How a Power Platform App Simplified Production Planning and Reporting
From Paper Trails to Digital Strategy
A Canadian, farmer-led non-profit supporting broiler chicken and hatching egg producers needed to modernize how they managed production data and reporting. Operating under a national supply management system, the organization ensures that chicken production aligns with consumer demand while maintaining industry stability and long-term sustainability.
- The team relied heavily on physical records and spreadsheets to manage key operations, including forecasting provincial supply targets and collecting required reports from producers. Recognizing the need for a more modern and scalable approach, the organization sought a solution that would allow them to:
- Centralize all records in a secure digital system
- Create a producer-facing portal to simplify how farmers submit and access important data
- Automate a critical, labor-intensive production calculation process that previously required hours of manual effort
Already using Microsoft ERP technology to manage financials, they turned to Stoneridge Software for a solution that could build on that foundation and streamline these industry-specific processes using a custom-built Power Platform Model-Driven App.
Business Challenges: Manual Workflows and Increasing Complexity
Before the transformation, the organization’s processes were largely manual and fragmented:
- Production planning relied on physical documents and multiple spreadsheets, requiring hours of trial-and-error to generate accurate results.
- Each producer had a unique allowable output based on their capacity, with some capped at limits like 90% or 102%, and others allowed to exceed 100%. Calculating production that met provincial targets while honoring these limits was both complex and time-consuming.
- There was no easy way to track historical data or provide a complete audit trail.
- Producer engagement was handled through emails and offline forms, leading to delays and versioning issues.
Moving these records to the cloud using structured entities and relationships in a Model-Driven App was a manageable first step. But the core challenge lay in automating the production calculation logic—ensuring fair allocation by producer, meeting overall demand, and locking results for traceability and future audits.
Building a Smarter System: Purpose-Built Automation with Power Platform
Stoneridge identified a Power Platform Model-Driven App as the ideal tool to transform operations—offering the flexibility to tailor workflows to industry-specific needs while aligning with the client’s existing Microsoft technology stack.
The Stoneridge team reverse-engineered the complex forecasting process and embedded those rules into the app. With this approach, the organization gained a unified digital system for internal staff and a connected portal for producers.
Key features included:
- Centralized digital records that replaced paper-based files and spreadsheets, built within a Power Platform Model-Driven App using custom entities and relationships
- A producer-facing portal where stakeholders could submit required data and access outputs—streamlining two-way communication
- Automated calculation logic that intelligently applies unique production limits, evenly distributes demand targets, and produces accurate results within rounding tolerances
- Real-time field computation using JavaScript for dynamic inputs and calculations
- SSRS-based reporting that generates locked, traceable outputs for each forecast cycle
- Configurable logic and data tables that allow updates to production rules without requiring development changes
Now, staff simply input three values, click save, and instantly generate a full production plan that is accurate, secure, and audit-ready.
“One of our team’s strengths is in translating real-world business complexity into thoughtful, sustainable solutions. With Microsoft’s Power Platform Model-driven apps, we had the flexibility to build something that worked the way they needed. It’s about more than just technology; it’s about understanding the business behind it.” says John Cote Consultant at Stoneridge Software
Results: Simplified Workflows and Scalable Operations
The Model-Driven App delivered immediate operational benefits and long-term flexibility:
- Up to 95% reduction in manual effort to generate production forecasts
- Eliminated errors and inconsistency from spreadsheets and manual inputs
- Improved auditability through record-locking and version history
- Streamlined data management—replacing overflowing filing cabinets with digital records that are easy to search and retrieve
- Established a future-ready platform for additional enhancements and regulatory reporting
What once took hours of manual effort and physical space now fits into a simple, accurate, and fully digital system.
Strategic Guidance and a Flexible Platform
This project illustrates the strength of Microsoft’s Power Platform for regulated industries—combining security, scalability, and adaptability. But success also hinged on the right partnership.
Stoneridge Software brought both the product knowledge, and the industry focus to interpret business rules, translate them into working automation, and support a meaningful transformation.
The outcome:
- A system that supports regulated, high-stakes planning
- A platform that can grow and adapt as regulations and business needs evolve
- A lasting partnership built on shared understanding and technical expertise
