A variety of request processes were handled throughout the entire company via paper or email. Van Leeuwen wanted to replace this fragmented approach with a centralized, interfaced system that could manage requests from submission to approval. We developed a system using Microsoft Power Platform, leveraging both Power Apps and Power Automate.
Van Leeuwen is a globally operating trading company and specialist in steel pipes and pipe and tube applications. The company is headquartered in Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands, and globally active with some 70 offices and warehouse locations in more than 32 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and North America. The family-owned company was founded in 1924. With a history of almost a century as a specialized business partner, Van Leeuwen lives up to its promise of delivering “more than tubes”.
Van Leeuwen was using paper and email to handle approvals for various types of requests. The objective was to replace these outdated approval flows with a centralized digital system. Since Van Leeuwen already used Microsoft 365, leveraging the Power Platform was a logical next step. Automating notifications for both submitters and approvers, and enabling the storage and tracking of approvals in a single system, would significantly improve the overall process. Especially because approvals can involve multiple levels within the organization. The goal was to standardize all request approvals using the Power Platform.
We first addressed governance and architecture before starting development. Governance was implemented by creating separate environments for development, testing and production, ensuring that production data was isolated. For architecture, we reviewed available tools within the existing licenses. The chosen setup included multiple canvas apps -one per request type- to support scalability and remain within control limitations per app). Each app uses a separate table to support security requirements (e.g. isolation of data) per request type, while all related approvals are stored in a single table to trigger the underlying processes.
To enable reuse, several components were developed that can be used across all apps. While request forms, unique per each request type, are managed via patching within the app, all other logic is handled by cloud flows in Power Automate. This means only one workflow per process (e.g. submission, review, approval and completing) is needed, rather than one workflow per step per app. This significantly reduced maintenance efforts.
The project started with a simple, generic request type to serve as a template for other request applications. A suitable request was selected, and the business provided input to fill the backlog in Azure DevOps. Based on this product backlog, the first app was developed while the business simultaneously was working on backlogs for other request types. Once the first app was complete, we had a responsive application with reusable components and cloud flows. This reduced the development time for subsequent apps.
The request apps streamline the approval process for a wide range of request types. Approvals are now handled digitally and uniformly, eliminating the risks associated with paper or email trails, such as versioning conflicts. All requests and approvals can be found in one central location, using a consistent interface. Although apps are separated by request type, approvers can view all pending approvals in one overview and easily navigate between apps.
The request apps have now been in production for some time. So far, approximately 3,000 approvals have been processed for around 1,000 requests. Thanks to the flexible architecture, new request types can be added quickly using of the general components and cloud flows. As a result, the original set of 8 apps has already expanded to 11 in production.
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