Cart

Introducing the "Magic Pot" open source project

If you are a Microsoft 365 user, you might have wondered which tool to use when for different tasks and projects. There is no clear answer to this question.

Published
October 31, 2023

The "Magic Pot" for Microsoft 365

If you are a Microsoft 365 user, you might have wondered which tool to use when for different tasks and projects. If you are a Microsoft 365 user, you might have wondered which tool to use when for different tasks and projects. There is no clear answer to this question, as the Microsoft 365 suite is marked as a one-size-fits-all solution, which make it great, but not a perfect fit. It is more like a set of ingredients that you can mix and match to create delicious and bite-sized dishes. The "Magic Pot" is tool for "cooking" and multiplying great solutions

But how do you know which ingredients to use and how to combine them? That's where a framework can help you. A framework is a set of guidelines and best practices that can help you choose the right tools for the right scenarios and make the most of your Microsoft 365 investment.

In this blog post, I will share with you the foundation of a framework that I have developed based on my experience and research. This framework can help you create effective and efficient solutions using the Microsoft 365 tools that you already have access to. The framework consists of four steps: define, design, deliver and evaluate.

Let me give you some examples of how this framework works in practice. Suppose you want to create a solution for managing your team's tasks and progress. You could use the following tools:

- Define: Use Planner to create a plan with tasks, assignees, due dates and labels.
- Design: Use Teams to create a channel for your project, where you can chat, share files, and integrate Planner as a tab.
- Deliver: Use OneNote to create a notebook for your project, where you can capture notes, ideas, feedback, and action items.
- Evaluate: Use Power BI to create a dashboard for your project, where you can track metrics, trends, and insights.

Or suppose you want to create a solution for sharing knowledge and best practices with your colleagues. You could use the following tools:

- Define: Use SharePoint to create a site for your topic, where you can store documents, pages, and lists.
- Design: Use Yammer to create a group for your topic, where you can post questions, answers, polls, and announcements.
- Deliver: Use Stream to create videos for your topic, where you can demonstrate skills, tips, and tricks.
- Evaluate: Use Forms to create surveys for your topic, where you can collect feedback, suggestions, and ratings.

Why "Magic Pot"

PowerApps here, PowerBI there. Really making no magic. So pilling stuff together into the "Magic Pot" makes the solution multiplies, and I we take care of not being greedy, think it will work.

Supported by Koksmats!

I like to welcome you to Koksmat. This is not a blog about food and cooking. It is a blog about software development and other things that I like to do. I will try to not only write, but also support you with video and real code.

Koksmat is a Danish word that means "Chef's assistance". I found it fitting for my purpose as it for most people doesn't mean a thing, it is pronounced identitically in many languages (tested in Serbo Croatian and US languages).

It also reflects to my early life. When I was aged 17, I actually worked as a Koksmat on the ferries crossing from Aarhus to Kalundborg. Remembering preparing a mix of 30 kg potatoes and 10 kg mayonaise together with a 1 kilo of spices, not the coolest dish ever made as the potatoes was poured in from a 3 kg bag.

Another meaning of koksmat is in english "Cooks Hand", which inspired me to inititally make a logo with a hand reaching out to help. But it turned out to look closer so someone begging for food. So I decided to go for the Chefs hat instead.

So this is really about giving each other a helping hand in our daily work.

Why now?

TL;DR; Why not.

The much longer story is related to my uncertainty about my self. A year a go I got diagnosed with autisme which have turned to be a bleshing for me. I really made me understand myself so much better, and also made me super confident that I have some talents which make is possible for me to do what I do.

What is in it for you?

I have made so many solutions during my carreer, but until recently haven't found the right recipe for sharing it with others. I have tried to make a blog, but it is not really my thing. I have tried to make videos, but it is not really my thing either. I have tried to make code samples, but it is not really my thing either. Spebd years with Logic Apps, PowerApps and Power Automate, but it is not really make it nice through a product life cycle. What I love though, is Lists in SharePoint.

But trying to develop something which combines all of this, I think I have found something which I can do, resulting in the GitHub organization Koksmat.