The Microsoft Power Platform is one of the most powerful low-code environments available today. It empowers teams to automate workflows, build apps, analyze data, and connect systems faster than ever before.
But with great power comes… well, chaos — unless you have governance.
After 15+ years working with Dynamics CRM and now Power Platform across public, private, and non-profit sectors, I can tell you this:
The difference between a successful Power Platform rollout and a “we-need-to-rewrite-this” disaster is governance.
🚨 The Problem: Power Platform Is Too Easy
Power Platform's strength is also its risk. In just a few clicks, citizen developers can build production-grade apps — without IT involvement, documentation, or controls.
Here’s what I often see:
- Dozens of environments without purpose
- Multiple apps solving the same problem
- Flows that run under personal connections (and break silently)
- Uncontrolled data connectors exposing sensitive information
- No ALM strategy — just wild west editing in production
It all works... until it doesn’t.
🔍 What Is Governance?
Governance isn’t about locking things down.
It’s about setting up clear boundaries, roles, and processes that allow innovation to thrive without compromising stability, security, or scalability.
At its core, governance should answer:
- Who can build apps?
- Where can they build them?
- How are those apps moved to production?
- What data is being accessed — and by whom?
- What happens when a key user leaves?
✅ What Good Governance Looks Like
Here’s what I recommend — and help clients implement:
1. Environment Strategy
Establish a structured set of environments:
- Development: For building
- Test / UAT: For feedback and validation
- Production: For go-live use
Include sandbox environments for training and experiments.
🔹 Tip: Use managed environments for production to restrict risky changes.
2. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Policies
Control which connectors are allowed, especially for production.
- Block risky connectors (e.g., Gmail, Twitter)
- Separate business connectors from non-business
🔒 This protects sensitive data and helps meet compliance requirements.
Microsoft also provides some fantastic guidance on implementing a DLP strategy.
3. ALM & DevOps
Implement Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) using:
- Solutions (yes, even for Canvas Apps)
- Pipelines via Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions
- Source control for plug-ins and custom code
🧠 This enables controlled, testable deployments — not “click-publish” accidents.
4. Center of Excellence (CoE) Starter Kit
Microsoft provides a fantastic free toolkit to monitor and manage platform activity:
- App usage and ownership tracking
- Flow inventory
- Admin insights and auditing
🚀 Bonus: It also gives you a launchpad to nurture and support citizen developers in your organization.
5. Security and Role-Based Access
Avoid assigning "Environment Maker" to everyone.
Use:
- Custom roles
- Environment-specific permissions
- Azure AD groups to automate user management
🛡️ Principle of least privilege always wins in the long run.
🧭 Start Early — You’ll Thank Yourself Later
If you’re starting your Power Platform journey, bake governance into your rollout plan.
If you're already deep in — it’s not too late. Start small:
- Audit your existing environments
- Define a basic ALM process
- Roll out DLP policies
- Educate your team
Governance isn't a one-and-done task. It's a mindset and a framework that evolves with your organization.
👋 Need Help?
At Power Platform Innovators, I help organizations:
- Clean up their existing environments
- Design scalable governance frameworks
- Train and empower both IT and business users
If that’s something you need, reach out here — or subscribe for more real-world best practices.