request data, streamlining the review process further.

Define the Intake Form in SharePoint

Key to intake management is a simple yet standardized project request form. It’s important to ask for the right information in the right amount.

Why is a Standardized Project Request Form Essential?

Too little will force reviewers to go back for more details, delaying the decision.

Too much information will ‘encourage’ people to pick up the phone or start sending details via email, defeating the purpose of the SharePoint template!

The request form also helps to provide clarity about the project, making the review process easier. With a standardized form, comparing and ranking requests becomes more objective across all teams.

BrightWork Project Request Form

BrightWork ships with a simple SharePoint intake form to help you get started quickly.

In time, you can configure the process to suit local requirements and terminology. You can also add additional items to your project request form.

It’s worth remembering the purpose of the form – to help reviewers make a decision about a project. Updates and configurations should help the approval process rather than adding more complexity.

4. Notify and Update Interested Parties Automatically

Finally, you can’t rely on people to regularly visit the site to find out that there is something waiting in their queue for approval.

In the form above, you can see some fields “Requested By,” “Reviewer,” and “Approver.”  All of these people have to take some sort of action on the project request.

In BrightWork, these individuals are automatically alerted about the new request.

If the review process is taking longer than expected, you can send reminder emails to the various approvers.

Create Your SharePoint Project Management Site

Once the project is approved, simply use ‘Create Projects’ to launch the SharePoint project site. During setup, you can:

• Bring key information from the request into the new site. This ensures the project team has easy access to details about the project’s goals and deliverables.
• Choose a suitable template for the project. You can also re-use an existing site as a starting point.

Already created a project site before submitting your project for approval? Don’t worry – you won’t lose any work. Click ‘Create Project’ and simply ‘flag this project as already created’. This links the request to an existing site.

Optimize Your Project Intake Process

Uvarious tools and features within Microsoft 365, you can streamline and automate your project intake process, improve collaboration, enhance data analysis, and ensure transparency throughout the project lifecycle.

Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in April 2019 and has been updated for accuracy, comprehensiveness, and freshness and now includes best practices for using Microsoft 365 to manage your project intake process.

Project Approval Workflows with Microsoft Power Automate in 3 Minutes

Key Steps In A Typical Project Approval Workflow

Project governance is a core building block of successful project management, and you need to have a process in place for collecting and ranking all potential projects and weighing them up against the stated strategic goals of the organization.

With a formalized request process your organization is in control of which project ideas should proceed to actual implementation through a series of stage gates.

A typical new project request approval process involves several key steps to ensure that project proposals are thoroughly evaluated and aligned with organizational goals.

Here is an overview of the process:

1. Step 1: Submission of Project Request
2. Step 2: Initial Review and Classification
3. Step 3: Detailed Evaluation
4. Step 4: Approval by Stakeholders
5. Step 5: New Project Site is Create

Step 1: Submission of Project Request

The process begins with the submission of a project request, typically through a standardized form or portal. This form should capture essential details such as the project scope, objectives, budget, timeline, and any supporting documentation.

Step 2: Initial Review and Classification

Once submitted, the project request undergoes an initial review to classify it as “approved,” “declined,” or “deferred.” This classification is based on criteria such as alignment with strategic goals, resource availability, and potential impact on the organization.

Step 3: Detailed Evaluation

Approved requests proceed to a more detailed evaluation phase, where stakeholders assess the feasibility, risks, and benefits of the project. This may involve scoring the project based on return on investment, strategic importance, and other relevant factors.

Step 4: Approval by Stakeholders

The project request is then reviewed by relevant stakeholders, such as department heads or executive committees, who have the authority to approve or reject the proposal. This step may involve multiple levels of approval depending on the project’s size and complexity.

Step 5: New Project Site is Created

Once you have your project request reviewed and approved, you need to move into kick-off and planning. Ideally you’ll be using a centralized project management solution like BrightWork 365 where you can track and manage the project and deliverables. If that is the case, at this point you should create your project site with the right amount of process required.

Why Use Microsoft Power Automate for Project Approval Workflows

Automation with Microsoft Power Automate can significantly improve the efficiency of project approval workflows through several key features and capabilities:

Streamlined Approval Processes

Power Automate allows users to create automated workflows, known as “flows,” which can manage approvals across various platforms like SharePoint, Dynamics 365, and OneDrive. This integration streamlines the approval process by automating the routing of requests, notifications, and follow-ups, reducing the time spent on manual coordination.

Flexible Approval Types

Power Automate supports multiple types of approval workflows, including single, sequential, parallel, and everyone approvals. This flexibility allows organizations to tailor the approval process to fit their specific needs, ensuring that the right stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process at the right time.

Real-Time Tracking and Notifications

The platform provides real-time tracking of approval requests, allowing stakeholders to monitor the status of approvals and receive notifications when actions are required. This transparency helps prevent bottlenecks and ensures that approvals are processed swiftly.

Integration with Existing Tools

Power Automate seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft 365 tools and third-party applications, enabling users to automate approvals within their existing workflows. For example, it can automatically save email attachments to SharePoint or notify team members in Microsoft Teams when approvals are needed.

Reduced Errors and Increased Compliance

By automating the approval process, Power Automate reduces the likelihood of errors associated with manual data entry and ensures compliance with organizational policies. Automated workflows maintain a clear audit trail of all approvals, enhancing accountability and transparency.

BrightWork 365 New Project Request Templates and Approval Process Stages

BrightWork 365 manages the stages and in the project approval workflows using Microsoft Power Automate, all of which are configurable through a variety of user managed settings.

Each of the out of the box starter Request Template uses a default stage approval Business Process Flow, which can vary depending on the complexity or information required to make a decision about that project.

All the templates follow the basic approval workflow described above, with some steps removed if unnecessary for that specific type of project.

• Project Request No Approval: The associated project will be created as soon as the request is submitted.
• Project Light: Uses a 1-Stage approval Business Process Flow: Draft —> Approved
• Project Standard: Uses a 2-Stage approval Business Process Flow: Draft —> Accepted —> Approved
• Project Structured: Uses a 3-Stage approval Business Process Flow: Draft —> Accepted —> Reviewed —> Approved
• New Product Idea: Uses a 3-Stage approval Business Process Flow: Draft —> Accepted —> Reviewed —> Approved
• Product Update: Uses a 2-Stage approval Business Process Flow: Draft —> Accepted —> Approved

Each approval stage has several configuration options available to it, including the selection of nominated Approvers, additional details email text, and whether the Approval Start setting should be Manual or Automatic.