Overcoming the Challenges of Remote Working with Power Platform

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Currently we are monitoring numbers and focusing on some key indicators, to see if we are making progress in the battle against Covid-19. Many have also been getting used to a new way of working – adapting to some or all the team working remotely.

Some of us had moved to Office 365 some time ago and have seen the benefits of having our email and other files and applications running in the cloud.

The next step was to migrate to MS Teams, and before the current crisis, many saw it as a new way of performing chat and doing video calls – a kind of better version of Skype in many respects. We looked on it as a communications tool. I think many companies have seen in a very short period of time that there is so much more to MS Teams. It’s really a productivity tool, that does the other bits too.

Digital Transformation is the key for success

MS Teams was being looked at as an option. Could the normal metrics, visual management boards, and Operations discussions at the line level, the value stream level, site level, be conducted in an effective manner when some key Operations people were still on-site in the manufacturing clean rooms, while other support staff and management were remote?

In addition to this challenge, the crisis itself had brought the need to put new procedures in place, new processes, changes to existing production processes, and introduce new things that required data to be captured to support decision making, ensure compliance with new procedures, and give feedback on whether solutions and procedures were working as designed. Many of these had been implemented quickly, and originally as temporary measures, but as time passed, everyone realised that some form of these new processes may be part of the “new norm”.

With all these new challenges, could companies who are now under more pressure than ever to drive efficiencies due to lost revenues, park or push out their Digital Transformation agendas? Digital Transformation was a key strategy. Should it be parked or postponed, or could it be looked at through a new lens, one that could help address some of the new challenges, while also helping address some of the digital gaps that exist between the corporate level systems for key functions like Enterprise Resource Planning, Manufacturing Operations Planning, Automation, Laboratory Management Systems etc.

In a recent survey Gartner state that 65% of organisations report an app development backlog, while 37% of companies still use paper to manage critical processes.

We have recently seen that many companies are now seeing the Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI) as an option to address these needs.

Power Platform has taken off

So what is different about the Power Platform? What opportunities does this platform present for companies, and specifically manufacturing companies? This is a No-Code Low-Code platform, that can be used to develop Apps quickly and to Automate Business Processes quickly. While it may not be the solution to all problems, there is no doubting that it is being seen as an accelerant to meeting these new challenges. It can also be used in conjunction with custom applications to meet complex needs.  But what do these three key elements of the platform offer:

  • Power Apps allows you deliver No-Code, Low-Code Apps quickly, and integrate these in MS Teams
  • Power Automate allows you connect to data, integrate to your existing systems and automate business processes.
  • Power BI focuses on the Visualisations and Reporting.

Microsoft have seen 70k new organisations using Power Apps this year. There has been an increase of 70% in professional developers using the platform since this time last year. And they have seen a 50% increase in new Power Users between Feb 2020 and March 2020. Microsoft have and continue to invest hugely in the platform. 

We have seen this with our customers have taken Power Platform to develop their core applications. Such as document approval process, leave application, expense management, asset management, EOM reports and so on.

Prometix as a Microsoft Gold certified partner and certified O365 consultants (Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne & Perth), we have extensive experience in delivering Office 365 based solutions & especially in Power Platform. We have also developed toolset that will migrate records from your legacy system to SharePoint without losing the digital continuity. For more information, please contact us from enquiries@prometix.com.au

 

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