Power Platform is a sensible option when a business process needs an app, automation, analysis or agent and the organisation can govern the data and support the result. It is not automatically the right answer, and no honest list can promise a build time without knowing the process.
Use these 13 patterns to start discovery, not to skip it.
1. Equipment inspection app
Use Power Apps for data capture, Power Automate for escalation and SharePoint or Dataverse for records. Decide whether offline use, photos, location and signatures are genuinely required. Prove that failed saves are visible before sending people into the field.
2. Approval and exception workflow
Use Power Automate to route a request, record decisions and escalate overdue work. Define delegation, cancellation, duplicate submissions and the system of record. An emailed approval is not automatically a compliant audit process.
3. Employee onboarding coordinator
Coordinate tasks across HR, IT, facilities and a manager. Keep sensitive HR data in an approved system and pass only the minimum required information. Test late starts, cancelled hires and missing owners.
4. Service request app
Give users a consistent form and status view, then route work by category. A Power Apps front end does not replace service ownership, priority rules or support hours.
5. Inventory or stock check
Capture counts, adjustments and discrepancies. Dataverse can provide stronger relational and security capabilities than a simple list, but its licensing and capacity must be checked. Decide which system owns the official stock position.
6. Document review and renewal
Use SharePoint for documents and metadata, with Power Automate for reminders and approvals. Separate content approval from formal records or compliance controls. Confirm retention and disposition requirements with the responsible team.
7. Sales activity tracker
Record leads, actions and follow-ups when a full CRM is not justified. Do not build a shadow CRM that duplicates Dynamics 365 or another owned platform. Address access, deletion and reporting before importing customer data.
8. Project portfolio view
Collect a small set of agreed status fields, then use Power BI for analysis. A dashboard cannot repair inconsistent definitions or late updates. Assign each metric an owner and refresh check.
9. Expense or purchase request
Capture the request, approval and evidence. Finance must define coding, authority, tax and retention rules. Do not treat a prototype as an accounting control.
10. Customer or supplier portal
Power Pages can expose approved data and processes externally. External identity, anonymous or authenticated capacity, data permissions and licensing need specialist review. Test every table permission with an external-style account.
11. Document data extraction
Use AI Builder and Power Automate to extract fields from invoices or forms. Consumption depends on the AI feature and context. Keep human review for low-confidence or consequential values, and measure error against a representative sample.
12. Knowledge assistant
Use Copilot Studio where an agent can answer from approved knowledge or take bounded actions. Permissions, source quality, generative answers, capacity and escalation all need design. A good demonstration is not proof that every answer is correct.
13. Process improvement dashboard
Combine operational data with Power BI to show volume, delay and exceptions. Protect row-level data, document transformations and test refresh failures. Report definitions matter more than attractive visuals.
Choose the product after defining the process
Power Platform includes Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Power Pages and Copilot Studio, with Dataverse providing a shared data and security layer for many solutions. These products have different licences, limits and administration models.
Before choosing a pattern, answer:
- Who owns the process and data?
- Who builds, approves and supports the solution?
- Which identities and connectors are involved?
- Does every user have the required licence?
- What data-loss-prevention policies apply?
- What is the recovery route?
- What test would prove the business outcome?
Start with one risky assumption and test it in a non-production environment. Do not start by building every screen.
For practical help shaping a use case into a testable Power Apps design, join the Power Apps Builders Space.