Andworx goal was to build a fast, accurate, easy-to-maintain solution for data transfer along with an intuitive, functional tool to enhance consensus review. Leveraging the Microsoft ecosystem of Microsoft Power Platform tools, Andworx set to improve data quality and extend platform accessibility for stakeholders. Through the highly customizable Microsoft Power Platform we transformed the OLDCC grants process by:

Step 1 — Use Microsoft Power Automate and Microsoft SharePoint to get applications into OLDCC system.

Using Power Automate as a data transformation engine, Andworx was able to leverage the native export and import functionality of the two systems. This approach reduced the complexity of the solution, took advantage of existing functionality to decrease development time, and allowed for manual validation of data quality.

1. Export packages from Grants.Gov with native system functionality
2. Upload packages to SharePoint library for easy-to-use cloud access. Quick configured library views enabled quick analytics on package details and easy access to key content
3. Generate validation reports and transform packages for import with Microsoft Power Automate
   1. Use xpath functions to transform and extract data elements from package
   2. Use SharePoint functions to standardize folder structure and file names
   3. Use data and Excel functions to create reports and mapping files for review
4. Import packages into OLDCC GMS using native system functionality

Step 2 — Use Microsoft Power Apps in Microsoft Teams to facilitate Consensus Review.

Using Power Apps embedded in Microsoft Teams, Andworx was able to visualize review scores in an intuitive and interactive format. This approach eliminated the need for manual data manipulation in spreadsheets, simplified the review process, reduced dependency on ongoing IT support, and accelerated the review timeline. Loaded with relevant review data from the OLDCC GMS, the one-screen canvas Power App has several features:

1. An expandable gallery showing total review scores when collapsed and each individual score when expanded.
2. A “hypothetical score” column that allows the reviewer to gameplay changing their score to see the impact that it has on the ranking
3. A “recommended” checkbox that shows the sum of the selected application’s requested funding to ensure the recommended list stays under the allocated amount

Sharing the app through Teams made it easy to share and a familiar experience for reviewers, regardless of their service branch or DoD Agency.

By leveraging Microsoft Power Automate and Microsoft SharePoint for the system-to-system transfer, Andworx was able to achieve the shortest upload time of any previous process or solution (a few hours vs. several days in the previous year) with zero data loss from the original grants.gov package. This in turn led to higher confidence in the process for stakeholders, reduced rework, and saved reviewer’s time. Long term, technical debt of IaaS services and complex code was eliminated in favor of low-code Power Automate flows saved directly in the Microsoft tenant.

The Microsoft Power App in Microsoft Teams presented an easy-to-access, polished, unified tool for reviewers and was received very well – avoiding manual spreadsheet manipulation and data quality issues.