• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Lydon Solutions

Lydon Solutions

Construction Project Management Software Solutions

  • Construction Viz
  • Clover AI
  • Services
    • Business Consulting
    • Professional Services
    • Microsoft 365 Managed Services
    • Government Agencies
  • Company
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Free Consultation
Show Search
Hide Search

Construction Software

Say Goodbye to Post-It Notes with the New Microsoft Sticky Notes App

Microsoft Tips | November 21, 2024

There was a time when you would track everything with Post-It notes. You would write notes and post them on your monitor or scatter them across your desk, lamp, printer, refrigerator, etc. Post-it notes were a quick, in-your-face way to keep track of all the tasks you needed to follow up on and even manage your passwords 😊.  Microsoft has been working behind the scenes to create this experience across your PC and mobile device with their Microsoft Sticky Notes app.

If you want an easy-to-use note-tracking app, read on to learn about the new Microsoft Sticky Notes app.

Post It Notes for Project Management

I remember when we used Post It notes to remind us of everything. We even used Post It notes to create all of the tasks and activities for a construction schedule during the pre-con/programming stages of a project. Those were the days😊. These days, notes have moved from paper Post-It notes to the cloud.

Sticky-Notes_1

If the paper Post-It technique still works for you, don’t read any further. But if you are open to a simple cloud note-taking app, Microsoft Sticky Notes is worth checking out.

Download the Microsoft Sticky Notes App

You can download the Sticky Notes app from the Microsoft app store.

You will need to sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider Program to access the Pre-Release version I will discuss in this article. If you are not on the Insider Program, the good news is that Microsoft will release the new Sticky Notes app to everyone soon.

Sticky-Notes_2

Features of Microsoft Sticky Notes

Some of the cool features of the Sticky Notes app include:

  • OneNote tie-in. You can create a sticky note from Microsoft OneNote. If you use OneNote, you will appreciate the integration so that all your notes are in one place.
Sticky-Notes_3
  • Sync across devices. If signed in, you can create a note on your PC or mobile device, and they will stay in sync. The Windows version of the app will also identify where the note was taken from (i.e., OneNote for Windows or your mobile device).
Sticky-Notes_4
Sticky-Notes_5

Desktop vs. mobile

  • Screenshots. You can perform screen clippings and screenshots just like OneNote, and you can include a link to the location where you took the screenshot if it’s a web address.
  • Docking. You can drag a note into a separate window and place it anywhere on your screen, similar to placing Post-It notes on your monitor. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to hold where you put it after rebooting your PC.
Sticky-Notes_6

So, is Microsoft Sticky Notes worth using?

Sticky Notes is an excellent, easy-to-use note-taking tool that doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. Sticky Notes is a free app that will be upgraded from Notes in the future. The ability to sync across devices and OneNote makes it an excellent tool in your toolbox for when you need to log something quickly and maybe update for more details later. If you are comfortable with paper Post-It notes, then you do you. If you are already a OneNote or a Microsoft To Do user, I’m not sure I would switch.

Lydon Solutions is a premier Microsoft 365 services provider for the construction industry. We have been delivering solutions for over 15 years. If you are moving to Microsoft 365 or just need a little help, use the form below to request a free one-hour consultation.

Get a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

What is Microsoft Viva, and Does Your Construction Organization Need It?

Microsoft News | October 23, 2024

Microsoft Viva is an integrated platform supporting connection, insight, purpose, and growth in your organization using Microsoft 365 and Teams. It is a suite of integrated applications to help manage and support your organization’s employees. Sounds like a great addition to all the other applications available to you in Microsoft 365, right? But is the juice worth the squeeze? Check out this article to find out more.

Microsoft Viva summarized

Microsoft released Microsoft Viva on February 4, 2021, describing it as the first employee experience platform to bring tools for employee engagement, learning, well-being, and knowledge discovery directly into the flow of people’s work. Microsoft sees this fragmented market as a $300 billion opportunity.

How construction employee engagement works today

In smaller construction organizations, employee communication is oftentimes informal. Smaller construction organizations may use email, paper, or just pick up the phone to communicate with employees. These organizations are often flat, so bureaucracy is low, and employees wear multiple hats, which can lead to higher employee engagement.

In larger construction organizations, people are physically spread out, and there are management layers and departments. Communication is more formal, knowledge is more siloed, and employees can feel more disconnected from each other and the company. Also, because of COVID, more and more employees are working remotely, which can exacerbate the sense of being disconnected.

Most larger construction organizations have some sort of IT infrastructure to share organizational information, tools, training, and goals with employees via an intranet or email. Support for this effort often falls under an HR department or supporting business unit. Depending on the size of the organization and the availability of resources, the frequency and depth of this communication will vary. Ultimately, the larger the organization, the more important employee engagement is to the success of individual employees as well as to the company overall.

Where does Microsoft Viva fit?

Microsoft has created a comprehensive suite of tailored applications under the Viva moniker that fall into four main areas:

  • Employee Communications and Communities
  • Workplace Analytics and Feedback
  • Goal Setting and Management
  • Learning and Knowledge Management

Within each category, Microsoft has identified one or more applications and specific features that can be implemented across the organization.

Viva_1

The availability of these applications and features will vary depending on your subscription. Click here to see a detailed comparison available by subscription level (PDF).

In a nutshell, if you have Microsoft 365 E3 or higher, you will get a standard version of Viva Connections, Viva Engage, Viva Learning, and Viva Insights. However, Viva Glint, Viva Pulse, and Viva Goals will require additional subscriptions.

Microsoft has released three additional paid Viva subscriptions to upgrade the standard features and add the additional applications:

  • Viva Suite ($12/user/month) – This is the catchall for additional features to the standard versions and includes Viva Amplify, Viva Pulse, Viva Glint, and Viva Goals.
  • Viva Workplace Analytics and Employee Feedback ($6/user/month) – This level includes additional features to Viva Insights and adds Viva Pulse and Viva Glint.
  • Viva Employee Communications and Communities ($2/user/month) – The most basic add-on level includes additional features for Viva Connections and Viva Engage, as well as Viva Amplify.

What features are in the Viva Categories?

Employee Communication and Communities

Viva_2

The Employee Communication and Communities category allows you to create communities and share content with employees. Think of this category as a way to communicate with your employees using chat, email, and websites.

The apps and features include:

  • Viva Engage. Remember Yammer? Microsoft purchased Yammer back in 2008 for $1.2B and rebranded it as Viva Engage. Viva Engage is a communication platform like Teams where you can chat with other employees and create communities of shared interest.
  • Viva Amplify. Provides tools for communication and publishing. You can create themed and templated SharePoint sites, run communication campaigns, manage audiences, and analyze engagement. Viva Amplify requires an additional subscription.
  • Viva Connections. Gives you a custom portal that surfaces people, tasks, company events, training, and more on a modern SharePoint site customizable by role.

Workplace Analytics and Feedback

Viva_3

The Workplace Analytics and Feedback category provides tools to analyze how well employees are engaging. Basically, it’s a way to survey, track, report, and analyze employee behavior. The apps and features include:

  • Viva Insights. Provides personal and employee work trends. Insights include Copilot Dashboards on Microsoft 365 adoption and learning, recommendations on productivity (such as meeting and communication habits), well-being (focus time, praise to and from colleagues, and quiet time), and teamwork (colleagues you have worked with and important contacts).
  • Viva Glint. Provides employee engagement and performance across the employee lifecycle with organization-wide surveys. Viva Glint is similar to Microsoft Forms but with much more enterprise features, analytics, reporting, and AI.
  • Viva Pulse. Centralized campaign management, publishing, and reporting to reach and engage employees. Viva Pulsa is an interesting tool where you can create campaigns much like marketing campaigns and target communications for your employees, review campaigns internally for approval, send messages via email, chat, or website link, and track metrics on engagement.

Learning and Knowledge Management

Viva_4

The Learning and Knowledge Management category empowers employees to grow and develop their professional skills. The idea is to connect to and centralize learning paths from multiple sources and encourage a culture of continuous improvement.

Viva Learning can connect to multiple LMS (learning management systems), such as LinkedIn, SharePoint, Word, PowerPoint, audio, and video, to create a catalog of classes for employees. The home page provides an overview of courses available, in progress, completed, and bookmarked.

Goal Setting and Management

Viva_5

The Goal Setting and Management category helps employees clarify strategies and goals, manage objectives and key results (OKRs), and understand priorities to improve business results. Goals and OKRs are formally tracked with clear success criteria with owners and visibility to their completion progress.

How Microsoft Viva can help construction organizations

Onboarding is an excellent example of how Microsoft Viva can offer improvements to larger construction organizations. If you think of your experience starting a new job, you probably remember the often fragmented tools, lack of training, and frequently outdated communication feeds. Keeping an employee engaged throughout the process and their entire career is critical to their success and integration into the organization.

  • Employee Communication and Communities. When your organization hires a new employee, you could add them to a Viva Engage community for construction where they can meet the team, be assigned a virtual mentor, and begin reaching out to content experts using chat. With Viva Amplify, the new employee would receive a welcome email linking to a new hire website with actions to be taken throughout the onboarding process. Viva Connections would be the new employee’s portal to collect all the actions they need to take to get acclimated with the organization, provide links to training, and provide a news feed about the organization and upcoming projects.
  • Workplace Analytics and Feedback. On a weekly or monthly basis, the employee would receive a survey via Viva Glint on how well they are integrating into the organization, areas for improvement, and opportunities for growth. Viva Pulse could provide target communications specifically to new hires so they are sent relevant information and next steps during the onboarding stage.
  • Learning and Knowledge Management. Your organization could use Viva Learning to curate a training regimen with LinkedIn training for general project management and standard software packages. The app could also surface in-house videos and PowerPoint training that employees need to complete as part of their onboarding cycle.
  • Goal Setting and Management. Employee goals could be added, such as completing the necessary training, visiting a job site, meeting with key stakeholders, finding a mentor, and reviewing guidelines and policies. Their manager and HR can evaluate progress against these goals throughout the onboarding process.

In summary, Viva could be an effective set of tools to better equip employees for successfully integrating into an organization throughout their careers. Lydon Solutions is always on the lookout for ways to improve efficiencies for construction organizations. If you are interested in implementing Viva, you can reach out for a free consultation using the form below.

Get a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Lydon Solutions is Keeping You in the “Loop” for Construction: Microsoft Loop Part II

Reviews | June 26, 2024

I've been trying out the latest updates to Microsoft Loop, and I thought it might be a good time to update the post I provided last year.

Microsoft Loop is a very interesting app that has a bit of an identity problem.

So, what is Microsoft Loop?

For those who are not familiar with Microsoft Loop, "it is a collaborative app that enables teams to think, plan, and create together across various apps and devices." Translated: Loop is If OneNote and Planner had a baby, but it gained mutant powers that allow it to work across Microsoft 365 apps.

MS-Loop-Update_1

Microsoft made Loop generally available in November of 2023. The word on the street is that Microsoft created Loop to compete with Notion, which is a productivity and note-taking application that has over 20 million users and is worth over $10B.

There are three main elements of Loop:

Loop workspaces

Workspaces "are shared spaces that allow you and your team to see and group everything important to your project, making it easy for you to catch up on what everyone is working on and track progress toward shared goals."

MS-Loop-Update_2

Workspaces are like OneNote sections where you can organize your work by project or client. Within workspaces, you create pages for each day or possibly a meeting minute.

Loop pages

Pages "are flexible canvases in the Loop app where you can bring together people and all your components, links, tasks, and data. Loop pages can start small and continue to grow to match the size of your ideas. Loop pages can be shared across M365 apps as a link or as an embedded Loop component."

MS-Loop-Update_3

Think of Loop pages like OneNote pages where you add notes, create meeting information, and so on.

Loop Components

Components are "portable pieces of content that stay in sync across all the places they are shared. Components allow you to collaborate in the flow of work — on a Loop page or in a chat, email, meeting, or document. They can be lists, tables, notes, and more — you're always working with the latest information in your preferred app, like Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Word, Whiteboard, and the Loop app."

MS-Loop-Update_4

Think of components as stand-alone widgets that perform one or more functions like capturing notes, status tasks, creating a checklist, or all the above. If a component is created in Loop on a page, it can be shared with other apps to collect data from users and/or report progress. If you create a component outside of Loop in another application, it can still be shared and embedded into other apps, but it does not reside in the Loop application.

MS-Loop-Update_5

Takeaway. If you want to manage all your Loop components from one location, create them in Loop and then share them with users or other applications. Further, if you need specific functions (checklist, table, etc.) to be able to be updated across multiple applications, create them as components within a Loop page instead of just inserting them in a Loop page.

New Microsoft Loop Features

Microsoft has added a host of new features to Loop since 2023. Those include:

  • Create Loop page templates so you can reuse them in workspaces.
  • Create rules on tables to send workflows to Teams and Outlook.
MS-Loop-Update_6
  • Page inserts new features:
    • Now, you can insert dates, callouts, code, table of contents, and a divider.
    • New headers, including collapsible headers.
    • New templates, including a voting table, progress tracker, Kanban board, and Teams retrospective.
MS-Loop-Update_7
    • New Media: Add images and record a video. Even draw and add text to your media.
    • New app intergrations: GitHub, Microsoft Planner, Jira, and Trello.
MS-Loop-Update_8
  • New locations to embed components: Add components to Outlook desktop, Word, and Whiteboard.
  • Print pages: Although it seems to be hit or miss when this menu item appears.
  • Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Loop can help you get started with brainstorming, content drafting, and more.
  • The Loop app is available for Android and IOS. It's a very clean and intuitive modern app.

Advantages of Microsoft Loop

So why use Microsoft Loop over something like OneNote?

Extensibility and sharing

Loop workspaces and pages can be shared and updated in real-time by multiple users. If you create Loop components, you can add them to applications such as Teams chat, email (even Outlook desktop), or a document to collect or report data.

MS-Loop-Update_9

Create page templates

You can create page templates that can be reused in your workspaces.

Rules

You can easily add rules on pages or component tables to send off emails or Team chats. Users can then provide updates from those applications in real-time. For construction folks who might not be tech-savvy and do not want to go into a system, bringing Loop to them in their day-to-day applications is a huge plus for adoption.

MS-Loop-Update_10

Embed other applications

Applications can be inserted into Loop. For example, you don't have to go to Planner to create tasks; you can insert Planner into a Loop page or component.

Other factors to consider

Price

  • Loop is included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Premium, E3, E5, A3, and A5.
  • Loop workspaces and pages take up storage. Check with Microsoft for the latest pricing on additional storage if needed.

Storage

  • As of 25 June 2024, Loop workspaces and pages will now count towards an individual's Microsoft storage quota. Loop workspaces no longer have a 5GB maximum size.
  • Loop components created in Teams and Outlook are just .loop files (earlier versions of Loop-created .fluid files) stored in the creator's OneDrive. A file being in OneDrive means that users can create, discover, and manage Loop components (.loop files) as easily as any Office document.

Availability

  • To create Loop components, chat or email creators must have a OneDrive account.
  • Integration of Loop into other Microsoft 365 apps only includes Teams, Word, Outlook, OneNote, and Whiteboard at the moment.

Access

  • Microsoft 365 Guests can't view or collaborate on a Loop component.
  • External recipients of emails can't view or collaborate on a Loop component.
  • Workspaces can be shared with Guest Users.

In Summary, Microsoft Loop is a unique application. It's a little of this and a little of that. It shines with Loop components that can be created in Loop and then added to chats, documents, and emails to collect feedback.

While Loop doesn't seem to have received the reception Microsoft has probably expected, I have seen it used to collect meeting minutes on some projects. Time will tell regarding the future of Loop. I can see a day when OneNote absorbs the features of Loop or the other way around, and I think that will jumpstart adoption.

If you are looking to implement a Microsoft 365 application such as Loop to supplement your construction projects and need some help, you can request a free one-hour consultation with Lydon Solutions below. If you need a turnkey construction management solution for Microsoft 365, check out Construction Viz and click to request a demo.

Get a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

How to Create Forms in Microsoft 365 with Microsoft Lists

Microsoft Tips | May 28, 2024

Not too complicated or not too simple, Microsoft Lists might be the right fit for easy form creation in Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 is a cloud platform that is customizable to the needs of your construction organization. Everything from storing documents to creating forms, such as RFIs and Daily Reports, can be accommodated using a variety of Microsoft 365 technologies included in your subscription. Microsoft Lists offers a simple and effective form creator that might be the best solution for your projects. Check out this article to find out more.

Like Goldilocks and The Three Bears, Microsoft 365 can provide multiple options for creating your construction forms, but Microsoft Lists might best fit your unique needs. Microsoft Lists was released in July 2020 as a new and modern way to create and view SharePoint lists.

Creating a Form in Microsoft Lists Step-by-Step

MS-Lists_1

You start by creating a list. In most cases, you make a blank list. You can then add columns for each field in your form. There are multiple data types to choose from, including:

  • Text
  • Choice
  • Date and time
  • Multiple lines of text
  • Person
  • Number
  • Yes/no
  • Hyperlink
  • Currency,
  • Location
  • Image
  • Lookup
  • Average rating

If you scroll to the bottom of the menu, there are even more options under “see all content types.”

MS-Lists_2

When you select “see all content types,” you will be redirected to the standard SharePoint list menu. From there, you can add settings such as default values, unique values, and validation.

Once you select the columns to use in your form, you can configure the form layout by clicking the Forms button from the Lists menu.

MS-Lists_3

In the Forms configuration menu, you can:

  • Show or hide fields
  • Rearrange field order
  • Change the color theme
  • Add a response
  • Send form – Copy Link

Also, you can extend the functionality by adding Power BI reports, Power Automate workflows, and rules and approvals. Check out this article to see more features of Microsoft Lists.

Is Microsoft Lists the Right Choice for Your Forms?

So, Microsoft Lists is a pretty straightforward tool for creating forms, but there are several areas to consider if you want to use Lists for your project forms:

  • Printing. Reporting is done in Power BI. So, if you want to create a formatted print of a form, you will need to get familiar with Power BI.
  • Form configuration. While you can add fields and themes to a form, you are pretty limited as to how much customization you can do unless you incorporate custom code.
Construction Viz Form Apps

Powerful Mobile-Responsive Construction Project Forms

Construction Viz utilizes SharePoint lists to store data. Our custom form technology leverages the best of SharePoint lists and document libraries. Learn More >

  • Data location. Lists are saved to SharePoint sites, so be aware of the permissions and other SharePoint features you inherit when creating a list.
  • Document management. You can attach files to a list form, but you will be out of luck if you want to extract those files into a view to incorporate more document management controls unless you know Power Automate.
  • Lookups. If you have columns that you want to reuse across multiple lists, such as project name or location. You will need to plan where that list will reside in SharePoint so that all your list lookups can reference the same standard data source. A better option is to use Site Columns and Content Types to ensure consistency across lists, but again, this requires planning and more knowledge of SharePoint.

Many different applications in Microsoft 365 allow the creation of forms. Microsoft Lists might be the right fit, but before jumping into any new technology, we recommend conducting formal software requirements gathering.

Use the form below to request a free one-hour consultation if you need help collecting requirements. Lydon Solutions has been delivering custom Microsoft-based construction solutions for over 15 years and has helped many construction organizations deliver their projects on time and within budget.

Get a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The New Microsoft Planner: One Plan to Rule All Your Construction Projects!

Microsoft News | May 8, 2024

The latest Microsoft Planner now includes Planner, To Do, and Project. The new version does not just bring these apps together into one task management solution. It allows you to see all of your tasks across every Team, which I think has been long overdue. Check out this post to find out more.

Microsoft Planner is the app that most people use, but oftentimes, they don’t know its name. Outside of Teams, rarely does anyone actually use the stand-alone Planner app. Most likely, the reason for that is that tasks can be created in many different applications, so which one do you go to in order to see all of your tasks?

Task Management in Microsoft 365

Tasks in Microsoft 365 is a pretty broad term and touches many different applications. If you think about all of the locations where tasks can get created in Microsoft 365, it’s a spaghetti network of related but independent applications.

For example, before this update, you could choose to create tasks in any of the following applications:

  • Excel – ☑Pro: Ultimate flexibility. ☒Con: Source/version management of tasks.
  • Planner – ☑Pro: Easy to use, assign, and schedule tasks. ☒Con: Planner specific. No tracking by project or ability to add custom fields.
  • To Do – ☑Pro: Easy to use. ☒Con: Person specific. No tracking by project and no ability to add custom fields.
  • Outlook Tasks – ☑Pro: Create tasks right inside Outlook. ☒Con: Tasks are localized to Outlook. No tracking by project or adding custom fields.
  • Lists – ☑Pro: Flexibility to create custom columns. ☒Con: Resides in a single SharePoint site (although you can also access with the Lists app).
  • MS Project – ☑Pro: Project-specific tracking and scheduling. ☒Con: Additional licensing and increased complexity.

The good news is that Microsoft has been hard at work trying to integrate these applications together and even changing the new Planner logo. They recently replaced Outlook tasks with To Do, and now they have consolidated Planner, To-do, and Project into one solution.

New Microsoft Planner Plans
New Microsoft Planner Plans

New Microsoft Planner Features

The new Microsoft Planner comes in two flavors:

  • Planner Basic for Microsoft 365 is included in most Microsoft 365 subscriptions at no additional cost.
  • Premium Planner is a different license, which is essentially a Project Plan 1 or 3 license with Plan 3 including a future Copilot feature.
Microsoft Planner Features by License
Microsoft Planner Features by License

So, what else can this new Planner do?

New Planner templates – Microsoft is providing new templates to help you create the perfect plan. The plans indicate Basic vs. Premium, so you know which ones will require additional licensing. I tried the new Premium Commercial Construction template, and it automatically built out a Plan and a schedule with durations and logic in MS Project as well.

Planner Commercial Construction Project
Planner Commercial Construction Project
Microsoft Project Commercial Construction Project
Microsoft Project Commercial Construction Project

Pin a plan – You can pin a plan, so you don’t have to hunt and peck to try and find amongst all of your other plans.

Source of task – You can see where the task was created (e.g., To Do). Also, if a high-priority task is assigned to an Outlook email, a task will automatically be created and will be filtered in the Flagged Emails view.

My Day – Displays all of the tasks that are assigned to you and due today across all plans. Also includes new filters for finding tasks by keyword, due date, and priority.

ls-promo-task-manager_lg

Manage Your Project Tasks Your Way

Construction Viz Task Managers lets you manage your project tasks the way you want with scheduling, labor tracking, links to other construction applications, and more. Learn More >

My Tasks – Displays all of the tasks that are assigned to you across all plans. You can also filter by Private Tasks that you created, Assigned to Me tasks, and Flagged Emails. Also included are new filters for finding tasks by keyword, due dates, and priority.

Planner_5

The new Planner app brings together several task management applications in a single location and offers many new features. Microsoft is rolling out the updated Planner in early 2024. What are your thoughts on the new Planner app? What features are you looking for?

If you are looking for help implementing Planner, Microsoft Project, or any Microsoft 365 features, you can request a free one-hour consultation using the contact form below.

If you need a turnkey construction management solution for your Microsoft 365 that is customizable to your unique needs, you can request a demo of Construction Viz.

Get a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

AI Invoice Processing Solution for Microsoft 365

AI Solutions | April 26, 2024

Lydon Solutions is actively developing AI models to help construction project teams be more efficient. Our goal is to use AI to solve real-life construction problems using our CloverAI suite of AI models for Microsoft 365.

One of our latest models is an AI document processor. It can process any file, such as RFIs, invoices, or submittals. This AI model extracts data from PDF email attachments and inserts the metadata into SharePoint document library columns for reporting and approvals.

 Read on to find out how we make your life easier by using AI.

AI for Construction Project Management

Artificial Intelligence is all the rage. Most people are familiar with Open AI and now Microsoft Copilot but are still unsure how it will solve their specific challenges. The promise of AI is incredible and will forever change our industry, but how will it solve the needs of your construction projects today?

Lydon Solutions has been investing in developing AI models to make managing your construction projects easier using the tools already available in your Microsoft 365 tenant.

This article will discuss how we use AI to solve an invoice processing challenge and how we can use this model to help your organization.

CV-Co-Pilot

ChatGPT (Microsoft CoPilot) for Construction Viz

AI Copilot (ChatGPT) now has features across the entire Microsoft 365 and Windows ecosystem.
Read more on Construction Viz >

AI Invoice Processor Solution Use Case

Problem statement

How can we make invoice receipt, entry, and approval as efficient as possible using AI in Microsoft 365?

Approach

We brought together several available technologies in a client’s 365 tenant to solve this challenge.

AI Invoice Processing Solution Detail

Below are the technologies and steps used to deliver the solution.

Outlook email:

  • We started by considering that most invoices are received via email from contractors because they likely won’t have guest access to your Microsoft 365 tenant.
AI-Processor_1
  • This could pose a challenge, but by leveraging a Microsoft 365 group email, we can extract attachments using a workflow when vendors send invoices to this email address.
AI-Processor_2

Power Automate workflows:

  • Receipt Workflow.
    • We built a receipt workflow that extracts PDF invoice attachments from emails and saves them to a SharePoint document library with the date received, sender, and email subject line.
    • This step addresses the issue of lost invoices by consolidating all invoices into one location.
  • AI Workflow.
    • We created and trained an AI model to read the PDF invoices and extract metadata, including company and amount, amongst other fields.
    • This metadata is then used with the document stored from the Receipt Workflow, eliminating the need to enter metadata or move invoices into folders manually.
AI-Processor_3
  • Once the AI workflow extracts the data successfully, it sends confirmation emails to the sender and the person tasked with approval.  
  • Additionally, the Microsoft Teams approvals app can be updated if needed. 

SharePoint site and document libraries:

  • We use a SharePoint site as an invoice repository and portal for invoice approval and management.
  • Once an invoice is approved, a final workflow triggers and sends a confirmation email to the teams.

Check out this video to see the whole process in action:

Learn About Using AI for Construction Project Management

If you are interested in this AI model or need other models for your construction projects, complete the form below to request a free one-hour consultation.

If you are looking for a Microsoft 365 enterprise construction management solution that also leverages these AI models, you can request a free demo of Construction Viz here.

Get a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 8
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

Microsoft Tips | March 12, 2025

Take Project Photos in the Field Using the Microsoft 365 Copilot App!

Microsoft Tips | March 3, 2025

Portfolio Management in Project for the Web (Planner Premium)

Microsoft Tips | February 27, 2025

Use AI on Your SharePoint Sites with Copilot Agents

Case Study | February 11, 2025

How to Work Successfully with Vendors on a Software Deployment

Company News | January 31, 2025

Get in Shape in 2025 with the Murph Challenge

Microsoft Tips | November 21, 2024

Say Goodbye to Post-It Notes with the New Microsoft Sticky Notes App

Footer

About

Lydon Solutions is a WBE consulting group specializing in construction project management software solutions using Microsoft SharePoint. Learn more >

Products & Services

  • Construction Viz
  • Clover AI
  • Professional Services
  • Business Consulting
  • Microsoft 365 Managed Services
  • Government Agencies

News & Events

  • Events
  • Blog

Company

  • About
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

Join our Mailing List

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Lydon Solutions

© Lydon Solutions

  • Sitemap
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Terms of Use
  • Disclaimer

Click here to start a Microsoft Teams chat.

Contact Us
Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.