Expectations

• Beyond effectively supporting the process, additional considerations had to be taken into account during the solution design:
• Management wanted to achieve quick results while staying within a reasonable budget.
• As a satisfied subscriber, the company wanted to leverage its existing Microsoft (Office) 365 environment and services as much as possible to support the solution.
• When designing the solution, it was an important consideration that it should be accessible from anywhere, while data security was given top priority.
• A Microsoft 365 Azure AD szolgáltatásának felhasználása alapkövetelmény volt a megoldásban.
• It was also a requirement that users could easily find the system and manage their purchases through the familiar interface, which improves efficiency and enhances the user experience.

Implemented Solution

The choice fell on the Power Platform framework, which, according to Microsoft’s promise, enables rapid solution delivery and met all the key requirements. After defining the process rules and clarifying the roles, we were able to quickly develop a solution (application) using Power Apps for the frontend and Power Automate for the background processes.

Our application provided an effective solution to our client’s procurement process challenges. When designing the app, we considered the shortcomings of the previous Excel-based system and incorporated features that improved process transparency and enhanced the user experience.
The application guides users through the multi-step approval process for procurement requests. All stakeholders receive notifications at each stage, and the requester can continuously track the status of their case.

The application also made the utilization of current procurement budgets visible, ensuring that real-time data was available for decision-making during the approval process.
The application also includes a number of additional convenience and efficiency-enhancing features:

• Direct attachment of offers from emails
• Text-based search
• Role-specific screens
• Copying requests, notifications about tasks and open cases
• Bulk request entry
• Exports to Excel files, etc.

With our application, the client gained fully transparent and controlled procurement processes, while the convenience features supported users in working more efficiently.

Final Result:

With the application, management regained real control over procurement.

• Purchases exceeding the value limit can no longer be made without approval.
• They can see in time when a budget is starting to run low.
• Budgets can no longer be exceeded without proper control and oversight.

At the same time, the requesters’ lives also became easier:

• They can work according to clear rules;
• They can continuously see the status of their request;
• They can receive alerts when necessary.
• If a budget no longer has sufficient funds, the system will not allow the request to be recorded, eliminating unnecessary time spent on re-planning.

Budget owners and company executives can now make approval decisions based on real data, and if necessary, mid-year budgets and limits can be adjusted, which immediately take effect in the application. This ensures that budget owners and users always work within the currently valid limits.