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Unlocking Business Agility: How the Power Platform Empowers Business Users
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Unlocking Business Agility: How the Power Platform Empowers Business Users
Empower Business Teams to Build Custom Apps
Back in the mid-80’s, my mom brought an electric drip coffee maker up to our cabin in Minnesota. Before that, my family would use the mid-century kitchen staple: the stovetop percolator. Without getting into the details, making a decent cup of coffee in a percolator is time-consuming and requires monitoring. Even then, the chances of burning the coffee, or making it too weak or too strong are high. An electric drip coffee maker is a huge improvement. Add coffee, add water and turn it on. Done.
My grandfather was skeptical, but he decided to try it. Then, one morning, at 5:00, he woke up my mom to say the coffee maker wasn’t working. He forgot to plug it in. However, after a little bit of training he got the hang of it and, wouldn’t you know it, he was a fan. The coffee maker removed several steps from the process, automated the brewing and created consistent results.
So why am I sharing this story about coffee makers? For years, we stuck with the same process to make coffee with varying degrees of success. Then, a new product came around to simplify the process and improve consistency. From a business operations perspective, that’s where Microsoft’s Power Platform steps in. With Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Pages, business users get the power (pun intended) to create custom applications, automate tedious tasks, analyze real-time data, and engage with customers—all with minimal coding.
This means teams can solve their own problems faster while IT focuses on keeping systems running smoothly. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. While these tools put power in business users’ hands, IT and partners can play a crucial role in getting the first apps into production.
The Challenge: Slow, Inefficient Business Processes
It starts as a one-off. Some says, “Let’s just put together a quick spreadsheet so we can track the data.” Before you know it, there’s 7 versions with different initials, numbers and “-FINAL” in the file name. Endless spreadsheets, clunky email approvals, and manual data entry slow everything down. Traditional software development takes too long, and by the time IT gets around to building what you need, your business needs have already changed.
What’s the fix? Give teams a way to quickly build custom applications, automate workflows, analyze data, and collaborate seamlessly without being stuck in IT’s backlog.
The Solution: The Power Platform
Microsoft’s Power Platform is a suite of four interconnected tools designed to help organizations digitally transform their operations:
- Power Apps lets business users create custom applications with little to no coding, integrating seamlessly with tools like Excel, SharePoint, and Dynamics 365.
- Power Automate takes the grunt work out of daily operations by automating repetitive tasks, ensuring smooth data flow across applications.
- Power BI delivers powerful business intelligence and analytics, so teams can track KPIs, monitor trends, and make data-driven decisions.
- Power Pages helps build secure external portals where suppliers, customers, and partners can access business data and services without complex IT intervention.
Real-World Use Cases: How Supply Chain Teams Benefits
Supplier Coordination & Purchase Order Approvals
- The Problem: Slow supplier responses and approval delays.
- The Fix: A Power Apps supplier portal to centralize communication, Power Automate workflows to speed up approvals, and Power BI reports to track supplier performance.
- The Impact: Faster decision-making, stronger supplier relationships, and fewer bottlenecks.
Supplier & Customer Portals for Shipment Coordination
- The Problem: Disconnected communication between suppliers, customers, and logistics teams leads to shipment delays and confusion.
- The Fix: A Power Pages supplier and customer portal where stakeholders can track shipments, submit inquiries, and receive automated updates. Power Automate sends real-time alerts, while Power BI provides visibility into shipment performance.
- The Impact: Fewer delays, smoother coordination, and happier customers.
Real-Time Logistics Monitoring
- The Problem: No clear visibility into shipment status.
- The Fix: A Power Apps logistics dashboard that pulls real-time shipment data, Power Automate alerts for delays, Power BI analytics for tracking performance, and Power Pages for customer and supplier inquiries.
- The Impact: Proactive supply chain management reduced operational risks, and better logistics performance.
Building Your First Apps—A Little Help Goes a Long Way
Getting started with Power Platform doesn’t mean teams need to figure it all out alone. IT and partners can help by:
- Building Your First Apps – Partners can collaborate with business teams to design and launch their first apps, solving immediate problems while teaching best practices.
- Training & Upskilling – Hands-on, real-world learning is invaluable, but structured training ensures long-term success.
Next Steps: Transform Your Business with Power Platform
The Power Platform is changing the way companies innovate, collaborate, and operate. By equipping business users with low-code development tools, automation capabilities, advanced analytics, and secure portals, companies can move faster and stay ahead—without waiting on IT to solve every challenge.
About the Author
Matthew Newcomb is a seasoned and certified Microsoft Dynamics AX and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant, specializing in Advanced Warehousing and Production. His extensive experience in Dynamics 365 planning and implementation projects informs his approach to enhancing Dynamics 365 environments with the Power Platform. By leveraging tools such as Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI, Matthew enables businesses to automate processes, build custom applications, and gain deeper insights into their operations, thereby driving efficiency and innovation.
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