# PMO Solution Architecture Brief A technical planning artifact for building the BuilderVault PMO toolkit with Microsoft 365 and Power Platform. ## Reference Architecture Layers ### Experience layer Focused portals and apps for each PMO workflow instead of one giant all-purpose application. #### Components - Power Apps requester and PMO workbench screens - Power Pages intake portal when external or broad business access is needed - Model-driven admin views for Dataverse-heavy builds - Power BI app for executive and PMO reporting #### Design Notes - Separate requester experiences from PMO-only work queues. - Use role-based navigation so sponsors, PMs, and executives see only relevant actions. - Keep forms short at intake and add detail as work moves through the lifecycle. ### Operational data layer The source of truth for demand, charters, projects, gates, RAID, changes, decisions, status updates, and benefits. #### Components - SharePoint lists for lightweight MVPs - Dataverse tables for relational security and lifecycle maturity - Choice sets for status, health, severity, and decision outcomes - Audit/history tables for approvals, stage movement, decisions, and communications #### Design Notes - Design around lifecycle records, not screens. - Use lookup relationships for projects, sponsors, gates, risks, issues, and decisions. - Do not overwrite history fields when a separate history row is needed. ### Automation layer Power Automate flows that route approvals, reminders, escalations, notifications, history writes, and report refreshes. #### Components - Submission confirmations - Sponsor approvals - Gate approval routing - Critical risk and overdue action escalations - Weekly status shells and executive digest - Power BI refresh triggers #### Design Notes - Use connection references and environment variables from the beginning. - Keep business-critical decision writes explicit and auditable. - Create communication log rows when flows notify stakeholders. ### Reporting layer Power BI semantic model and dashboards for portfolio health, lifecycle movement, exceptions, decisions, and benefits. #### Components - Demand funnel - Lifecycle and stage aging - Gate exception dashboard - RAID and change impact dashboards - Executive portfolio health - Benefits review pages #### Design Notes - Separate operational queues from executive pages. - Define health, severity, and status before building visuals. - Build reports from curated views or modeled tables instead of raw list exports when the system matures. ### Collaboration layer Teams, email, and stakeholder digest patterns that keep PMO decisions visible without making users live inside lists. #### Components - Teams triage channel posts - Sponsor approval notifications - Overdue owner reminders - Executive digest messages - Decision-needed alerts #### Design Notes - Send fewer, more decision-oriented notifications. - Link messages back to the relevant app, record, or report. - Use Teams for visibility, not as the system of record. ## SharePoint versus Dataverse ### Use SharePoint When - The PMO is small and needs a fast MVP. - Security can be handled at site, list, or simple item ownership level. - Relationships are light and mostly lookup-style. - The first goal is demand visibility and basic reporting. ### Use Dataverse When - Role-based security, teams, business units, or row-level access matter. - The PMO needs stronger relationships across projects, gates, risks, issues, changes, and decisions. - Model-driven admin experiences would reduce maintenance effort. - The solution is likely to become a managed internal platform or client offering. ## Security Roles ### Requester Create and view own intake requests and clarification responses. - No access to PMO scoring fields. - Can see submitted status and decision outcome. ### PMO analyst Edit triage, scoring, decision notes, queues, and operational PMO records. - Can assign owners and request clarification. - Can move approved demand to charter. ### Sponsor Review and approve assigned charters, decisions, gate exceptions, and escalations. - Should see items tied to their department or sponsorship. - Approval comments must be retained. ### Project manager Manage project status, gate evidence, RAID items, change requests, milestones, and weekly updates for assigned projects. - Cannot approve their own gate decisions unless governance allows it. - Owns evidence quality and update cadence. ### Executive viewer Read portfolio dashboards, exceptions, decisions needed, and benefits reporting. - Prefer read-only reporting access. - Avoid exposing operational edit forms. ### PMO admin Maintain choices, criteria templates, environment variables, app settings, and security assignments. - Limited group with documented release process. - Owns data model and support playbook. ## Environment Path ### Development Build and test data model, apps, flows, and reports with sample records. - Use a solution from day one for Dataverse builds. - Create environment variables and connection references early. - Keep sample data realistic enough for stakeholder review. ### Test or UAT Validate role access, approval paths, edge cases, notifications, reporting, and migration steps. - Test as non-admin users. - Run approve, reject, revise, escalate, overdue, and exception scenarios. - Confirm Power BI refresh and audience permissions. ### Production Operate the PMO system with controlled releases, support ownership, and governance cadence. - Deploy managed solutions when using Dataverse. - Document rollback steps and support contacts. - Track enhancement backlog and release notes. ## Recommended Technical Release Sequence - 1. Create publisher, solution shell, environment variables, and connection references. - 2. Build core tables or lists, choices, relationships, and sample rows. - 3. Create app screens and role-based navigation. - 4. Add flows for status changes, approvals, notifications, escalations, and logs. - 5. Build Power BI model and reports after operational records stabilize. - 6. Test role access, lifecycle scenarios, flow failures, and reporting refresh. - 7. Release by phase and monitor adoption before adding complexity. --- Generated from the BuilderVault PMO toolkit content.