48 hours of coding — Microsoft x P7S1
Our Process Automation team participated in the Microsoft Hackathon “Power App your Teams”.
On your marks, get set, go! It was the first time for our Process Automation team at ProSiebenSat.1 Tech Solutions to take part in a hackathon. On November 28 and 29, the team participated in the “PowerApp your Teams” event organized by Microsoft, and was able to learn a lot about the application of automation solutions — and grow even closer together as a team while coding together for 48 hours.
@Philipp, Director PPM & IT Governance at P7S1 and participant in the event tells us more about the team’s approach, the associated learnings, and his own personal highlights.
Philipp, tell us who participated in the hackathon and what was your team set-up?
We started with a core team of three colleagues who are familiar with the topic of process automation, as well as two supporters from our service provider. This gave us a broad-based team with all the skills needed for the hackathon. Our goal was to build up knowledge and exchange ideas with the experts from Microsoft and other participants on-site. For us, the format of a hackathon was also a completely new way to approach a topic. Therefore, we would like to thank Microsoft for inviting us.
What case did you work on during those 48 hours?
From the beginning, we were certain that we wanted to realize a real P7S1 case. Our team, therefore, chose the investment process, where the different stages of approval for high-cost investments are reflected. Together with our colleagues from Controlling, we discussed our selection in advance and defined a common set of expectations. In the future, the controlling team will be able to approve those requests even more efficiently and quicker thanks to the support of automation.
In picture 1 you can see a first screenshot of the app that will be used to control the process in the future. During the hackathon, we implemented the first part of the app — now we just need to fine-tune and further optimize the app. The most exciting thing about the format was that we were in such close and efficient contact with the Microsoft teams. The experts there were always able to outline the advantages and disadvantages of their applications.
How did you go about the hackathon itself?
The joint preparation was an important step in order to find a good approach to the topic in the time available. For this, we have coordinated closely with the specialist departments in advance. On this basis, we then divided the financing process into various work packages. In order to document the process clearly and to provide a good basis for discussion, we used the interactive MIRO tool. (see in picture 3)
For the two-day hackathon, we wanted to focus primarily on the necessary technology and the implementation via the Microsoft Power Platform. The Microsoft Power Platform combines various Microsoft services to provide the best possible solutions for its users. An easy example: Automation solutions can be linked directly to your Outlook or Excel.
During the hackathon, we always aligned and shared the current status of our technical development in the team and exchanged ideas with the controlling experts. After two exciting days with a short night, we presented a first result
Did the outcome of the hackathon meet your expectations and were you able to achieve your goals?
Our biggest goal was to learn a lot while having fun and to solve a real case from our P7S1 universe. We achieved all of that — and grew even closer together as a team. It was a very successful experience that we all wouldn’t want to miss!
