If you are relatively new to Power Apps, looking at a blank screen can give you that sinking feeling. No matter whether you have just an idea or haven’t created or designed an app before, in our latest blog article, we will take you through the relevant steps required to successfully complete a digital transformation through Microsoft PowerApps.
Step 1: What current business issue or problem do you need to resolve?
This may seem very obvious but before you even look to create a Power App, you need to identify what the overall goal of the app will be. In order to succeed, it is vital that you look into the issue/problem that you are looking to resolve.
For those challenges that are troublesome it can often seem like you are fighting a losing battle. However, all you need to do is to condense your problems/issues into more manageable ones. Here at Advantage, this is how we approach any issues or problems to allow us to plot and deliver projects in the most effective way possible. Furthermore, it enables us to gradually make improvements.
If you are looking to build a solution that will help you meet your challenges, you need to consider the following:
- Who is encountering the problem/issue?
- What is the overall problem/issue?
- Why do you want to resolve the problem/issue?
By giving definite answers to the above in a problem statement gives you the momentum in looking to focus on providing overall value rather than just the technology.
Step 2: Select the right Power App for your business
When building a Power App, you have three options: canvas app, model-driven apps or portals. Before you decide which one you will pick, you need to take into account the purpose of the application, how flexible it needs to be as well as which data sources will be required.
To break this down in a more refined way, we’ve put together a quick explanation of each type below:
- Canvas app: This option provides you with the capability to create a full user-interface and connect the app to a whole host of data sources. This option is best used in solutions to smaller issues for example digitising data capture processes to replace spreadsheets.
- A model-driven app: This more refined option makes use of data that is held in the Dataverse. Furthermore, this app automatically builds UI that is fully responsive across almost all device types. This type of app is great for use on critical business processes.
- Portal: The use of portals are designed to be a customer facing layer to your Dataverse database to enable people outside of your business to review your data through web pages without needing to have a full Power Apps license.
Step 3: Create your Power App
In light of the fact that Power Apps require little or no code, building your own automation solution is relatively simple.
In order to build your Power App, you need to follow the following steps:
- Sign in to make.powerapps.com
- Pick ‘Apps’ on the left-hand ribbon. After this pick the ‘New app’ drop down menu and from this pick the application you want to create.
- Pick a template followed by ‘Use’.
When you start creating your application, you can at any point, review the changes and review how the app would work by using the ‘Preview’ mode.
It is worth noting that the whole processing surrounding the construction of an app is becoming largely integrated. You also have the ability to build apps straight from within Microsoft Teams by using both Power Apps as well as Microsoft Power Automate.
Step 4: Testing
Testing is pivotal when it comes to creating any new process within a business. After all, when you put an app live, you want to make sure that it resolves the problem/issue you wanted it to do in Step 1. Comprehensive testing enables you to discover any problems at the beginning of the process.
To help you when it comes to testing, here are just a few tips:
Have small test cases – For every test you do it should involve testing only a certain feature or function. If you widen this too much, one failed element could stop other functions from being tested effectively.
Outline the desired result for each test – To make sure that tests run correctly, each test case should have outlined the desired result. This will allow you to assess the desired outcomes against actual ones.
Step 5: Share out your Power App across your business
After you have created your app and it has been tested, you are then able to share it out across your business. In order to streamline this launch in the best possible way, you will need to have a governance structure. This would involve taking into account some of the below:
- Save your Power App in the Cloud so that it can be easily shared with your colleagues
- Build and follow Power App naming conventions so that these apps can easily be stored and found.
- When updating your Power App, make sure that you save and then publish the application again to enable others to see the latest version.
Next Steps?
There are no doubts that Microsoft Power Apps can help to open up many opportunities to build something better with the capability to make a change. If you follow the guidance above, almost anyone can create a Power App that will help to transform the way that you work. However, it is important to note that with the numerous opportunities that Power Apps can provide and the wider Microsoft Power Platform gives you, adoption can quickly become unsustainable.
This is why, before you start on your Power Apps journey, you should get in touch with one of our Power Apps experts who will be able to help guide you on the best way of achieving your goals.
Want to hear more about Power Apps? Sign up to our mailing list today!
