Powerful alone, transformational together

1 POWERFUL ALONE, TRANSFORMATIONAL TOGETHERincrementalgroup.co.uk

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Powerful alone, transformational togetherThe value-added impact of integratingPower Platform applications tosimplify processes.


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Section 1

Introduction The Microsoft Power Platform, combining Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate and Power Virtual Agents offers an abundance of opportunities to digitally transform your organisation.The breadth of functionality available in the Power Platform seems limitless in its ability to improve the way you access, automate and drive insight from your data. It may even seem a bit overwhelming. It can be challenging to understand the capabilities and how all the applications work together, where they will add value and understand how you can implement them in your organisation.

Leveraging Microsoft’s Power Platform is a compelling way for organisations to use the data at their disposal to derive trends and insights and automate otherwise manual, time-consuming and repetitive processes. Each of the Power Platform applications – Power BI, Power Automate, Power Apps and Power Virtual Agents - can be used on their own to solve a business problem. However, it is the combination and integration of all of them, where the real value stands out.

This guide digs into the functionality of the Power Platform. See examples of solutions Incremental has delivered for customers and learn how you can combine all Power Platform applications to significantly improve your operations and maintain a competitive edge in a digital-first world.

The guide covers:

» Indicators of inefficient processes

» Power Platform applications

» Integrating Power Platform applications

» Other Ways to Use the Power Platform

» Power Platform licensing and offers


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Section 2

Indicators ofinefficient processesA recent report by Financial Director stated that inefficient processes waste up to a third of employees’ time. The general picture to emerge from the report is of frustrated employees struggling within workplaces where manual and paper-based processes are still so commonplace. Nearly half (44%) of UK respondents classed their organisations’ office technology as being ‘woefully out-dated’.

Inefficient processes lead to inefficient operations and have a negative impact on an organisation. Below are some key indicators that suggest that business processes are not what they should be:

Mistakes made due to out-of-date processes What made sense a year ago, might not work today. If you have out-of-date processes this could be costing your organisation time and money.

Too much time spent on manual processesOften, employees carry out multiple tasks, often replicating work that has been completed by others. This is time consuming and error prone.

Overly complex processes Complicated processes can be difficult to understand and time consuming to follow. This leads to errors and non-adoption as staff look for easier ways to work.

Struggling to find informationEmployees often struggle to find information quickly, and often there is no single repository for information which can be accessed by all staff at the click of a mouse. In many cases, there is not “one version of the truth” available to all.

https://www.financialdirector.co.uk/2019/06/19/how-inefficient-processes-waste-nearly-a-third-of-employees-time/


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Section 3

Power Platform applicationsThe Power Platform is a business application platform enabling organisations to create and deploy apps, reports and workflows. Connecting these, and to Office 365, Dynamics 365, Azure, and hundreds of third-party applications provide your organisation with an end-to-end solution.

Microsoft’s vision for the Power Platform came from the recognition that data is central to every business process, and a belief that organisations that harness their data – to gain insights then use data to drive intelligent business processes – will outperform those that do not. They also wanted to empower the millions of frontline workers who see opportunities every day to create something better than the status quo, but who have never been empowered to do anything about it.

The Power Platform uses a framework called the “Triple-A Loop” – a closed-loop system allowing users to gain insights from data (Analyse) used to drive intelligent business processes via apps they build (Act) and processes they automate (Automate).

The Power Platform implements this vision via four cloud-based services: Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate and Power Virtual Agents.

Power BIBusiness analytics

Power AppsApplication development

Power AutomateProcess automation

Power Virtual AgentsIntelligent virtual agents

Dataconnectors

AIbuilder

Commondata service

Microsoft Power PlatformThe low-code platform that spans Office 365, Azure, Dynamics 365 and standalone applications

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Power BIPower BI lets you harness the power of your data and bring it all together from any source like Dynamics 365, Excel, or third party apps. And see the big picture - one version of the truth.

» Deliver interactive reports and real-time dashboards

» Facilitate smarter decision making at all levels of the organisation

» Create impactful reports in seconds and share on any device

» Build reusable models and provide consistency in reporting and analysis.

Power AppsWithout writing a single line of code, Power Apps lets you create custom enterprise business apps to transform everyday business processes.

» Build apps for any mobile device

» Connect to Office 365, Dynamics 365 or other solutions

» Get creative with a drag and drop interface that feels like PowerPoint

» Publish out to your organisation and transform how works gets done.

Power AutomatePower Automate is designed to automate and integrate business processes. Otherwise manual, paper-based, repetitive tasks are automated leading to faster, more efficient processes. All levels of the organisation can streamline notifications, sync data between systems, automate workflows and more.

» Automate and model business processes across your apps and services

» Transform processes with simple automation or advanced scenarios

» Trigger actions, grant approvals, and get notifications where you work

» Automate legacy, on-premises and cloud-based applications and services.

Robotic Process Automation in Power AutomateMade available in April 2020, the recent addition of UI flows, Power Automates Robotic Process Automation (RPA) capability, represents a game-changing feature.

Power Automate unlocks data with AI, automates UI with RPA, and automates cloud applications and databases with built-in connectors. With UI flows, end users can automate their work in these applications by recording manual tasks such as mouse clicks, keyboard inputs, and data entry, and then automate the replay of these steps to integrate with more complex process automation.

This comprehensive set of capabilities represents the next generation of automation and is accessible to everyone in an organisation.

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Power Virtual AgentsMicrosoft Power Virtual Agents means you can spend more time building your content library for virtual agents to help resolve more issues faster, and less time building the agent.

» Enable subject matter experts to easily create powerful virtual agents using a guided, no-code graphical interface, without the need for data scientists or developers

» Allow the virtual agent to take action on the customer’s behalf

» Easily integrate your virtual agent with hundreds of services and systems out of the box or create custom workflows

» Keep an eye on how your virtual agent is performing by using conversational metrics and dashboards. Get in-depth AI-driven insights to improve bot performance.

Common Data Service and third party integrationCommon Data Service (CDS), is a data storage service, like a database. It’s accessible through Power Platform applications such as Power Apps, Power BI and Power Automate as well as Dynamics 365, Office 365 and SharePoint.

Power Apps comes with a built-in, fully-managed CDS specifically for applications that generate data not destined for a legacy system. Power BI and Power Automate also have deep connections to CDS, making it easier to get more value from data stored there.


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Section 4

Integrating Power Platform applicationsOne of the primary value-adds of the Power Platform is the end-to-end solutions it delivers. Each of the Power Platform applications can be used on their own to solve a business problem, but it is in the integration of the four applications that the real value stands out.

This section of the guide demonstrates ways that the Power Platform applications have been used together to deliver an end-to-end solution. These innovative solutions have been created for our customers to turn inefficient, manual processes into automated, streamlined processes that deliver impactful business value.

Project 1

Maintenance Managementand Reporting SystemOur customer required a Maintenance Management and Reporting System to analyse and identify trends in equipment faults. The automated system replaces a paper-based approach to fault reporting and vastly improves the accuracy of management information to ensure regulatory compliance is met.

Paper-based forms and a time-consuming, repetitive processTheir existing fault identification process was manual, labour intensive and extremely time-consuming. Faults in assets were captured using a paper-based form and submitted via an email attachment to multiple stakeholders. Each stakeholder would then review the fault, add supporting information and then approve or reject the work required to fix the fault. This information was then sent back to the original requester to submit to the next approver in line, before being sent to the team who will fix the fault.

Furthermore, the form used to capture faults was highlighted as being a compliance risk. It resulted in non-conformities in the previous two external audits due to the inconsistent quality of data recorded.

"Each of the Power Platform applications can be used on their own to solve a business problem, but it is in the integration of the four applications that the real value stands out."


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An automated and compliant solution with the Power PlatformOur solution combines Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI and the CDS to provide a Maintenance Management and Reporting System.

We use Power Apps to record faults and give approvers and repair teams a user-friendly interface to review the fault. Power Automate then progresses the raised fault through the required lifecycle. When a fault is raised, the approvers and repair teams are automatically notified that action is required via a URL within an email. This URL directs the user back into Power Apps for review.

CDS is used to store all created faults. Records update in real-time, in Power Apps, while maintaining version control. In addition, logical look-up data is stored in the CDS, which the Power App utilises for drop-down menus, e.g. a list of components, specified stakeholders, etc.

Finally, Power BI provides a rich and configurable dashboard user interface for the user. It enables Management Information (MI) and the ability to conduct trend analysis. The MI also supports compliance efforts, ensuring regulations are met.

The below diagram shows how Incremental combined Power Platform applications to deliver the Maintenance Management and Reporting System.

Power Apps used to:

» Display user friendly homepage to the user.

» Create the fault record and capture the input data.

» Display a dashboard, allowing users to drill down into faults.

» Filter records using all captured parameters.

» Restrict access using role-based access permissions.

Power BI used to:

» Provide rich and configurable dashboards.

» Provide detailed analytics to determin root cause analytics.

» Provide the client the ability to perform meaningful trend analysis.

» Output tailored reporting.

» Make fault predications using historical data.

Power Automate used to:

» Gather approval responses at specific points submitted via Power Apps.

» Route approvals and acions based on defined business logic.

» Generate notifications to stakeholders.

» Provide reminders and reports of outstanding tasks via Outlook.

» Schedule escalations at specific trigger points.

Outlook used to:

» Receive approval requests.

» Request contains URL directing the user to Power Apps to perform approval or rejection.

Common Data Service used to:

» Provide the level of security required by the client.

» Store all captured data at point of request and throughout the life of the fault.

» Store attatchments.

» Store look-up data used by the Power App.

Maintenance Management and Reporting System


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ResultsSince delivering the solution, the customer has benefitted in the following ways:

» The entire maintenance management process is now paperless with one standardised way of working when raising a fault

» Each fault request is logged and tracked, ensuring an accurate audit trail

» The process of approval and escalation is automated, saving time and effort

» A rich dashboard and reporting suite provides the MI needed, as well as enabling analysis for future trends

» The maintenance management process is no longer a compliance risk.

Project 2

Project tracking solutionOur customer is in a heavily regulated industry, and required a more efficient, automated approach to creating and managing large-scale construction projects and in managing project lifecycles.

Multiple versions of the same document leading to a slow approval processThe existing solution involved the creation of multiple documents, including Word, Excel and PDF documents, that required input and collaboration from a number of stakeholders. Documents were sent via email for approval and printed for review. The approval process was slow and inefficient due to the vast quantity of emailed documentation needing to be reviewed, by a lack of visibility on project progress and who was responsible for approving the project stages.

A user-friendly and intuitive project tracking systemOur solution combines Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint and Outlook to provide a Project tracking solution.

We used Power Apps to provide users with a user-friendly interface to interact with. Projects are created and tracked using the application, giving users high visibility of all project statuses. Power Automate was used for a review process at various stages in the project lifecycle, and it automates the process of notifying specific users when a review is required.

SharePoint stores all project details and SharePoint libraries store project documentation and lists used to store look-up information.

Outlook sends users an email with a link that a review is required, allowing approvers to approve the project.


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The below diagram shows how Incremental combined the Power Platform applications to deliver the Project tracking solution:


» Overall visibility of in-flight projects has shown significant improvement

» Review and approval times have decreased due to the visibility of accountability

» One single source of truth for document management.

» The standard of documentation completed within a project has increased dramatically.

Power Apps used to:

» Display user friendly homepage to the user.

» Capture the required data to create a project.

» Generate dynamic content based on how the user interacts with the application.

» Display a dashboard allowing the user to drill down on project status.


» Generate required templates dynamically based on project type.

» Generate notifications to stakeholders via Outlook.

» Gather approval responses at specific points, submitted via Power Apps.

» Route approvals and actions based on defined business logic.

Outlook used to:


» User approves or defers the request within the email.

SharePoint used to:

» Store the submission details using Sharepoint list, providing capability to: collect form data, apply status tracking and store attachments.

» Store supporting lists and libraries to support workflow activity.

» Store generated document templates and any attachments.

» Provide version control for all documentation.

Project tracking solution


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Project 3

Expenditure approval workflow solutionOur customer wanted to automate its expenditure approval process, to improve the management and governance of the process and to provide automated requests and approvals for their employees.

Tracking expenditure was inefficient and time-consumingThe existing approval process was manual, using an Excel spreadsheet. It was managed by the requester of the expenditure before being circulated either by email or on paper for the necessary approval process to take place.

An automated expenditure solutionOur solution combines SharePoint, Power Automate and Outlook to create an expenditure approval workflow solution.

We used SharePoint to capture the required information to raise an expenditure request, save attachments and look-up specific elements of data. Power Automate then routes the request through an approval/rejection process. The logic used to determine the route the request takes is dynamic based on the content of the request.

Outlook then sends specific users an email to alert when approval is required or where a request has been approved. The email contains a link to the expenditure request stored in SharePoint.

The diagram below shows how Incremental combined Power Platform applications to create an expenditure approval workflow solution.


» Gather approval responses at specific points, submitted via SharePoint and Outlook.

» Route approvals and actions based on defined business logic.

» Generate notifications to stakeholders.

» Provide reminders and reports of outstanding tasks via Outlook.

» Deliver scheduled reports to administrators.

Outlook used to:


» Request contains URL directing the user to SharePoint to perform approval or rejection.

SharePoint used to:

» Deliver a homepage providing access to submitted forms, dashboards and supporting infomation.

» Store the submission details using SharePoint list providing capability to: collect form data. apply status tracking and store attachments.

» Store supporting lists and libraries to support workflow activity.

Expenditure approval workflow solution


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» Consistency in the quality of expenditure requests raised

» The process is now entirely paperless

» The approval process is quicker due to the visibility of request status and the ability to escalate when needed.


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Section 5

Planting seeds: other ways to use the Power PlatformTogether or separately, the applications in the Power Platform offer helpful and well-integrated business solutions.

Below are examples of automated solutions Incremental has implemented for our customers, providing more ideas on how the Power Platform applications can digitally transform processes in your organisation.

SummaryThe Power Platform examples in this guide showcase real examples of what is possible when you choose to combine the analytical, actionable, and automatable components of the Power Platform. There are many more ways your organisation can benefit from transforming repetitive, manual tasks into automated digital ones. The key to getting the most value out of the Power Platform is to understand the use case and the desired business outcomes. With the Power Platform, everyone in your organisation is empowered to accelerate innovation and insights, save significant time and effort and streamline processes.

Supplier mobile application

Provide purchasing managers with supplier information when they are visiting suppliers – including access to current costs, delivery times and quality information while on the move.

Holidaymanagement

Allows people to request holidays, see their holiday allowance and approve any holiday requests from their team all within a simple to use app.

Project accountingand timesheets

Allow employees to enter time directly against a project and build this into the project accounting module in your ERP system such as Dynamics 365.

New joiners

Schedule workflows withpredefined steps when someone joins your organisation. This combines tasks from IT, HR and new employees to make sureyour people have all the access, equipment and training they need from day one.

Safety and compliance

An application that has health and safety checklists and procedures. Providing a simple way to capture and ensure that all health andsafety processes have beenfollowed and completed with a simple audit trail.

Internal IT

Order new devices, refresh your IT, raise a support ticket and more, with an application designed to interact with your internal IT team.


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Section 6

Power Platform licensingPresently, there is not a licensing bundle for combining all the Power Platform applications together. However, you can purchase them separately.

There are many different plans and ways that the applications can be licensed. This includes separate licensing or the applications being included within one of Microsoft’s plans. Power Apps and Power Automate are included with a range of Office 365 plans and also Dynamics 365 plans.

Power BI Pro

£7.50Per user per month.

License per user

Allow individual users to create unlimited flows based on their unique needs.


Power BI Premium

£3,766.60Monthly price per dedicated cloud compute and storage resource with annual subscription.

£754.102000 chats sessionsper tenant per month.

Run single appsRun applications around a single business scenario for an individual user.


Power Apps requires a license for each user who needs to create or access Power Apps solutions.

Run unlimited appsRun unlimited applications for multiple business scenarios.


License by flowPer flow plan

Implement flows with reserved capacity that serve unlimited users across an organisation.Starting at:

£376.00for five flows per month.

License per userwith attended RPA

Allow individual users to create unlimited flows, plus automate legacy apps through robotic process automation and AI.


Power BI Power Virtual Agents

Power Apps

Power Automate


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Section 8

Find out moreThe Power Platform opens up many exciting possibilities, but it can be challenging to know where to start, or what it could do for your organisation. If you would like to find out more about the Power Platform or discuss a potential idea or time-consuming process, please get in touch with us.

Incremental Group is a leading Microsoft gold partner helping organisations drive digital transformation with Microsoft solutions. We help organisations with applications, data and process automation using the full range of Microsoft solutions. We provide consultancy, workshops and Proof of Concepts (POC) so that you can test Power Platform technologies in your organisation with a low initial investment.

Section 7

Accelerate your digital transformation2-hour free Power Platform briefingand demo to help get you started

Our Power Platform demo and briefing highlights the key functionality available in the Power Platform and demonstrates the areas of most value to your organisation. Our demo and briefing focus on how the Power Platform can be used to enhance your organisation's productivity and the user experience provided to your employees.

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