Why Microsoft Power Platform Gives CFOs Low-Code Superpowers

Are you a UK CFO tired of waiting six months for IT to build a simple expense approval form? Finance teams waste thousands of hours every year on manual processes that could be automated, whilst custom apps they desperately need sit in IT backlogs gathering dust.

Here's what we've learned working with finance teams: many assume building business applications requires developers, lengthy project timelines, and significant budgets. That used to be true. Low-code platforms have changed what's possible.

What is Microsoft Power Platform?

Microsoft Power Platform is a low-code toolkit that lets you build custom apps, automate workflows, analyse data, and create intelligent chatbots without writing code. Once you're familiar with the basics, finance teams can build solutions tailored to their specific needs.

What is Included in Microsoft Power Platform?

Five core tools that work together:

• Power BI: Turn financial data into live dashboards that actually make sense
• Power Apps: Build custom business applications without developers
• Power Automate: Automate repetitive tasks that drain your team's time
• Microsoft Copilot Studio: Create AI-powered chatbots for common queries
• Power Pages: Build secure business websites for internal and external users

It integrates with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Azure, and hundreds of third-party services. The platform is built on Microsoft Dataverse and designed to be highly connected, secure, low-code, and easy to extend.

All five tools have their place, but three matter most for finance teams: Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. Microsoft Copilot Studio and Power Pages have their uses, but these three are where CFOs see the biggest impact.

Think of it as the power of the three Ps - they're the core toolkit for finance transformation.

Why Finance Teams Need This Now

Finance teams are under pressure to measure ROI on every business transformation project. Low-code platforms give you that capability - you can build solutions more quickly than traditional development, track their impact, and prove value without the lengthy cycles or significant investment that custom coding requires.

These platforms provide visual interfaces, drag-and-drop tools, and pre-built components. You can automate processes, centralise data, and deploy applications whilst keeping the flexibility to modify them as business needs change. There's still a learning curve, but it's measured in weeks rather than months or years.

The Three Low-Code Tools That Matter Most

Power Apps: Build Custom Applications in Days

Power Apps lets you create unlimited custom business applications without writing code. You can build structured apps for managing complex data, or create custom designs for web, mobile, or tablet. Both work offline if your team needs that.

Modernise existing processes, customise your Dynamics 365 applications, or build something entirely new. The platform connects to Microsoft services and external data sources you already use. Add AI-powered features or automate workflows as your needs evolve.

Licensing: Per user, per app, or pay-as-you-go. Limited capabilities come with select Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365 licences.

Example: Budget Forecasting App

Build an app where department heads input projected costs and revenues for the next quarter. Link the app to Excel or SharePoint so finance sees updates in real time. Add dropdown menus for cost categories, validation rules to catch obvious errors, and conditional formatting to highlight significant variances.

Your finance team gets current forecasting data without chasing people for spreadsheets, and department heads can update projections on their phones between meetings. With some guidance getting started, you can build and iterate on solutions like this without lengthy IT project timelines.

Power Automate: Stop Doing Repetitive Work

Power Automate handles repetitive tasks your team hates. It automates workflows across modern cloud applications and older legacy systems that don't have direct integrations. You can run processes with someone watching or let them run completely on their own.

The platform handles automatic triggers, scheduled tasks, and complex business processes. It works with hundreds of data sources and can even automate tasks in older applications that weren't built for automation.

Licensing: Per user, per flow, per bot, or capacity-based models. Limited capabilities included with Microsoft 365, Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Windows licences.

Example: Automated Expense Approvals

Create a digital form for employees to submit expenses via Power Apps. Power Automate routes submissions to the right approver based on department or amount. If someone submits a £500 meal receipt, it goes to their line manager and finance. If it's £50, just the line manager approves it.

The system automatically sends reminder emails to approvers after 48 hours, updates the employee on status changes, and logs everything for audit trails. Approvers handle requests from their phones during commutes. No more chasing people, no more lost receipts, no more manual tracking in spreadsheets.

Finance gets time back for strategic work instead of processing paperwork, and employees get faster reimbursements.

Power BI: See What's Happening Right Now

Power BI connects to your financial data sources, transforms the information, and creates interactive dashboards that show you what's happening right now. Instead of last month's static reports, you get real-time insights.

The tool connects to your existing data sources, whether they're in the cloud or on your own servers. Can't find a ready-made connection? Build one. Power BI helps everyone in your organisation make data-driven decisions through interactive dashboards, AI-powered insights, and questions you can ask in plain English. Reports and dashboards share across Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Teams for enterprise-wide collaboration.

Licensing: Power BI Desktop is free. Full collaboration features require additional licensing.

Example: Live KPI Dashboard

Connect Power BI to your ERP, Excel files, and SQL databases. Design a dashboard showing cash flow, spend versus budget, and ROI by department. Add drill-down views so you can click on a department and see performance by team, project, or region.

Share the dashboard with your leadership team so everyone sees the same numbers during board meetings. No more "which version of the spreadsheet are we looking at?" discussions. No more waiting until week four to understand last month's performance.

When someone asks about a variance, you drill down into the detail right there in the meeting and show them exactly what happened. Real-time visibility can replace outdated monthly reports.

How All Three Work Together

The real power comes from combining these tools. Your expense approval solution uses Power Apps for the form, Power Automate for routing and notifications, and Power BI for reporting on approval trends and bottlenecks. Your budget forecasting app uses Power Apps for data entry, Power Automate for reminders about missing submissions, and Power BI for visualising forecasts with scenario planning.

This integrated approach means finance teams can build complete solutions that address real business problems without multiple vendors or complex integrations. The learning curve exists, but it's significantly shorter than traditional development. Those Excel wizards on your team who master complex formulas and pivot tables will pick this up quickly. Others will benefit from training and support to get started.

How Finance and IT Work Together

The Power Platform shifts the relationship between finance and IT. With proper training and support, finance professionals can build their own solutions - expense approval apps, automated budget reconciliations, custom reporting dashboards - without writing code. Problems get solved more quickly, tools get tailored to specific needs, and delays reduce significantly.

IT's role evolves from building every tool to providing governance and support. They set up secure environments, manage data access, and ensure compliance with organisational standards. Finance brings business expertise whilst IT contributes technical knowledge and infrastructure support. Together, you can create solutions that are functional and scalable.

Most finance teams benefit from expert guidance when getting started. Whether that's initial training, building the first few solutions together, or ongoing support as needs evolve, having experienced partners accelerates adoption and ensures best practices from day one.

Regular communication and shared ownership help ensure tools meet real needs whilst remaining secure and maintainable. This partnership takes effort but drives innovation and delivers impact with less friction.

Why CFOs Choose Microsoft Power Platform

CFOs are becoming champions of innovation, not just guardians of financial reporting. By adopting low-code platforms like Microsoft Power Platform, you can drive digital transformation from within your own team.

Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI let you modernise processes, reduce IT dependency, and empower your teams to build solutions for their specific needs. Finance can respond faster to change, operations become more efficient, and data-driven decisions happen with greater confidence.

Finance becomes more collaborative, agile, and tech enabled. You can create smarter workflows, more transparent reporting, and scalable tools that grow with your business. As teams develop their low-code capabilities, they can experiment, iterate, and innovate with increasing independence. The result: a more proactive, strategic finance function that's better prepared for a digital-first world.

Most organisations find that expert support accelerates their journey. Whether you need help building initial solutions, training your team, or establishing governance frameworks, having experienced partners makes the difference between struggling to get started and seeing value quickly.

Our Microsoft Power Platform services help finance teams upgrade their reporting and processes whilst building internal capability. Get in touch and we can discuss what makes sense for your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Power Platform?

Microsoft Power Platform is a suite of low-code tools that centralises business data, enables rapid application development, automates processes, and provides business intelligence. It sits between Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Azure within the Microsoft cloud ecosystem. The platform is highly connected, secure, easy to extend, and supports integration or replacement of business functionality.

Is Power Platform part of Microsoft 365?

No. Microsoft Power Platform is a distinct suite within the broader Microsoft Cloud ecosystem, which includes four main clouds: Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Azure. Microsoft 365 includes Office 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams, and security tools. Power Platform is separate but closely integrated with Microsoft 365 services.

What is included in Microsoft Power Platform?

The Power Platform includes five core technologies: Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, Microsoft Copilot Studio (formerly Power Virtual Agents), and Power Pages. All connect to and extend Microsoft 365 services.