The library initiated a new workflow process in 2021 to pre-approve staff generated grant proposals before they were submitted to grantors. After initially using a combination of Microsoft Forms as the data entry interface and SharePoint to manage the content after submission, they switched to using SharePoint for both functions. They use Microsoft Teams to manage their leadership team and Executive Director approval of each submission. Most proposals are requesting funds from the Foundation. In these cases, the pre-approval form collects the information and is provided directly to the Foundation upon pre-approval. For any other grantor, the proposal submitter will also have to complete a grantor-specific process after pre-approval. 

The current questionnaire does not allow for branching logic and has over seventy (75) questions, which should be streamlined. The process consists of various iterations of multiple reviews and revisions which turn into bottlenecks. 

PowerApps911 created a form in SharePoint for the Library with all the necessary metadata fields so that when the form is submitted, an approval workflow is started. The various stakeholders can track the form’s progress, provide revisions (if prompted), and complete a much more streamlined process. The outcome of the approval process is emailed which saves time and resources. 

• Saved time

• Greater satisfaction

• Faster turnaround time

• Streamline approval process

Microsoft SharePoint is a cloud-based service that helps organizations share and manage content, knowledge, and applications. 

Power Automate is a service that helps you create automated workflows between your favorite apps and services to synchronize files, get notifications, collect data, and more. 

Outlook is a powerful application for managing your email, contacts, and calendar.