PROJECT

Power Automate workflow automation for Microsoft 365

Custom software development, Power Apps development, Power Automate workflow automation, SharePoint integration, Microsoft 365 integration, approval automation, reports and dashboards

  • Industry: Professional services
  • Switzerland Location: Switzerland
  • Delivery time: 16 weeks
  • Technologies: PHP, Python
4+ months

This client is a professional services firm from Switzerland. Its teams manage approvals, requests, and documents across Microsoft 365, while repetitive data entry and reporting take time. The solution is custom Power Automate workflow automation with Power Apps interfaces. It takes in requests, records, and workflow events, then gives the firm approval decisions, assigned tasks, notifications, updated SharePoint content, and operational reports in one connected process.

Summary

Problem

The firm manages approvals, records, and documents across disconnected Microsoft 365 processes.

Solution

The solution became a connected Power Apps and Power Automate workspace for requests, approvals, and reporting.

Result

It is made to reduce manual work and the time spent moving information between business processes.

Client story

The client is a professional services firm from Switzerland. It manages approvals, requests, and documents across Microsoft 365.

Administrative and finance teams handle repetitive data entry, documents, and reports. SharePoint sites, lists, and document libraries also need coordinated content management.

The request was simple: create Power Apps applications for workflow automation, connect Power Automate with the firm’s Microsoft 365 tools, automate workflow communications, and provide operational reports.

The solution was shaped around the firm’s own rules and existing data. It was organized into request and approval, SharePoint records, and reporting screens.

Modular integrations left room for later extensions.

The client asked for

  1. Create Power Apps for approvals, task tracking, and business operations
  2. Connect Power Automate with Microsoft 365 and business systems
  3. Automate workflow notifications, reminders, emails, and task assignments
  4. Provide reports, dashboards, analytics, and automated report generation

Why ready-made software did not fit

Ready-made workflow management products cover process automation, approvals, and task coordination, but their interfaces and customization may not fit this firm’s operation. Custom software was needed to define workflow steps around the client’s own protocols and procedures while keeping Microsoft 365 data connected.

Project overview

The solution was designed around Power Apps for submitting requests, reviewing approvals, and tracking tasks. Canvas or model-driven applications provide the interface for the firm’s specific processes.

To handle approvals, Power Automate routes submissions through sequential or role-based decisions and logs the outcomes. Workflow events also trigger notifications, reminders, and task assignments.

SharePoint integration keeps list records, documents, and approval results together. The system connects SharePoint, Microsoft Lists, and Excel where the process requires them.

Special attention was paid to operational visibility. Power BI receives dataset rows, creates push datasets, and refreshes datasets for reports and dashboards.

The solution was organized as modules so new forms, automations, and integrations can be added without rebuilding the whole system. Documentation and training were included so the client team can manage the system independently.

Key features delivered

  • Power Apps request and approval applications
  • Sequential and role-based approval workflows
  • SharePoint list and document management
  • Automated emails, alerts, reminders, and notifications
  • Task assignments and workflow status tracking
  • Microsoft 365 and business-system integrations
  • Power BI reports and operational dashboards
  • Workflow troubleshooting, testing, documentation, and optimization

Can be added

+ Custom connectors + Microsoft Teams chats and channels + Outlook .msg file processing + JSON report data handling + Additional Power Apps forms + New approval and task modules

Who else can use this solution

These businesses have a similar task, and the same solution can be adapted to connect their requests, approvals, records, and reports.

An accounting firm

Task It manages client work, approvals, emails, documents, and recurring team tasks.
How the solution helps The solution connects accounting workflows with records, task assignments, notifications, and reports.
Accounting firms

A recruitment consultancy

Task It coordinates recruitment requests, candidate records, approvals, communications, and assigned work.
How the solution helps The solution routes recruitment processes, updates shared records, sends alerts, and shows operational activity.
Business services

An administrative services firm

Task It manages requests, approvals, records, reporting, and repetitive data-entry processes.
How the solution helps The solution connects forms, workflow stages, tasks, notifications, and operational reports.
Business services

Technology stack

PHP

SharePoint integration

PHP supports the connection with Office 365 resources and SharePoint data.

Python

Microsoft API access

Python supports Microsoft API access, authentication, and HTTP communication.

JavaScript / TypeScript (Node.js)

Outlook file processing

JavaScript and TypeScript support processing Outlook message files.

vgrem/php-spo

Office 365 resources

vgrem/php-spo (a PHP library for Office 365) performs create, read, update, and delete operations through the Office 365 API.

microsoft-kiota-http

Microsoft API requests

microsoft-kiota-http (a Python library for Microsoft API communication) provides the HTTP layer for API requests.

microsoft-kiota-authentication-azure

API authentication

microsoft-kiota-authentication-azure (a Python library for Microsoft authentication) supports authenticated access to Microsoft APIs.

microsoft-kiota-abstractions

API abstractions

microsoft-kiota-abstractions (a Python library for common Microsoft API structures) supports generated Microsoft API clients.

Power Automate

Workflow automation

Power Automate routes approvals, assigns tasks, sends communications, updates records, and connects business systems.

Power Apps

Business applications

Power Apps provides canvas or model-driven applications for requests, approvals, task tracking, and operations.

SharePoint, Excel, PDF, JSON

Business data and files

These formats and platforms store, exchange, and structure the records, documents, and report data used by the workflows.

Integrations

SharePoint and Microsoft Lists

The solution reads and updates list records, documents, approval results, and content status.

Microsoft Teams

The solution creates chats and channels and handles chat messages for operational communication.

Outlook

The solution supports Outlook-related workflow communications and message files.

Microsoft Forms

The solution receives submitted form data that starts or supports workflows.

Power BI

The solution sends dataset rows and refreshes datasets for reports and dashboards.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Power Automate connects workflow processes with Microsoft Dynamics 365.

The result

Requests move through visible approval stages

The request and approval workspace gives the firm one place to submit a request and follow its approval status. Approval decisions and outcomes stay connected to the request instead of being handled as separate messages.

The stage-based structure supports the client’s own approval rules and makes the current process state easier to review.

How it works

  1. The request form contains the request fields and records the submitted information.
  2. Power Automate routes the request through configured approval stages and records approval decisions and outcomes.
  3. The workflow status area shows the current status and sends stakeholder notifications when workflow events occur.
  • Sequential approval steps
  • Role-based approval decisions
  • Workflow outcome records
Request and approval workspace

Request and approval workspace

Functions on this screen
Create approval workflows Configure Workflow Steps

Documents and SharePoint records stay connected

The SharePoint workspace combines list records, documents, approval results, and updated content. Document workflow automation keeps document approvals and record updates part of the same process.

SharePoint content remains part of the approval process rather than a separate manual task.

How it works

  1. The SharePoint list view displays SharePoint list data.
  2. The document library stores documents and exposes document approval actions.
  3. The record update form writes updated records and content status to SharePoint.
  • SharePoint list data
  • Document approval actions
  • Updated content status
Tip: SharePoint content remains part of the approval process rather than a separate manual task.
SharePoint records and documents

SharePoint records and documents

Functions on this screen
Document Workflow Automation Manage data stored on SharePoint

Assigned work and workflow alerts are visible

The task and notification dashboard gives operations managers a direct view of assigned work, due dates, reminders, and alerts. Task assignments and process triggers are shown alongside workflow status.

This helps the firm keep daily operational communication tied to the work that caused it.

How it works

  1. The task list shows task assignments and their workflow status.
  2. The assignee and due-date fields connect each task with its responsible person and timing.
  3. The notification feed records notifications, reminders, and alerts generated by process triggers.
  • Task assignments
  • Due dates
  • Reminder and alert status
Task and notification dashboard

Task and notification dashboard

Functions on this screen
Automate workflows

Operational activity becomes easier to review

The reporting screen brings approved data, workflow results, reports, and analytics into one view. Interactive reports and dashboard tiles support operational review without rebuilding the information manually.

Data refresh keeps the reporting view aligned with the available workflow results.

How it works

  1. The report filters use approved data and workflow results to define the report view.
  2. The interactive report area presents reports and analytics.
  3. The dashboard tiles show dashboard data after the data refresh control updates it.
  • Report filters
  • Interactive report area
  • Dashboard data refresh
Note: Power BI can receive dataset rows, create push datasets, and refresh datasets for this reporting layer.
Operational reports and dashboards

Operational reports and dashboards

Functions on this screen
Generate reports for analysis

What the solution gives

With this solution, the firm can:

  • Create and manage approval workflows in Power Apps
  • Connect requests, records, documents, tasks, and reports across Microsoft 365
  • Assign work and send notifications, alerts, reminders, and emails from workflow events
  • Keep SharePoint records and documents updated through automated processes
  • Review approved operational data in reports and dashboards
  • Maintain and extend workflows with documented, modular components

Could ready-made systems do the job?

Before the design, the task was compared with ready-made products by their own descriptions.

What the client needs Workflow platforms Jotform Workflows, Kissflow, ProcessMaker Practice management Karbon Document collaboration Progress ShareFile Custom solution
Build Power Apps for operations — — —
Connect Microsoft 365 systems — — —
Automate workflow communications partly
Provide reports and dashboards partly partly —
Fits the client's own rules: stages, roles, reports partly partly partly
All steps in one place — — —
No manual steps between programs partly partly —

By the public descriptions of the products and their category.

Ready-made workflow platforms cover approvals, task automation, and parts of reporting, while practice and document platforms focus on narrower operations.

A ready-made product is enough when the firm needs only one of these functions. This client needed Microsoft 365 connections, its own workflow rules, and reporting in one coordinated system.

The parts are spread across separate product categories, and the connections between them still require configuration and integration work.

In the end

In the end, the solution was made to reduce manual work from a professional services request through approval and reporting.

FAQ

Thinking about building a similar system? Read the answers below to see how Power Automate, Power Apps, SharePoint, and reporting can fit into one business process.

Need something similar? Let's talk
Or browse more projects