Expanding a Power Apps 5M1E production-line form app with approval workflows for an automotive parts manufacturer in Thailand

How the brief came about

The task in this case was to roll out the form app built by the customer's team to every production line. Several sets of paper forms had to move into the app, such as 5M1E change record forms, abnormal workpiece report forms, repair work (Rework) and shift reports. With paper forms, supervisors had to collect documents for signed approval and had to search back through several sets of files when a quality problem occurred.

Each line has a different name, part list and approvers, so copying the app line by line was a large amount of repetitive work that had to be correct at every point.

Requirements and constraints

This work had to use the customer's app and source files as its base and had to be repeated identically on every line. The main requirements and constraints were as follows.

• The total plan was 58 lines, handed over by the customer in batches, with 6 lines in the first batch.
• The prototype app has 37 pages per line. Many pages needed fixes at points where the app reported errors, and every line needed the correct production line name entered on the app pages.
• Each line's part code list (Part No.) was in an Excel file and had to be imported into SharePoint before use.
• Approvers differ by report type, and some reports must pass through several stages.
• Installation on the customer's Microsoft system via VPN (an encrypted remote network connection).
• The project plan identified changes to the scope of work along the way as one of the risks.

Why not write a new app for each line?

The work requirements specified using the customer's app and source files as the base. The customer's team had already designed the app pages and the SharePoint database, so our work was to copy and adapt the app correctly for each line and to build all the approval flows.

Deliverables

The scope of the first phase covered the apps for the first batch of 6 production lines, the approval flows and the documents specified in the scope of work, namely:

• Apps on Power Apps, 37 pages per line, with error points fixed and line names added
• Part code lists (Part No.) imported from Excel files into SharePoint
• Approval flows on Power Automate that route items by report type, with links back to the app
• Installation on the customer's system via VPN
• Development documents, work acceptance forms and user manuals

Each line's app works through the same steps, as follows.

1. 1

   Log in and select a department

   Staff log in with their employee ID and select their own department or production line, and the app then takes them to that line's report page.

2. 2

   Fill in the line's forms

   Daily 5M1E change records by shift, line patrol sheets (LL Patrol), process control and safety, abnormal workpiece reports, rework, defects, shift reports, Kaizen plans (continuous improvement plans) and records of abnormality-spotting practice (Ijiwaru Test).

3. 3

   Saved to SharePoint

   Data from each form is stored in that line's SharePoint list. The part code list imported from the Excel file is immediately available for selection during data entry.

4. 4

   Route for approval with Power Automate

   The flow routes items to the team leader (TL), manager or quality assurance (QA) for approval according to report type. Rework goes through the team leader and the manager and then reaches QA. Every step includes a link back to the app page.

5. 5

   View reports and print

   Supervisors view charts of abnormal workpiece counts, rework and defect proportions, view plan vs actual output for the morning meeting (Asakai), and print 5M1E change record forms and daily or monthly forms from the app.

How was this app extended from the first batch of lines to other lines?

This app was extended in phases, starting with the first batch of production lines and then moving on to other groups of lines in phase 2. Working in batches made it possible to test the app on real lines before copying further. The sequence of work was as follows.

1. First phase, Feb–Mar 2022: copied and adapted the app for the first batch of 6 production lines and built the approval flows. Our 2022 annual project summary states that this phase was successful.
2. Phase 2: the customer commissioned further work to extend the app and the LL Patrol form to other groups of production lines. The same summary states that this phase was completed on schedule.

Confirmed results from project documents

The confirmed results for this case come from 2 sets of documents: our 2022 annual project summary, which states the status of each phase as in the work sequence above, and the acceptance test list (Exit Criteria) dated 23 Mar 2022.

The test list runs from login, selecting a department in the first-batch line zone, and saving and printing 5M1E change record forms, through to approval. This document sets out which tests the work must pass, but it is not a record of acceptance results. This case has no usage figures or business results from after the app went into use, so we report only what is supported by documents.

What we learned

This work offers the following principles for extending a form app across multiple production lines.

• The prototype app must be stable before copying begins. In this work, every line had a 37-page app that had to be checked and corrected page by page. If the prototype changes after copying, all lines have to be corrected to match.
• The more of the differences between lines can be moved into data, the less work each line requires. In this work, the part code list could be imported from an Excel file, but the line name still had to be entered page by page in the app, so the copying work still grew with the number of lines.
• Approval chains must be defined by report type before the flows are built. In this work, each report had different approvers and every step needed a link back to the app. When the approval chain is clear, the approver at each step knows which reports they are responsible for.

How this approach can apply to your factory

If your factory already uses Microsoft Power Apps and SharePoint and has a prototype app for its production line forms, you can use the same approach as this case: copy the app for each line, import each line's master data, then build approval flows by report type. What needs adapting depends on your factory's forms and approval chains.

• List all report types, with the approvers at each level for each report, before requesting a quotation
• Prepare each line's master data, such as line names, part code lists, employee lists and approver email addresses
• Set the installation date and prepare VPN access rights in advance, and allow time for testing and corrections before acceptance