AAFC was rolling out Microsoft Power Platform across the department but lacked formal governance, development processes, and documentation to support secure, scalable, and maintainable application development.

They wanted to empower Citizen Developers across the organization to build their own apps and solutions — while also managing data governance, security, and risk. The goal was to create an environment where innovation could flourish without compromising enterprise standards.

To support this, AAFC needed to implement:

• Clear, lightweight guardrails for Citizen Developers
• A Solution Proposal Assessment tool — allowing makers to submit their app ideas through a guided intake process
• An internal mechanism to help makers reflect deeply on their intended solution before development began
• A way for support teams (Security, Data, Operations) to gather early insights on the proposed apps — including potential risks, data sources, usage, and support requirements
• A pathway to evaluate whether a Citizen Developer was qualified to build their solution independently or would need support from technical teams

The goal was to ensure that Citizen Development operated within the strictest governance structure, enabling compliant, secure solutions without the need for constant oversight. If a proposed solution could not be delivered within that structure, the process would make that clear — surfacing what additional information, support, or formal development steps would be required to evolve the idea into an enterprise-ready solution.

Brought in as a Business Transformation Architect, Jevon led the initiative to design and implement Power Platform guardrails and governance processes tailored to AAFC’s environment and goals. His approach emphasized collaboration, practical implementation, and long-term sustainability.

Key actions included:

• Stakeholder Discovery & Engagement
• Governance Framework Design
• Solution Proposal Assessment Development
• Security & Risk Integration
• DevOps & Process Architecture
• Documentation & Enablement

The result of our work was a governance framework and enablement model tailored specifically for AAFC’s needs — one that provided clear structure without stifling innovation.

Key elements of the solution included:

• A Power Platform Governance Playbook
• A fully implemented Solution Proposal Assessment process
• A defined Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) process
• Role-based security and access policies, environment design standards, and DLP rules
• A mapped DevOps strategy
• A suite of documentation templates, quick-start resources, and training materials
• Governance processes disseminated and scaled through the Power Platform Center of Excellence (CoE)

The governance framework and tools we implemented gave AAFC the structure and confidence it needed to embrace low-code development at scale — without compromising on security or oversight.

Key outcomes included:

• Increased clarity and consistency across Power Platform usage
• A fully operational Solution Proposal Assessment process
• Citizen Developers were empowered to innovate within clear boundaries
• IT and Security teams gained early visibility into proposed solutions
• The platform became easier to manage and scale
• AAFC was left with a set of living governance tools — ready to evolve alongside its Power Platform maturity

What could Power Platform look like with guardrails in your organization?

If you’re planning a Power Platform rollout or struggling to scale securely, contact us!