First announced in September 2024, the Power Apps Plan Designer has now been launched by Microsoft in public preview.
What is the Plan Designer?
The Plan Designer is a Copilot-driven tool that is able to take your description of a business problem and automatically build a complete solution based on generated user stories. This includes:
- Generating the required data tables and relationships between them
- Creating the necessary security roles for the varying types of users that will be interacting with your new solution
- Building the appropriate model-driven and canvas apps for your users to access and the Power Automate flows to handle any required automation
How does the Plan Designer work?
- Describe the problem that requires a solution
- Once Copilot has analysed your requirements, a set of user roles and user stories will be generated. Each story is something that that role needs to be able to do in the new solution. Review these stories and once you are happy with the final list, click Accept.
- Copilot now determines the tables required to hold your solution’s information
These tables and columns within them can be modified at this stage if required. - The required user experiences will then be determined. These are the apps applicable to each role and the automation that will accompany them
- Once all the sections have been completed, you can save your Plan as a proposal and generate each element as required.
Are there any limitations of the Plan Designer?
Yes. As the designer is currently in preview, it still lacks maturity in some areas. Its current limitations can be found here. While in preview, it is not recommended for use for production solutions.
How do I enable the Plan Designer?
- Visit the Power Apps Maker Portal.
- Ensure that “Try the new Power Apps experience” (viewable in the upper-right of the screen) is turned on
Summary
It is interesting to see Microsoft utilising its Copilot technologies to create start-to-finish business solutions. Whether it will be suitable for complex business scenarios remains to be seen, but for small-scope problem solving, the Plan Designer could save solution architects significant time. If you are an existing Strategy 365 client and want to explore this new functionality and need assistance in accessing it, please get in touch with one of our experts who can guide you through the process.
