Learning & Development Training Collation Automation
The L&D team at Stanbic IBTC was drowning in spreadsheets. Training data for over 2,000 employees was being collected manually via Excel files on SharePoint, generating a 90% error rate, approval cycles that stretched beyond five days, and no real-time visibility for anyone. I was brought in to fix it.
90%
Reduction in data entry errors
< 24 hrs
Approval cycle time (down from 5+ days)
95%
Employee adoption within 3 months
2,000+
Employees on the platform
The Problem
The existing process was entirely manual. Employees filled in Excel templates, emailed them to HR, who then chased managers for approvals via email before manually consolidating everything into a report. At peak periods the pressure was acute: hundreds of submissions, no validation, no audit trail, and a team stretched thin trying to reconcile it all.
- ›90% error rate from manual data entry: wrong formats, missing fields, duplicate submissions
- ›Approval cycles averaging 5+ days with no automated reminders or escalations
- ›No real-time visibility into submission status for employees or HR
- ›Manual report consolidation consuming significant HR bandwidth every cycle
The Solution
I designed and delivered an end-to-end digital solution using Microsoft Power Platform, replacing every manual step with an automated, validated, and auditable workflow. The approach was deliberate: use the tools the organisation already licensed, minimise change management friction, and make the system simple enough that employees would actually use it.
Power Apps
Mobile-friendly submission form with validation and SharePoint integration
Power Automate
Automated approval workflows with Teams and email notifications
SharePoint Online
Centralised data storage with role-based access control
Power BI
Real-time dashboards for HR with department and time-period filters
App Screens
Dashboard
Submit Request
My Requests
Manager Approvals
Submission Confirmed
How It Worked
Employee Submission
Employees accessed a mobile-friendly Power App with dropdown menus for predefined training categories, mandatory field validation, and instant confirmation on submission. No more blank fields, no more wrong formats.
Automated Approval Flow
Each submission triggered a Power Automate workflow: field validation against budget limits, an approval request sent to the line manager via Teams and email, automatic status updates to SharePoint, and outcome notifications back to the employee. HR was alerted only when intervention was needed.
Live Reporting
A Power BI dashboard gave HR real-time visibility into submission counts, approval rates, pending goals, and breakdowns by department, training type, and time period. What previously took days to compile was now updated continuously.
Implementation Timeline (12 Weeks)
Weeks 1-2
Stakeholder interviews and requirements finalisation
Weeks 3-4
Power App prototype build and SharePoint list setup
Weeks 5-6
Power Automate approval workflow development
Weeks 7-8
Power BI dashboard build and integration testing
Weeks 9-10
User acceptance testing and training delivery
Weeks 11-12
Go-live deployment and post-launch support
The Outcome
Within three months of going live, 95% of the 2,000+ employee base had adopted the platform. Error rates in training data dropped by 90%. What had been a five-day approval cycle collapsed to under 24 hours. HR reclaimed significant bandwidth previously lost to manual consolidation and chasing approvals, and leadership gained real-time visibility into training compliance for the first time.
Beyond the numbers, the project demonstrated something more important: that the right digital solution, built around how people actually work, does not need to be complex to be transformative.