Russell Gordon Contracting needed a new scheduling solution, so naturally we delivered a brand new Microsoft Power App, on-site, in just 2 days.
Completely scalable solution
Rapid 2-day implementation
Greater business visibility
Russell Gordon Contracting (RGC) is the culmination of a merger of the Russell and Gordon family construction contracting businesses, with a track record built up over five decades. Servicing both the commercial and residential markets, RGC has worked on many of Auckland’s most prominent developments such as Stonefields, Long Bay subdivision, Jellicoe Wharf, Fort Street redevelopment, ASB Centre, Sky Tower and so much more.
Scheduling these developments is a mammoth task and the central view to when and where personnel and equipment is. Although impressive, the spreadsheet controlling their scheduling increasingly became limited. Recognising the need for scalability we came up with a solution, and then went ahead and delivered it in just 2 days.
In regards to the spreadsheet, everyone gets it, but it just doesn’t function the way we need it to now and the fact is the business operations has grown so we’re constantly needing to add more to it. This was definitely the way we needed to go
Niko Va'aelua
General Manager
Russell Gordon Contracting
Custom Scheduling App using Microsoft Power Apps
A key element of the desired app was future scalability and the Microsoft platform was the clear frontrunner. Power Platform has over 1,000 connectors so we were extremely confident Power Apps was the right choice, especially considering Microsoft’s future NZ growth plans. A brand new rigid job form takes errors away from the process, equipment and personnel are allocated and it’s all easily visible from the main dashboard. Giving them insight into equipment sitting idle and help with growth.
Another big hurdle: Time, they just wanted it done. We collectively decided on an agile approach, like really agile. We were on-site the week after signing the contract and after a brief introduction to the current spreadsheet, got stuck in.
The benefits of this were huge and it was a huge step outside our comfort zone but it couldn’t have gone any better. Any questions were answered almost instantly, feedback was instant, testing and QA occurred in real-time. The constant flurry of coffee & snacks was a big help.
Contract signed on a Friday and a functional Power App was delivered the following Wednesday, now that’s agile! RGC now have a big testing phase on their hands, providing feedback allowing for ongoing additions. For now the App can create new jobs error-free, automatically set aside equipment and schedule personnel so they can’t be double-booked. Visibility also comes in a variety of ways with multiple calendar and equipment view options.
Being part of the Microsoft ecosystem means future integration is already sorted. For example if they wanted a staff onboarding app, this can automatically create a new user profile and link straight through to their scheduling App. This was a big step outside our comfort zone too, “It has been a bit of an experiment from our perspective but it’s made it so much easier having a great customer to do it with” said Luke Clifford, Senior Cloud Architect at Fujifilm Process Automation.
Error-Free
Jobs are created without errors, avoiding the need for someone else to come in and fix
Future-Proof
Currently Microsoft has over 1,000 connectors for Power Platform and that will only grow
Better Governance
Data can't be accidentally deleted or edited and is only accessible by the right people
Niko Va'aelua
General Manager
Russell Gordon Contracting
From the initial idea and talks with Fujifilm Process Automation the whole thing has happened so quick
Power App Case Study
RGC now have a fool-proof and scalable scheduling solution, ready for future integration and further enhancement. Read the full case study and get in touch to see what custom App we can come up with for your business.
Why Fujifilm?
- Microsoft Licensing
- Local Implementation & Support
- Analyse with Power BI
- Automate with Power Automate
- Build with Power Apps
- Design with Power Pages
- Integrate it all with Dataverse
- Add AI assistance with AI Builder
FUJIFILM Process Automation are your local, New Zealand based experts ready to help you on your Microsoft journey. We’ve been implementing best-in-class automation solutions for Kiwis for years and this includes Microsoft’s Power Platform.
The Power Platform ecosystem integrates with hundreds of your favourite tools, including ERP’s, SAAS solutions as well as the rest of Microsoft tools including Office, 365 and more. So whether you need a new Power App for HR onboarding, or perhaps a new workflow to enhance your sales process with Power Automate or automated reporting using Power BI, get in touch with us today and we’ll get you started.