When I’m not being an amazing tour guide I sit in my comfy place. . . behind my computer. Many of you are already familiar with my long list of hobbies. When I’m not getting wrapped up and lost in cyberspace, I’ve taken on a second job. That job involves working with SharePoint and Power Automation functions. Surprised I’ve taken an interest in IT? Like a lot of people from my generation, I’ve loved computers since I was a child.
In grade school, one of my favorite classes was Computer Literacy. I excelled in it and enjoyed it thoroughly. A particular teacher was a guiding light when I was young, encouraging me to explore technology further. I still remember getting the chance to take apart a computer when the school upgraded its PCs. Apologies to my parents, though, for accidentally breaking a computer when I tried to overclock the CPU in an attempt to get more FPS in the free-to-play game Combat Arms.
I Do Believe in Innate Ability
One of my more polarizing beliefs is in the concept of born talent or ability. It’s not that I think humans can’t improve through hard work; I’ve personally become decent at music production and art. However, I acknowledge that I lack a certain spark, the elusive “X-Factor.” As I approach thirty, I’ve accepted that my potential in these areas has a limit.
Almost Everyone Faces that Reality At Some Point
These words are tough to swallow, but at some point, realism kicks in. While I still carry the dream of achieving greatness, I’ve grounded those dreams under layers of reality. Life demands financial stability, and so, although I love art and music, I also need to pay the bills, maintain my car, and brace for life’s inevitable expenses (especially taxes).
Archiving Past Data
To bring you up to speed, two years ago, I worked at an international school where I discovered the power of Microsoft’s platform. SharePoint and Power Automate, in particular, were instrumental in running and streamlining school operations. That year, I was approached to help build a platform that ultimately kicked off this journey. Since then, the platform has scaled well. Last year alone, over 6,500 forms were submitted, and we’ve continued optimizing the process for both students and tutors. This year, I began by archiving past data to preserve it for future reference, whether for teaching purposes or for developers like me to gain insights.
Making Another List
I use Microsft Lists to store all the data for the program. Lists is a cloud-based service on the Office 365 platform that makes data collection and storage easy. It also integrates seamlessly with other Office 365 services, allowing for easy automation. Instead of manually transferring the 6,500 items from last year, I created an automation to do the job. What could’ve taken hours was done in just 12 minutes
After choosing the list from last year I had a list with the same parameters. Now I could manually copy all 6500 items myself, but that would be time-consuming and annoying. But I’m too lazy for that. Bill Gates prefers some employees to have a touch of laziness because they often find the most efficient ways of doing things. Instead of manually copying data from one list to another I created an automation. You can see something that would have taken me ages was completed in just 12 minutes. For small data sets, you could hit ctrl+c and move to your new list and hit ctrl+v. However, with the amount of data we were now dealing with it was easier to use automation. Automation is something that they should teach in school and every employee.
Excel Document
Excel is much more powerful than most people realize. It’s designed for crunching numbers and analyzing data. I set up an automation to transfer our data into an Excel table for easier manipulation and analysis.
Moving Forward
I’ve realized that using Microsoft Lists for large datasets isn’t the most efficient method. Moving forward, I’ll likely explore Azure to find better solutions.
Deleting Old Responses
The scariest part of this process was deleting old responses, even after backing everything up. But it’s important to keep the system running smoothly without old data clogging the servers.
Adding a Feature Scaled Grading System
Previously, our grading system was on a 1:1 ratio. Now, we’ve implemented a more sophisticated grading scale, with credits assigned based on the weight of the activity. I created another list to store predefined points for activities, making it easier to adjust scores centrally without having to hard-code them into the automation.
Database Creation
After checking the original form language for consistency, I moved the fixed values from Excel into lists. This process required some retroactive adjustments to ensure everything functioned correctly.
Creating Another Cloud Flow
In the beginning, my workflows were long, convoluted strings of conditions, which was inefficient and confusing. This year, I’ve learned to set up flows in a more organized manner, making them easier to modify and troubleshoot.
As the name suggests these flows can cascade and trigger other flows. This allows us to compartmentalize the flow-building process and can make it easier to address issues, modify existing workflows, and improve them moving forward. When set up well this business automation functions like a professionally minded Rube Goldberg machine saving hundreds of tedious manhours in the process.
The Flow Works When The Submission is Added
When a new item is added to the list, Power Automate assigns a corresponding value based on the data I’ve stored. This was a significant task crossed off the list!
Modifying a Process Based on Feedback
Last year, we struggled with a “needs revision” status for submissions that just missed passing. We’ve since developed a more streamlined process to help students modify their submissions, making it clearer for both students and teachers.
Power Apps
We rely on Power Apps for much of the platform’s heavy lifting. While I know there’s more potential to be unlocked, the functionality is there for now, and that’s what matters. We’ll work on optimizing the aesthetics later.
Writing Documentation on How to Use The Software
Since the software is being rolled out at multiple schools, it’s crucial to document the process thoroughly. Clear documentation helps ensure smooth implementation and serves as a reminder for myself on how everything functions.
Repeat the Sequence
If you got that title reference I know you did some P90x a decade ago. Anyway, what I mean by repeating the sequence is I have to build the same platform on another school’s website. Building the same platform for other schools becomes easier as I gain more experience. However, I remain open to redesigning and improving the system as I learn more.
Building the Sharepoint Site
I had some trouble with some of the permissions with the Shanghai site. After some correspondence with the Shanghai IT team things were cleared and I hastily got to work building the base websites and media libraries. It was nice to get started finally. Being stuck when it is beyond your control feels like being stuck in traffic. There’s nothing you can do but wait.
Because I had my other school sites and automation as a reference work went easy as I was already following an established path. I accomplished so much work at a record pace and now I’m at the final and most time-consuming part of the platform which is building the PowerApps platform.
Finally, I’m at the closing stages of development so I can set a meeting with the Shanghai teams. Do small-scale testing, followed by training, and then finally push it out to the rest of the school
Making Patch Notes
I’ve borrowed the concept of “patch notes” from video games to inform staff about changes to the system. Patch notes don’t need the fine detail of work logs but should address key concerns and improvements.
Development Push
As last year, this is the busiest time of year, and I’ve been working full days to make up for lost time and ensure that everything is ready before the school year starts. I’m pleased with the progress, and I can’t wait for the teachers to use the new system. We have regular meetings scheduled during this push, and I recently provided a PowerPoint for an important presentation, which was confirmed to be helpful.
Gantt Chart
I’ve included a Gnatt chart to track the progress of the schools easier. I’m needing support following up on the schools that we gave presentations too.
Much Love,
LaidbackMarco
