Establishing a Centre of Excellence framework for Power Platform transforms business applications into business solutions, empowering and improving the workings of your organisation.  

The Microsoft Power Platform is an incredible suite of business applications which everyday provides millions of people the opportunity to create something better than the status quo, the ability to make a change. However, with the unlimited opportunities the Power Platform provides, adoption can quickly spiral out of control. This is where Centre of Excellence comes into play.  

Knowledge share with like-minded peers, set governance in your organisation and nurture a culture of innovation with Power Platform Centre of Excellence.  

What is a Centre of Excellence?

The concept of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) is that of a centralised function with the purpose to drive innovation and improvement across an organisation. It allows people from different teams and departments to align organisational goals and breakdown silos, with an aim for collective progression. Its overarching goal is to encourage efficiency and empowerment.  

Why do you need a Centre of Excellence for Power Platform?

The Microsoft Power Platform was created to empower every citizen in an organisation to solve problems and create business solutions. It is a platform that offers boundless opportunities and is digitally transforming organisations across the globe. However, the freedom and agility the platform provides can present challenges in terms of control and governance. The low code/no code nature of the platform naturally encourages rapid adoption. If usage is unmanaged, it can be difficult to monitor security, compliance and data, or have any clear oversight of your organisation’s digital activity. 

A CoE provides standards, consistency, governance, knowledge sharing and training. It aligns the use of the Power Platform with best practice and allows this to be shared with every user. It is a centralised function, supported by a structure of users, champions and admins who manage control whilst encouraging growth.  

Having centralised best practice within your organisation, empowers Power Platform users to spot opportunities for improvement, share success and streamline workflows. This, in turn, means efforts are aligned to organisation-wide goals and not siloed within a departmental or team.   

What are the benefits?

  • One single view of all Power Platform components across your organisation.  
  • Consistency of use throughout functions and departments. 
  • Freedom for users to fully utilise the tools you have invested in.  
  • Knowledge sharing to reduce skillset silos.  
  • In-depth monitoring of usage, with clear oversight of what is being used and where. 

Getting started with Power Platform Centre of Excellence

When implementing a CoE, it is key to set clear objectives. You must understand why you are setting up a CoE and define what you aim to accomplish. This will ensure the correct processes and tools are in place for your organisation.  

Microsoft provides a collection of technical tools and components in its Centre of Excellence Starter Kit. This is a great tool as it provides you with the basic template from which you can build your CoE. However, as the name suggests, it is merely a starting point, and there is a lot of work required to extend the solution and adapt processes to your organisation requirements. Establishing the goals of your CoE and setting up the required internal CoE structures can be challenging and time-consuming without knowledge of the Power Platform and CoE philosophy.  

The value of a Power Platform partner

Establishing a Power Platform CoE with partner expertise, is the best way for an organisation to embed excellence into Power Platform usage in a lasting, impactful way. At Incremental, our Power Platform experts can help you align your ambitions with a CoE program. Once established, a CoE will allow ongoing management and monitoring of a Power Platform estate, giving you the tools to independently optimise your Power Platform usage.