5 Real-life Microsoft PowerApps Examples

Nicholas Church

Last updated on 03/04/2023

Your business is constantly changing and evolving. The things you do to succeed today are different to the things you did five years ago and they are different again to the things you will be doing in the next five years. No business can afford to stand still and it's really important that the systems you use for control are as agile as you. With a challenge like that, a PowerApps solution is one way to achieve your goal.

What is PowerApps?

PowerApps, developed by Microsoft, is a low-code solution designed in such a way to enable citizen developers the ability to quickly design and address specific business challenges. Whether it be small mobile canvas apps or large structured model-driven apps, PowerApps provides businesses the tools they need to build tactical, agile and fully functional apps that can be used across multiple business users.

Benefits of Low Code

The growing popularity of low-code platforms stems from the need to accommodate new business requirements as quickly as possible. For most business departments, it's simply not a viable alternative to wait for a bespoke application to be designed, specified and built when the requirement is needed immediately.

Low-code solutions, such as PowerApps, provide a practical solution to this challenge. With a low-code platform, businesses can skip the process of building and provisioning infrastructure, as the necessary components are already in place. They can also empower departments to own and build their solutions without the need for dedicated IT support. Departmental citizen developers can take on this responsibility, converting requirements quickly and effectively to meet the evolving need.

5 PowerApps Examples

PowerApps are ultimately as flexible as your imagination and requirements will take you. In this context, we will highlight a few solutions that we have successfully implemented for our clients. These solutions showcase the quick, effortless, and cost-effective nature of PowerApps.

1. Converted Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are ubiquitous in the business world, and while they are versatile, they can sometimes morph into something that was never intended. Whole departments can end up updating and maintaining sheets simply because there is no other alternative. PowerApps offers a solution to this challenge by transforming these complex spreadsheets into simple, structured applications that bring a new level of control to the process. You can seamlessly integrate the app into your business via a Teams channel, and utilise Power BI to report on the data collected through the app.

2. Booking System

A good PowerApps example would also be a user-friendly application for booking various resources, such as meeting rooms, equipment, and parking spaces. Adding a structure to the process ensures people get what they need when they want it, with a monitoring mechanism to make any adjustments to the process. Our team has developed a successful car park booking application for one of our clients which streamlines the process of booking a space and offers a simple, effective solution.

3. Service Desk

Another simple organisational solution you can implement is a service desk tool. Historically, IT departments have utilised these tools to log and resolve technical issues related to computers and networks, however, the concept extends beyond IT. Any department that deals with incoming enquiries needs to find an efficient and accurate way of dealing with the information received. While spreadsheets (them again) often fill the gap for handling this sort of requirement, PowerApps offers a more professional and streamlined alternative. The following is an example of a Helpdesk application that can be built with PowerApps:

4. Expenses Claim

Keeping a track of expenses that are incurred is a pretty essential requirement for any finance department in order to ensure that employees are reimbursed for their costs. PowerApps can be utilized to streamline the expense tracking process through the implementation of workflows such as receipt storage, claim approval, and employee notification. The following is an example of a PowerApp that our team uses internally to submit expenses:

5. Handheld Barcode Scanner

For effective inventory management in a warehouse or shop floor environment, the ability to scan the barcode and input data based on that scan can be really time saving. PowerApps features an integrated scanning module that allows you to turn a phone into a handheld scanner, meaning you can roll out a solution to your workforce immediately without the need for purchasing expensive hardware for the job.

PowerApps Examples within other Power Platform Services

Interested to see how PowerApps is used with other Power Platform services? Check out our in-depth guide to creating a PowerApps PDF converter.

Conclusion

This article aims to provide insights into the versatility of PowerApps and its potential applications. The examples above are just some possibilities that immediately came to mind, but there are a huge range of scenarios where a PowerApp can bring significant value. If this article has sparked your interest and has given you some ideas you'd like to discuss, we'd love to hear from you.