CASE STUDY

A Custom Notification System Enhanced Overall Governance and Collaboration in Project Portfolio Management

industry_pharmaceutical

Business Case

A global pharmaceutical company was facing issues with project governance, also their leadership team wanted updated and real-time reports regarding the performance of individual projects. They already had a data visualization system in place where all the project information was collected into a dataset connected to Power BI for report generation. However, the information was not real-time, and the project leaders were not able to get a complete picture of the project progress.

So, they required a subscription-based notification system utilizing Power BI dataset insights. This will help the line manager to receive alerts on any escalations in the tolerance values or open items before the report reaches the leadership team. The client also required flexibility in selecting notification channels, such as Outlook email/calendar invites or Teams. Additionally, they sought the capability to customize the frequency of notifications according to their preferences.

Our Solution

Our team at i2e addressed this problem by implementing a comprehensive solution using Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint, Power BI, Outlook and Teams.

The team designed a user-friendly subscription screen using Power Apps, enabling seamless customization of notification preferences. The integration of the Power BI dataset ensured real-time interaction with pertinent data, enhancing the overall user experience and data-driven decision-making. 

Power Automate played a pivotal role in managing workflows and notifications. A dynamic approach was followed to design an automated workflows to respond to changes in the Power BI dataset or frequencies set by users. Furthermore, the system was configured to send notifications through selected channels, such as Outlook or Teams, aligning with individual user preferences. 

Our experts leveraged SharePoint for secure storage of user details, preferences, and metadata, while seamlessly incorporating Power BI to extract relevant insights essential for generating notifications. In addition to this, we integrated outlook for emails and calendar information while teams in-platform notification and content for comprehensive communication solution. 

We also integrated preferences into Power Automate for personalized and flexible management of notifications channels and enabled users to choose channels for notification. 

Our team ensured a robust solution by optimizing Power Automate workflows and Power Apps for scalability, while consistently monitoring and fine-tuning for optimal performance. Implemented comprehensive security measures within SharePoint to safeguard sensitive user information, strictly adhering to data privacy and compliance standards.

Challenges Overcome

  • Ensuring that the system is flexible enough to accommodate various user needs and preferences for notifications
  • Integrating multiple Microsoft platform for seamless and customized communication
  • Achieving real-time interaction with Power BI dataset especially when dealing with large datasets

Benefits

  • Preferred notification channels and frequencies for a more engaging experience.
  • Subscription-based system ensures timely and relevant updates, enhancing collaboration and information sharing.
  • Manual efforts reduced allowing users to focus on critical tasks and not miss important updates.
  • Accurate and up-to-date information for notifications by integrating SharePoint and Power BI.
  • Integration with Outlook and Teams aligns with Office 365, providing a familiar environment for users.
  • Users have control over when and how they receive notifications, improving overall satisfaction.
  • Adherence to privacy standards and security measures ensures compliance and protects sensitive information.
  • Access to timely and relevant information through Power BI notifications supports informed decision-making.

Results

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