What Can You Do with Microsoft Power Apps?

USE CASE: Checklist and Mobile App Streamlines 70-Step Inspection Process for Employees Out in the Field

SITUATION:

Employees for a construction company routinely perform site inspections that include collecting information on 70 different data points. Doing the inspection required the use of a paper printout of all of the inputs, 20 of which required photos to support the input.

The inspectors would jot down the information on the paper checklist and take photos with a digital camera. When they returned to the office, they would transfer the information to a spreadsheet. The photos were transferred from an SD card to a computer and were added to the spreadsheet as well.

PROBLEM:

The whole process was cumbersome. Not only did the inspectors have to handle the data more than one time, transferring everything from the paper checklist to the spreadsheet created opportunities for errors. Additionally, if inspectors inadvertently skipped a question on the checklist while they were onsite, they would have to return to fill in the gap.

SOLUTION:

Employees in the field use a mobile app to move through their checklist. If an item does not conform to specs and a “no” answer is entered, a photo icon is triggered so that the worker can document the situation.

XPERTECHS’ automation experts used Microsoft Power Apps to build a workflow that inspectors could access through a mobile app. Using their phone or tablet, they go through the checklist and input their answers with a click. When they complete all 70 questions, an Excel spreadsheet is automatically generated and stored on SharePoint where each site has a folder.

The checklist and supporting documents are automatically uploaded to SharePoint, and staff have visibility to the whole process inside of their Teams workspace.

If the question requires a photo, inspectors are immediately prompted with a camera button. After they snap the photo, it goes directly to SharePoint and populates on the spreadsheet.

Each inspection is logged as a submission in Microsoft Teams so that there’s immediate visibility to the results of the inspection. Employees can view the photos and supporting documentation, as well as the inspection report without leaving the Teams workspace

OUTCOME:

The new process saves inspectors’ time and assures that every step on every inspection is complete. Because they don’t have to touch the information twice, the chance for errors has been eliminated. No one has to wonder about the status of an inspection because they can see if it’s pending or complete within the Teams workspace. Results are available immediately, so problems can be solved and follow up actions can be initiated right away.

Microsoft Power Platform > Your New Business Superpower

Right now there are processes in your business operations that are taking up too much of your employees’ valuable time. You’ll find opportunities to improve operations and enable business success with Microsoft Power Apps when you look for processes that have a lot of steps, duplicate data entry, or manual processes. If nothing pops to mind, start talking about it with your employees and you’ll be sure to get a list of possibilities started.

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