Pick a Challenge
Each challenge fits a four-hour build. Build the starter version first and add stretch ideas only when it works. Prefer your own idea? Choose Open Build. Printable version: pages 4 and 5 of the Participant Pack (PDF).
1. Inventory Management
- Scenario
- A small nonprofit lends out event gear (tables, tents, speakers). Nobody knows what is on the shelf or who has it.
- Users
- Volunteers who check gear out, and the coordinator who reorders it.
- Starter build (MVP)
- Add, edit, and view items with quantity and location. Check an item out and back in.
- Stretch ideas
- Barcode scan, a low-stock email alert, a reorder approval.
- Suggested data
- Items (name, category, quantity, location, minimum stock). Checkouts (item, person, date out, date back).
- Likely tools
- Power Apps, SharePoint list or Dataverse, Power Automate
2. Time Off Management
- Scenario
- A team of 15 asks for vacation by email. Requests get lost and managers double-book coverage.
- Users
- Employees who ask for time off, and the manager who approves it.
- Starter build (MVP)
- Submit a request (who, dates, reason). See my requests and their status.
- Stretch ideas
- One-step approval with Outlook or Teams, a team calendar view, remaining-days balance.
- Suggested data
- Requests (employee, start, end, type, reason, status, approver).
- Likely tools
- Power Apps, Power Automate (approvals), Outlook, SharePoint list or Dataverse
3. Inspection System
- Scenario
- Site supervisors fill in paper safety checklists. The office types them up days later, if at all.
- Users
- Field inspectors on a phone, and the safety lead who reviews results.
- Starter build (MVP)
- A phone-friendly checklist with pass or fail per item, notes, and an overall status.
- Stretch ideas
- Photo capture, a generated PDF report, an emailed summary, follow-up tasks for failed items.
- Suggested data
- Inspections (site, inspector, date, status). Inspection items (question, result, note, photo).
- Likely tools
- Power Apps (phone layout), Power Automate, SharePoint or Dataverse
4. Expense Tracking
- Scenario
- Staff send receipt photos by text message. Finance rebuilds the expense claims in a spreadsheet every month.
- Users
- Staff who spend money, the approver, and the finance person.
- Starter build (MVP)
- Submit an expense with date, category, amount, and a receipt. List my expenses.
- Stretch ideas
- Approval flow, AI Builder receipt reading, a Power BI summary by category and month.
- Suggested data
- Expenses (person, date, category, amount, receipt, status).
- Likely tools
- Power Apps, Power Automate, AI Builder, Power BI
5. Room or Equipment Booking
- Scenario
- A shared office has 3 meeting rooms and 2 projectors. People book them on a whiteboard that gets erased.
- Users
- Anyone who needs a room or device, and the office admin.
- Starter build (MVP)
- See what is free and request a time slot. No double bookings.
- Stretch ideas
- Confirmation email, a sign-out log for equipment, a Teams tab.
- Suggested data
- Resources (name, type, capacity). Bookings (resource, person, start, end).
- Likely tools
- Power Apps, SharePoint list or Dataverse, Outlook
6. Employee Kudos
- Scenario
- Managers want people to thank each other more, but thanks get lost in chat threads.
- Users
- Every employee, and the people team who runs recognition.
- Starter build (MVP)
- Send kudos to a colleague with a short message and a value or badge. See recent kudos.
- Stretch ideas
- Post each kudos to a Teams channel, a badge gallery, a monthly leaderboard in Power BI.
- Suggested data
- Kudos (from, to, message, badge, date).
- Likely tools
- Power Apps, Power Automate, Teams, Power BI
7. Open Build
- Scenario
- Bring your own problem. Something from work, your community, or your life.
- Users
- You decide. Name a real user.
- Starter build (MVP)
- One main task a new user can finish without help.
- Stretch ideas
- Anything useful, clever, or delightfully strange.
- Suggested data
- You decide. Sketch it in the first 30 minutes.
- Likely tools
- Any Power Platform parts, as long as Power Platform is central
Tip. Start with sample data. Ten realistic rows make a better demo than an empty app. AI tools, Microsoft Learn, and search are all allowed. Tell the judges what you used.