Microsoft PowerApps – Expense Reimbursement and Tracking

Problem

The client faced significant inefficiencies and delays in their expense reimbursement process, which negatively impacted employee satisfaction and financial reporting. Major challenges included:

• Manual Submission: Employees submitted expense claims using paper forms or email, causing delays in processing and loss of important documents.
• Approval Bottlenecks: Approval workflows were unstructured, resulting in prolonged turnaround times and limited visibility for employees and managers.
• Error-Prone Data Handling: Expense data from various sources had to be manually consolidated, increasing the risk of errors.
• Lack of Insights: Limited visibility into expense patterns hindered cost optimization and financial planning.

Solution

We developed a custom Expense Reimbursement and Tracking App using Microsoft Power Platform to streamline and automate the entire process. Key elements of the solution include:

• Digital Expense Submission: Employees can log expenses directly through a user-friendly Canvas App, attaching receipts and categorizing expenses.
• Automated Workflows: Approval processes are powered by Power Automate, ensuring real-time notifications and quicker turnarounds.
• Centralized Data Repository: Expenses are stored in SharePoint Lists, enabling secure, centralized data management.
• Dynamic Dashboards: The app features role-based dashboards where employees can track claims, and managers can monitor approvals and overall expense trends.
• Real-Time Reporting: The app provides detailed insights into spending patterns and pending claims, enhancing decision-making.

Technologies Used

• Microsoft PowerApps: For building the Canvas App interface and custom workflows.
• SharePoint List: As the centralized database for secure and structured data storage.
• Power Automate: For managing approval processes and sending real-time notifications.

Outcome

The implementation of the Expense Reimbursement and Tracking App resulted in:

• 70% Reduction in Processing Time: Automated workflows replaced manual approvals, significantly reducing delays.
• Enhanced Transparency: Employees can now track their claims in real-time, improving their experience.
• Error-Free Data Management: Centralized data storage and automation eliminated manual errors.
• Actionable Insights: Management gained valuable insights into expense trends and opportunities for cost control.

This solution empowered the client to achieve higher productivity, cost savings, and improved employee satisfaction, transforming their expense management into a streamlined and efficient process.

Parts Inspection PowerApps

Problem

The client, a company specializing in parts inspection for the aeronautical and manufacturing domains, faced significant challenges with their manual inspection process. Using paper forms and Excel sheets to track inspection schedules and results was:

• Time-consuming and prone to errors.
• Inefficient in managing inspection schedules for parts with varying intervals (e.g., 3, 6, or 12 months).
• Unable to provide real-time updates or easily editable records, leading to confusion and delays in inspection workflows.

Solution

We developed a customized Canvas App using Microsoft PowerApps to digitize and streamline the parts inspection process. Key features include:

1. Automated Scheduling: Parts are added with inspection frequencies (e.g., 3, 6, 12 months), and inspections are automatically scheduled accordingly.
2. Inspector Dashboard: Inspectors can view parts due for inspection, access the inspection sheet, and complete questionnaires digitally.
3. Review and Approval: Completed inspections are submitted for admin review, with options to update and verify records seamlessly.
4. Real-Time Updates: The solution eliminates confusion, ensuring accurate and timely inspections.

This transition from a manual to an automated system drastically improved efficiency and reduced errors.

Technology Stack

• Microsoft PowerApps (Canvas App): For building the user interface and workflows.
• SharePoint List: Used as the database for managing parts and inspection data.
• Power Automate: Enabled approval workflows and notifications.

Outcome

• Enhanced Efficiency: Reduced time spent on scheduling and tracking inspections.
• Improved Accuracy: Eliminated errors associated with manual data entry and tracking.
• Streamlined Workflows: Provided inspectors and administrators with real-time access to data and seamless review processes.
• Scalability: A future-proof solution adaptable to additional requirements or domains.

This project showcases how Microsoft Power Platform tools can transform manual processes into streamlined, automated workflows, delivering measurable benefits in operational efficiency and accuracy.

PowerApps: Streamlined Project Management System

Problem Statement: Our client, a business managing multiple customers across different locations, relied heavily on Excel for project management. With an increasing number of tasks, deadlines, and documents to manage, the system became inefficient and error-prone. The need for a more robust, user-friendly, and automated solution became clear as manual management of tasks led to delays, missed priorities, and cumbersome reporting.

The Excel-based process lacked integration, meaning that information needed to be manually updated, tracked, and communicated across multiple teams and customers. As a result, the workflow was disjointed, requiring constant intervention to ensure data consistency, task assignment, and timely follow-ups.

Approach: We proposed leveraging Microsoft Power Platform, specifically PowerApps and Power Automate, to create a comprehensive solution that would seamlessly integrate with SharePoint List for project management. Our approach was to design a Canvas App for task management, reporting, and document sharing, with an intuitive interface, and automate manual processes for efficiency and accuracy.

Key components of the solution included:

• SharePoint List for centralized data storage and management, enabling easy access to all project-related information.
• Canvas Apps for creating custom task dashboards that are intuitive and user-friendly, even for non-technical users.
• Power Automate for automating workflows, such as task assignment, notifications, and document uploads, reducing the need for manual interventions and improving overall efficiency.
• Task Prioritization system embedded in the app to ensure that high-priority tasks are clearly marked and tracked.
• Reporting and Analytics to provide real-time insights into task progress, project status, and team performance, enabling better decision-making.

Solution:

Our solution, developed using the Power Platform, enabled the client to manage projects more effectively with the following features:

1. Canvas App Development: A custom Canvas App was built to help the client track and manage their tasks, deadlines, and customer projects. The intuitive user interface allowed for smooth navigation between tasks and key project metrics, offering a centralized place for the team to manage their work efficiently.
2. SharePoint Integration: The SharePoint List was used as the backend for data management. Each project’s tasks, documents, and customer information were organized into SharePoint lists, providing a simple yet powerful way to store and manage data. The integration allowed for seamless synchronization of data and real-time updates across all users.
3. Task Assignment and Prioritization: The app facilitated task assignments across multiple users, allowing managers to delegate tasks based on priority, deadlines, and team members’ workload. Prioritization was made clear through an integrated system that highlighted high-priority tasks, ensuring deadlines were met and important tasks were not overlooked.
4. Document Upload and Management: Users could upload project-related documents directly within the app. These documents were stored in SharePoint, ensuring easy access and document management. With this system, the client no longer had to rely on scattered document storage, reducing the risk of losing critical files and information.
5. Automated Workflows with Power Automate: One of the most impactful parts of the solution was the integration of Power Automate for workflow automation. For example, as soon as a new task was assigned, an automatic email notification was sent to the responsible team member. Additionally, when a task reached its due date, the system automatically triggered reminders and escalations to ensure that tasks were completed on time.
6. Real-time Reporting and Dashboards: Real-time dashboards were created for both managers and employees to track task progress, project timelines, and performance metrics. Managers were able to get detailed reports on task statuses, delays, and completed tasks, providing transparency into the progress of every project.

Key Benefits:

• Increased Efficiency: The automation of workflows saved time by eliminating manual updates, emails, and notifications.
• Improved Collaboration: SharePoint integration allowed for real-time collaboration across different teams, with easy document sharing and communication.
• Enhanced Accuracy: Centralized data and automated task assignments reduced the likelihood of human error, ensuring tasks and deadlines were accurately managed.
• Scalability: As the business grows, the solution is scalable, allowing more users, customers, and projects to be added without sacrificing efficiency.
• Streamlined Reporting: Managers were able to access real-time data and reports, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making.

Result: By implementing PowerApps, Power Automate, and SharePoint, we successfully transformed the client’s manual process into a streamlined, automated solution. The client is now able to efficiently manage multiple customers, locations, and tasks from a centralized platform, reducing human error and saving time. Moreover, real-time reporting and task prioritization have improved task completion rates, customer satisfaction, and overall project management efficiency.

This description highlights the problem, approach, and solution in an expanded format and includes specific references to PowerApps, Power Automate, and SharePoint, as requested. It showcases how the integration of these technologies solved the client’s challenges effectively.

How It Works

Mobile apps have already penetrated every sphere of our lives and every imaginable business niche. Naturally, the appeal of mobile apps for its market potential cannot fade away anytime soon, at least until another great technology can replace mobile apps. development company and its business clients. . So, what about the failure of other apps? What are the key factors responsible for the failure of millions of apps?

Front-end development essentially focuses and works on the visual perceptions of a website. It’s about the look, load time, pattern and functionality of the components of a website. Front-End is a mix of programming and layout that powers the visuals and interactions on the web. 

Published:

September 12, 2019

Category:

Development / Ideas

Client:

Oceanthemes

Published:

September 18, 2019

Category:

Development

Client:

Oceanthemes

How it Works

M obile apps have already penetrated every sphere of our lives and every imaginable business niche. Naturally, the appeal of mobile apps for its market potential cannot fade away anytime soon, at least until another great technology can replace mobile apps. development company and its business clients. . So, what about the failure of other apps? What are the key factors responsible for the failure of millions of apps? Well, apart from the ill-conceived app idea and development and design flaws many apps simply fail because of their pre-launch and post-launch shortcomings. Front-end development essentially focuses and works on the visual perceptions of a website. It’s about the look, load time, pattern and functionality of the components of a website. Front-End is a mix of programming and layout that powers the visuals and interactions on the web. The talented Front-end developers provide turnkey Front-End development services whether you are planning to change the Front-End from older technology to newer one, for example Angular.

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure. It is: Try to please everybody.” – Herbert Bayard Swope

Process & Results

But while DevOps as a development approach remained uncontested, the security aspects of the app development process largely remained under the shadow. There was a perception that along with the operations, app security should equally be a part of the development process. With the demand for integrating security with the product life cycle, the DevSecOps approach has emerged. This approach has already proven to play an instrumental role in reducing the security vulnerabilities of the apps. While integrating the security with the DevOps approach has always been of high demand, this requires a completely different range of processes and tools. DevOps is already known to boast of an agile development methodology.

While integrating the security with the DevOps approach has always been of high demand, this requires a completely different range of processes and tools. DevOps is already known to boast of an agile development methodology. Though the companies embracing DevSecOps development methodology are only a few in numbers, in the time to come many companies working with DevOps approach can actually embrace this new methodology for giving their projects.

How It Works

Mobile apps have already penetrated every sphere of our lives and every imaginable business niche. Naturally, the appeal of mobile apps for its market potential cannot fade away anytime soon, at least until another great technology can replace mobile apps. development company and its business clients. . So, what about the failure of other apps? What are the key factors responsible for the failure of millions of apps?

Front-end development essentially focuses and works on the visual perceptions of a website. It’s about the look, load time, pattern and functionality of the components of a website. Front-End is a mix of programming and layout that powers the visuals and interactions on the web. 

Published:

January 10, 2020

Category:

Design / Development

Client:

Oceanthemes