Project Summary
Internal purchasing at organization operated through email chains, paper forms, and informal approval processes — creating lost requests, inconsistent sign-offs, no audit trail, and zero status visibility for operations staff and requestors. We designed and deployed a Power Apps Purchasing Request Dashboard automating the complete procurement lifecycle: from line-item request submission with detailed descriptions through multi-level manager approval stages, automated email notifications, real-time status tracking, and secure SharePoint data storage providing full audit documentation for the organization's compliance requirements.
Challenge
Purchase requests managed by email and paper produced no centralized tracking, approval bottlenecks with no escalation path, no audit history for finance review, and left operations staff completely uninformed on request status — problematic for a compliance-aware nonprofit with accountability obligations to funders and oversight bodies.
Key Outcomes
- Centralized purchasing system replacing all email and paper processes — every request tracked from submission through final approval in a single interface
- Multi-level approval workflow with automated email notifications and real-time status updates keeping all stakeholders informed at every stage
- Dual-role manager interface enabling approvers who oversee multiple approval levels to act on requests from a single unified view
- All purchasing data stored securely in SharePoint with full audit trail meeting compliance and record-keeping requirements for nonprofit accountability
- Full operations staff visibility into the approval chain status, eliminating status-inquiry emails and eliminating process bottlenecks
- Streamlined, transparent purchasing process improving efficiency and accountability across the entire organization’s procurement function