Power Platform CoE implementation and governance for a NSW government agency

Project Summary

In 2023, a NSW government agency engaged Avec to provide advisory and implementation services for their Microsoft Power Platform tenancy and associated Asure resources. The objective was to establish a governance framework that ensured compliance, security, and scalability across the organisation, while enabling innovation through automation and low-code development.

The engagement was structured into multiple stages, beginning with requirement validation and discovery, followed by design, implementation, and governance framework establishment. The scope included the creation of new development environments, automation of IT provisioning processes, and the design of a Center of Excellence (CoE) to embed sustainable governance practices.

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The challenge

This government agency faced several interconnected challenges in managing their existing Power Platform usage:

1. Requirement validation and prioritisation

The breadth of Power Platform components ranging from Cloud and Desktop Flows to Power Apps, Portals, Virtual Agents, and integrations with third-party systems made it difficult to capture, validate, and prioritise requirements across multiple organisational units.

2. Current environment assessment

The existing tenancy controls, environment configurations, and IT landscape integrations required a comprehensive review to identify gaps and ensure alignment with enterprise standards.

3. Automation of IT processes

The agency sought to automate a core IT provisioning process, which required detailed process mapping and assurance that automation would meet both operational and compliance standards.

4. Governance and compliance

Establishing a robust governance framework was critical. The agency needed assurance that new and legacy environments would be managed consistently, data policies applied correctly, and compliance obligations fully met.

The solution

Avec’s approach combined structured workshops, technical assessments, iterative development, and governance design to address the agency’s requirements:

Envisioning and discovery workshops

Conducted collaborative sessions to validate requirements, share best practices, and establish common themes. A detailed discovery phase included a full review of Power Platform usage, environment configurations, and tenancy controls.

Planning and design

Key architectural decisions were identified and agreed, and a roadmap for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) was created. Solutions were prioritised to align with operational needs and compliance requirements.

Implementation

  • Provisioned new Dev/Test/Prod environments.
  • Developed and prototyped automation for the IT provisioning process.
  • Applied data policies and governance controls to all new environments.
  • Refreshed and reimplemented the CoE Toolkit to support governance.
  • Introduced automation delivery best practices, including governance frameworks.
  • Reviewed legacy usage and planned remediation activities.

Governance and knowledge transfer

A governance model and CoE Toolkit were established to provide ongoing oversight of Power Platform usage. Training sessions were delivered to internal administrators, ensuring capability uplift and sustainable management.

The result

The engagement delivered a formalised and scalable governance framework for the agency’s Power Platform tenancy, ensuring both operational efficiency and compliance alignment. Key outcomes included:

Governance and compliance

A consistent governance model with applied data policies, reducing risk across environments.

Automation efficiency

Successful prototyping and implementation of IT provisioning automation, improving process efficiency and standardisation.

Operational structure

New Dev/Test/Prod environments established, supporting best practice deployment pipelines.

Capability uplift

Training and knowledge transfer ensured the agency’s internal teams could manage and evolve the CoE and governance framework independently.

By leveraging structured workshops, comprehensive assessments, and iterative delivery, the NSW government agency now has a resilient and compliant foundation for Power Platform adoption, enabling future innovation while maintaining control and governance.

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