Power Framework PPM
FAQs
Project Life Cycle
Project Lifecycle in Power Framework PPM is a flexible, configurable framework supporting customizable stages, idea/intake management, contextual registers, automated workflows, enforced governance, early project rejection, and AI-powered lessons learned.
It promotes standardization and efficiency through consistent structures, templates, common registers, role-based permissions, automated approvals/transitions, and seamless integration with scheduling tools.
Yes, Power Framework PPM supports configurable project life cycles.
The platform is built on the Microsoft Power Platform (using Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Dataverse), making it completely configurable and extensible. This allows organizations to fully customize project lifecycles to match their processes.
Yes. Project types (referred to as project tracks) determine which lifecycle stages apply.
For example:
- Light Track might have fewer stages
- Full Track might include stages like Benefits Realisation
Changing the track immediately updates the lifecycle structure.
Stage progression can be controlled through:
- Checklists or completion criteria
- Approvals
- Automated workflows
- Role-based permissions
Yes. Project life cycles can start with an Idea or Request stage.
Ideas can be submitted via different channels such as:
- Microsoft Forms
- SharePoint Lists
- Service desk tools (via integration)
- Direct entry in Power Framework PPM
Ideas can be accepted, rejected, or progressed into concept development.
Registers appear contextually, meaning only the relevant ones for the current stage are shown.
Examples:
- Early stages: risks, benefits register, documents
- Later stages: change requests, lessons learned
This keeps the interface clean and guides Project Managers (PMs) through appropriate governance.
Yes. Workflows can be configured to:
- → Notify reviewers
- → Capture formal approvals
- → Automatically move the project to the next stage
- → Enforce governance rules
Workflow configuration is aligned to your existing processes.
Yes. At intake or any early lifecycle stage, projects can be rejected with:
- A reason captured
- (Optionally) A notification sent to the requester
This prevents unnecessary effort on unsuitable projects.
Yes. At the appropriate stage (e.g., when a project passes concept), the system can automatically generate a linked plan, in the planning tool of choice.
Through:
- A consistent lifecycle structure
- Standardised templates (PID, highlight reports, etc.)
- Common registers
- Automated workflows
- Enforced roles and permissions
These features ensure standardisation, improve governance, reduce risk of non-compliance, and help teams deliver projects more predictably and efficiently.
Yes. The life cycle includes Lessons Learned, supported by an AI engine that:
- Reviews historical lessons across similar projects
- Highlights relevant insights
- Suggests actions based on past experience
This intelligent support helps teams avoid repeating past mistakes, accelerate learning, and continuously improve project delivery outcomes.
Yes. Templates such as PIDs can be populated with project data and generated instantly, saving significant PM time.
Working With Different Scheduling Tools
Power Framework PPM integrates with various scheduling tools (e.g., Microsoft Planner Premium, Microsoft Project, Azure DevOps, Jira, Smartsheet) rather than providing its own, allowing teams to use their preferred tools.
It ensures consistent resource management, governance, and portfolio reporting by maintaining a central resource pool, independently attaching resource demand, and normalizing key data (especially milestones) into Microsoft Dataverse for unified Power BI dashboards—even across mixed-tool environments.
No. Power Framework PPM does not provide its own scheduling engine or task management tool – there are enough of those in existence already, within the Microsoft platform or third-party solutions.
Instead, it integrates with the scheduling tools you choose to use (e.g., Planner Premium, Microsoft Project, Azure DevOps), avoiding the need to reinvent functionality that already exists and allowing your team to use tools they are already familiar with.
Power Framework PPM supports integration with several tools, including:
- Microsoft Planner Premium
- Microsoft Project (desktop versions)
- Azure DevOps
- Other tools like Jira, Smartsheet, and many others that are open to integration.
As an organisation, you need to decide which ones work best for different use cases or teams. Power Framework PPM will be set up to automatically provision the plan in the appropriate tool based on your business rules and project categories.
Yes. Each project can be linked to a different scheduling tool. For example, simple businessled projects might use Planner Premium, while complex IT projects might use Microsoft Project or DevOps. This supports mixed environments without forcing a onesizefitsall approach.
Yes. Supporting Microsoft Project requires an add-on called Schedule Hub for MS Project, which extracts all project plans into a database for reporting and governance purposes.
This is an optional extra and carries an additional cost.
Even when different tools are used across projects, Power Framework PPM ensures that resources can be managed consistently.
This is achieved because it maintains its own central resource pool and provides dedicated mechanisms for attaching resource demand to projects — completely independent from the underlying project plans (although full integration with those plans is also supported when desired).
Power Framework PPM normalises key data (primarily milestones) from all scheduling tools into a single unified structure. This enables:
- Consistent highlight reporting
- Programme status views
- Portfolio dashboards
- What-if scenarios
This approach ensures governance remains consistent across the organisation — even when teams use different scheduling tools.
Resource Management
Power Framework PPM supports comprehensive resource management by enabling high-level demand capture (by role, skills, or team), capacity planning across portfolios, automated cost forecasting from effort inputs via configurable rate cards, what-if scenario modeling for optimization, resource request/approval workflows, and seamless integration with financial calculations—all within the Microsoft Power Platform ecosystem.
This pragmatic approach ensures early-stage visibility, realistic portfolio roadmaps, reduced bottlenecks, and data-driven decisions on resource allocation and utilization.Yes. Resource demand automatically flows into the investment and financial calculation. When a PM enters effort for a role (e.g., 10 days of a web developer), the system multiplies by preconfigured role rate cards to generate cost forecasts.
Yes. Generic resource demand (e.g., “Web Developer”) can be converted into named resource assignments. This occurs through a resource approval workflow, which considers availability and capacity before assigning a person.
Absolutely. During the resource request, PMs can specify skills requirements (e.g., “AI specialist who speaks French”), and the resource approval process evaluates availability and skill match.
The system flags the request, showing that no suitable resource meets the criteria (e.g., a non French speaking business analyst). PMs can see this outcome in the approval history.
Yes. The platform includes a portfolio level resource modelling tool, showing a heatmap of resource demand versus capacity across selected projects. Overallocations appear in red, enabling proactive scenario planning.
Absolutely. During the resource request, PMs can specify skills requirements (e.g., “AI specialist who speaks French”), and the resource approval process evaluates availability and skill match.
Yes. The tool supports interactive WhatIf modelling, allowing you to shift project timelines, pause projects, adjust durations, or exclude projects and immediately see the effect on resource capacity and portfolio feasibility
Yes. Resource roles and skills can be configured and even integrated with other organisational systems (e.g., HR systems) to ensure accurate skills and capabilities for resource selection.
Yes. Resource managers are part of an approval workflow where they review demand, verify availability, and assign individuals accordingly. Full visibility of capacity ensures informed decisions.
Yes. Even if a work management tool doesn’t track effort (such as DevOps), resource estimates can still be created topdown within PPM so that resource modelling and financial forecasting are complete
Yes. Rates for each role can be configured centrally (CapEx/OpEx definitions included). These rate cards drive the auto calculated cost forecasts used for financial reporting.
Timesheets
Power Framework PPM provides modern, user-friendly timesheets integrated directly within Microsoft Teams, allowing team members to easily enter actual effort (including project and non-project time) on configurable periods, with projects/activities added by PMs or admins, and submissions handled by the individual or delegates.
Timesheet entries flow automatically into project cost calculations for accurate forecasting, require configurable approval workflows (with notifications, disputes, and resolutions), and offer comprehensive reporting on utilization, actuals, and financial impacts across portfolios.
Timesheets are completed through a user interface that displays open periods and pre-populates projects with assigned resource demand. The relevant week is selected, and hours are entered for each project and activity.
Only projects with assigned resource demand for the team member will appear. To log time for a new project, a resource must be added to the project by the project manager.
Activities such as project meetings, delivery work, sickness, and holiday are defined at the system level by the organization.
Timesheet periods are weekly, they can be open or closed for timesheet entry and this is automatic based on business rules (with manual override by the administrator). The oldest open period is presented for entry first when a user accesses their timesheet.
Timesheet managers have the ability to enter and submit timesheets on behalf of team members.
Timesheet approval requirements are configurable and may be set for automatic approval or require manager review, depending on organizational policy.
Project managers can see timesheets for their project, and they can dispute individual entries. Disputed timesheets are flagged and must be recalled and resubmitted. During a recall timesheets are excluded from project actuals until resolved.
Notification processes, such as email alerts, can be configured using automation tools.
Approved timesheet entries automatically update actual hours and costs in the associated project, which is reflected in project reporting.
The system features a whole range of reports, for governance (e.g. showing missing timesheets) and time analytics (such as actuals by project or any aggregation of project categories).
Investment & Financial Management
Power Framework PPM supports investment & financial management with high-level and detailed forecasting, standardised CBS structures, automatic resource cost integration via rate cards, actual cost tracking from timesheets, multi-year budgeting, programme-to-project budget allocation, configurable what-if scenarios, portfolio-level variance/ROI reporting, and ERP/accounting integration—all fully customisable to match organisational processes.
This delivers accurate financial modelling, strategic investment planning, scenario analysis, and data-driven decisions to maximise portfolio value and minimise financial risk.
The platform includes a dedicated investment planning module where project managers build financial forecasts for their projects, see allocated budgets and monitor actuals. This covers annual, quarterly and monthly breakdowns, cost categories, CapEx/OpEx allocation, integrations with resourcedriven costs and other data sources.
Yes. Financial data can be maintained at:
- Annual or Quarterly level (highlevel estimates)
- Monthly level (detailed, time-phased)
- Individual Transaction level (very detailed, referencing individual financial transactions)
Users can switch views easily and overtype values directly to refine projections.
Yes. The ability to configure your organisation’s specific hierarchical CBS comes with the tool. Cost categories can be linked to CapEx/OpEx definitions to ensure consistent financial reporting across projects, programmes, and portfolios.
Resource demand entered in the Resource Management tab automatically flows into the investment model. This includes:
- Preconfigured role rates
- Time-phased demand
- Automatic cost rollups
Resource costs appear with a shaded blue background to indicate autocalculation. Clicking on these values shows a breakdown of cost transactions.
Yes. Actuals (such as vendor invoices or accounting system charges) can be integrated into the system. These appear in the cost breakdown and contribute to variance calculations between forecast, budget, and actual spend.
Yes. The platform supports integrations via Power Platform connectors, allowing:
- Actual costs from financial systems
- Supplier or vendor data
- Cost transactions
- Budget allocations
The Power Platform’s broad connectivity enables importing actuals into the investment model.
Yes. Programme budgets can be assigned to projects, and projectlevel forecasts roll back up to the programme budget for variance analysis and oversight.
A full Power BI reporting suite is provided, including:
- Portfoliolevel budget vs. forecast vs. actuals
- Programme breakdowns
- Year-over-year investment reporting
- Category-based spend analysis
Users can drill from portfolio → programme → project to investigate issues or variances.
Yes. The system supports multiple financial years, with forecasts and budgets recorded per year and aggregated upward. Portfolio reporting includes multiyear breakdowns of budgets and consumption.
Yes. Scenario based What If modelling allows users to:
- Shift project start/end dates
- Pause or split projects
- Change delivery windows
- Manipulate timelines to observe financial and resource impacts
The system visualises the effect of timeline changes on overall investment levels and resource requirements.
The PPM Software Tool tracks:
- Before vs. after comparisons
- The sequence of modelling actions
- Visual overlays showing investment impact
Scenarios can be saved, cloned, and compared for strategic decisionmaking.
Yes. Cost categories, approval workflows, CBS hierarchy, CapEx/OpEx, and financial year structures are all fully configurable to match the organisation’s financial governance framework.
Risk Management
Power Framework PPM offers robust risk management through configurable likelihood/impact scoring, multi-level tracking (project, programme, portfolio), centralized dashboards for all risks, Excel export for bulk updates, audit trails, entity linking (e.g., suppliers), AI-assisted suggestions, portfolio/programme reporting, and lessons learned integration—all within Microsoft Power Platform.
This supports proactive identification, mitigation, governance, real-time visibility, and reduced uncertainty to protect portfolio outcomes.
Yes. Risks can be raised and tracked at:
- Project level
- Programme level
- Portfolio level
Yes. Since risk data is stored in a central database, users can view all risks across all projects and programmes in a single consolidated view. This enables enterpriselevel reporting and analysis.
Yes. Risk lists can be opened directly in Excel, where PMO teams can perform mass editing and then save changes back into the system—extremely useful for bulk updates or migration activities.
Yes. Each risk includes field-level audit history, showing who changed what and when — helpful for governance and compliance.
Yes. The system supports creating related entities, such as suppliers. Risks can be linked to these entities, enabling insights such as:
- All risks related to a specific supplier
- Issues or milestones dependent on that supplier
- Crossproject supplierrelated risk exposure
The built-in AI assistant can:
- Suggest relevant risks based on project information
- Insert recommended risks directly into the risk register
This helps project teams avoid overlooking common or historical risk patterns.
Yes. The system provides dashboard reporting in Power BI that consolidates risks across:
- Projects
- Programmes
- Portfolios
Users can drill into risk severity, ownership, categories, and overdue items.
Through the AI Lessons Learned feature, the system can analyse similar past projects and produce risk-related recommendations, helping teams avoid repeating past mistakes.
Security & Compliance
Power Framework securely stores your data in your Microsoft 365 tenant with enterprise-grade security, configurable role-based access controls, and key compliance certifications including ISO 27001, ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials, and G-Cloud.
Our solutions also provide full support for U.S. defense and public sector requirements such as Microsoft 365 GCC High, DoD IL4/IL5, NIST SP 800-53, ITAR, and CUI.
Visit our Security page to learn more.
All data is stored within your organization’s Microsoft 365 environment, leveraging existing security, compliance, and authentication mechanisms. User access is managed through Microsoft 365 accounts, with configurable roles and permissions.
Yes, security roles can be defined to restrict access to risks by business unit, department, or other criteria, ensuring users only see and manage relevant risks.
Power Framework holds key certifications that demonstrate our commitment to quality, information security, and cybersecurity best practices — making us a trusted partner for public sector and regulated organizations.
We are an approved G-Cloud Supplier on the UK Government’s G-Cloud framework, enabling fast, compliant procurement of our PPM, RISK, and Planner solutions.
We are certified to:
- ISO/IEC 27001 — Information Security Management
- ISO 9001 — Quality Management
- Cyber Essentials — confirming robust protection against common cyber threats
Additionally, for US Customers in the defense and public sector, our solutions are compliant with Microsoft 365 GCC High and DoD environments, which meet:
- NIST SP 800-53 controls at FIPS 199 High Categorization
- DoD Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide (SRG) Impact Level 4 (IL4) equivalency (GCC High) and IL5 (DoD environment)
- Requirements for DFARS, ITAR, and CUI protection
Combined with our unique model—your data stays securely in your own Microsoft cloud tenant. This provides enterprise-grade assurance while keeping things straightforward and collaborative.
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Discover how Power Framework PPM — built natively on Microsoft Power Platform — delivers intelligent resource planning, automatic financial forecasting, proactive risk management, and seamless collaboration that drives real results.