Valto launches new project management PowerApp for the Microsoft Power Platform

CHESTER, Cheshire, United Kingdom. — November 4, 2020 — Valto IT Services announces the launch of its new PowerApps product built on the Microsoft Power Platform. The product is targeted to businesses & organisations that need accurate time tracking within their projects.

Valto chose to create this product earlier this year in response to the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as organizations are adapting to “the new normal” of remote work strategies. Within the current environment, businesses face additional challenges when maintaining control of projects and ensuring that budgets and timelines stay on track.

“Valto is pleased to invest in the Microsoft Power Platform, and we clearly see the benefits it provides across our client base,” said Hugh Valentine, Managing Director of Valto. “This tool will revolutionize the way companies approach application development.”

Valto’s PowerApp provides two types of time input. Organisations can choose to use either or both, depending on how their teams operate.

Timesheet input

This input type is the more-traditional timesheet typically used by teams to provide high-level time-against-project data, often retrospectively throughout the week.

The benefits:

  • It’s less taxing on employees to enter ballpark time estimations against projects
  • The approach lends itself well to larger projects that span months or longer

The downside is that organizations that work with smaller projects of just a few days may not receive timely or accurate results.

Timesheet 2

Quick actions input

This type of input is designed to be entered whenever an action is complete. Users of the Valto PowerApp who employ this method would keep the app open on their devices throughout the day and use it to enter task times. Via quick actions input, after a task is completed, its category can be logged, along with whether it’s a chargeable task, the time spent doing it (configurable to any unit of time), and any comments about the task itself.

Quick Actions

Microsoft Lists

The data that the PowerApp captures is stored via the Microsoft Lists app, making the project management information easily accessible via tables. The data can also be exported to Microsoft Excel in just a single click.

Power App can create lists for adding new projects and managing employee resources. These features allow organsations to specify:

  • Day rate, to calculate project profitability
  • Team, to determine team-specific time reports
  • Manager, for any escalations or discrepancies in time
  • Job role, to specify the types of tasks users can report on
Lists

Microsoft 365 Planner integration

Our new product is integrated with Microsoft 365 Planner, which allows users to create tasks by using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Because Planner doesn’t provide time-reporting capabilities for tasks, users can employ our solution to record time entries for Planner projects.

Planner

Teams integration

Our new PowerApp can also be embedded into a Microsoft Teams tab, making it easy for employees to enter information about the time they spend on each project. Everything they need, including conversations, files, and time recording, are all in one place.

“Our Team has worked exceptionally hard to deliver this solution on PowerApps.” said Dougie Wood, Lead Cloud Developer of Valto. “We’re pleased with the support and product offerings that Microsoft provide us on this platform.”

“Companies like Valto add value by building solutions for the Microsoft Power Platform,” said said Richard Riley, Senior Director, Power Platform Marketing at Microsoft Corp. “Valto Power App demonstrates how solutions can be built that integrate with multiple Microsoft 365 products and project management capabilities to help organizations improve their performance in these challenging times.”

About Valto

Valto is a Microsoft Gold partner specialising in digital transformation through Microsoft 365, Power Apps, SharePoint and Azure. Learn more about Valto and get a demonstration of our PowerApps products from our Microsoft approved PowerApps Flow Developers.