#PowerPlatformTip 116: 'AI Automated Solution Design'

TL;DR: Talk through the process, paste the transcript into an AI chat together with a fixed solution-design prompt, and get a Markdown Solution Design for Power Apps and Power Automate. Ask for Mermaid diagrams in the same answer, or paste the Markdown into Eraser’s DiagramGPT. For customer processes, use a chat with enterprise data protection (for example Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat with your work account), not a private account.

You come out of a workshop with a process in your head and a blank document in front of you. Talking for five minutes is faster than writing for two hours. The AI turns the talk into a first structured draft, and you spend your time correcting it instead of formatting it.

💡 Challenge

You want a quick, structured overview of a Solution Design for a Power Apps and Power Automate project, without spending hours writing it from scratch.

✅ Solution

Describe the process by voice, let an AI chat draft the Solution Design in Markdown with a reusable prompt, and generate the diagrams from the same text.

🔧 How It’s Done

1. Describe the process with voice-to-text.

🔸 Use the dictation of your operating system or Word (Dictate), or record a Teams meeting with transcription.

🔸 Cover who starts the process, which data is entered, who approves, which systems are involved and what happens on errors. Missing steps in the talk are missing steps in the design.

2. Draft the Solution Design.

🔸 Paste the transcript below this prompt and send both in one message:

You are a Power Platform solution architect. Based on the transcript below, draft a Solution Design in Markdown for a solution with Power Apps and Power Automate. Use these sections: Introduction, Objectives, Process Overview, Data Model (tables and columns), Power Apps Implementation (screens and key controls), Power Automate Implementation (one entry per flow with trigger and main actions), Integration Points, Security and Roles, Licensing (mark every premium connector), Assumptions, Open Questions. Use only Power Platform features that exist. List everything the transcript leaves unclear under Open Questions instead of guessing. At the end, add one Mermaid flowchart of the main process.

Transcript:
<paste transcript here>

🔸 The Open Questions section is the most valuable part. It turns gaps in your description into a checklist for the next customer call.

3. Add context with file uploads (optional).

🔸 Upload existing process descriptions, Excel lists or screenshots of the current solution and ask the AI to align the data model and screens with them.

4. Review and save the Markdown.

🔸 Check every connector, action and license note against Microsoft Learn before the document leaves your desk. The AI drafts, you sign off.

5. Visualize.

🔸 Paste the Mermaid block into any Markdown editor with Mermaid support (for example VS Code with a Mermaid preview, or Azure DevOps and GitHub wikis), or paste the whole Markdown into DiagramGPT by Eraser to generate flowcharts and diagrams.

🎉 Result

A first Solution Design with data model, screens, flows, security, licensing notes, a process diagram and a list of open questions, ready for your review in minutes instead of hours.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Streamlines the initial design phase.

🔸 Combines text and visual aids for better understanding.

🔸 Same structure for every project, thanks to the reusable prompt.

🔸 Open questions surface early, before they become change requests.

⚠️ Good to Know

🔸 Data protection. A transcript of a customer process often contains names, internal systems and sometimes personal data. Use an AI chat that your organisation has approved for business data, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat signed in with your work account (enterprise data protection), and remove names you don’t need.

🔸 Third-party tools. DiagramGPT is an external service. Check your organisation’s policy before you paste customer content there, or use the Mermaid route, which stays in your own editor.

🎥 Video Tutorial

🛠️ FAQ

1. What tools do I need for this process?

A dictation or transcription tool, an AI chat with file upload, and optionally DiagramGPT. With the Mermaid route, a Markdown editor with Mermaid preview is enough for the diagrams.

2. Can I customize the prompt for different project types?

Yes. Add or remove sections, for example Power Pages or Copilot Studio, and keep the instruction to list open questions instead of guessing.

3. How do I handle large files if the chat has upload limits?

Split large files into smaller parts, summarize key elements in text, or provide excerpts so the AI can process them.

🔗 Related Tips

• #PowerPlatformTip 99: Timesaver Toolkits: ChatGPT and Flow, more ways to combine ChatGPT with Power Platform.
• #PowerPlatformTip 134: Optimize Canvas Apps with YAML, let AI review and improve your app code.