The Employee Recognition App is a production-ready Power Platform application that transforms traditional paper-based employee recognition into an intelligent, automated digital workflow. Developed with full stakeholder collaboration, 100+ incremental releases, and comprehensive GitHub automation with CI/CD workflows. Features seven distinct award recognition types allowing consolidated submission, automated routing/triage, ChatBot safety checks, automated documentation storage, and enterprise-grade security compliance for VA Healthcare environments.
- Smart Forms: Award-specific forms with dynamic question sets and intelligent validation
- Automated Workflows: Multi-level approvals with intelligent triage and routing
- Mobile-First Design: Responsive and accessible across all devices and platforms
- Enterprise Integration: Teams and Outlook integration with a "Patient Safety Event" ChatBot
- Analytics & Reporting: Comprehensive dashboard for recognition metrics and insights
- Security & Compliance: Enterprise-grade security with complete audit trails
- DevOps Pipeline: Complete CI/CD automation and professional documentation
- User Experience: Embedded video tutorials, feedback system, and bug reporting
- View Submissions toolbar improvements: HRO and Hines Hero now initialize a clean in-app new-submission flow (no external links), resetting variables/controls and navigating to Screen_NewSubmission.
- Triage workflow: Form2 now binds to Gallery1.Selected; submit resets Gallery1 and clears selection state; layout tuned.
- App version groundwork: Commented version metadata scaffolding using PowerAppsforMakers.GetAppVersions; profile lookup updated to SearchUserV2.
See CHANGELOG.md for full details.
- Visual Modernization: Complete refresh with modern approved VA seal, logos, and professional visual assets replacing placeholder content
- Tutorial Integration: SharePoint-hosted end user tutorial video with embedded access buttons on Update/Help screen and submission popups
- Enhanced Loading Experience: Professional animated progress bars and spinning loaders improving user engagement during app interactions
- Navigation Improvements: All hyperlink URLs validated and 404 errors resolved for seamless user navigation
- Display Logic Fixes: Resolved dynamic variable conflicts on "View Submissions" screen preventing ICARE Values self-hiding behavior
- User Experience Enhancement: Comprehensive interface improvements maintaining production stability with enhanced usability and visual appeal
See CHANGELOG.md for full details.
The Employee Recognition App is built on a comprehensive Power Platform foundation with enterprise-grade automation:
- Power Apps Canvas App – Mobile-first responsive design supporting 4 award recognition types with accessibility compliance
- Power Automate Flows – Automated triage, multi-level approval routing, and AI safety chatbot integration
- SharePoint Lists – Secure data storage with structured content types, privacy controls, and comprehensive audit trails
- PowerShell Automation – 19 local development scripts + 14 public deployment scripts for comprehensive lifecycle management
- GitHub Actions – 2 active CI/CD workflows (changelog-enforcement.yml, repository-health.yml) with automated quality gates
- VS Code Integration – 32 custom tasks across 6 categories for complete development workflow automation
- Microsoft Approvals – Multi-level approval processes with executive routing capabilities
- Teams & Outlook – Collaboration and notification systems with embedded safety chatbot integration
📁 Employee Recognition App/
├── 📂 .github/ # GitHub workflows and automation (2 active workflows)
│ ├── 📂 ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ # Issue templates for consistent bug reports and feature requests
│ └── 📂 workflows/ # CI/CD automation (changelog-enforcement.yml, repository-health.yml)
│ ├── 📄 copilot-instructions.md # Instructions for using GitHub Copilot
│ ├── 📄 pull_request_template.md # Template for pull requests
├── 📂 src/ # Source code and configurations (production-ready components)
│ ├── 📂 v1.0.x/v1.0.0/ # v1.0.1 release artifacts and documentation
│ │ ├── 📂 power-apps/ # Canvas app files for deployment
│ │ ├── 📂 .unpacked/ # Unpacked raw source code files
│ │ │ └── 📂 .msapp/ # Ready-to-deploy application packages (v1.0.6.msapp)
│ │ ├── 📂 powershell/ # Public PowerShell scripts and utilities (14 production scripts)
│ │ ├── 📂 power-automate/ # Flow definitions and deployment configurations
│ │ ├── 📂 sharepoint/ # List templates and content type configurations
│ │ ├── 📄 INSTALLATION_GUIDE.md # Complete installation and setup instructions
│ │ ├── 📄 RELEASE_NOTES.md # v1.0.1 release notes and feature highlights
│ │ └── 📄 solution.xml # Power Platform solution package metadata
├── 📂 docs/ # Public documentation and guides documents)
│ ├── 📄 NOTICE # Project attribution and copyright information
│ ├── 📄 PROJECT_STATUS.md # Detailed project status dashboard and roadmap
│ ├── 📄 SECURITY.md # Security policy and compliance framework
│ └── 📄 CONTRIBUTING.md # Community contribution guidelines and standards
├── 📄 CHANGELOG.md # Complete development history
├── 📄 LICENSE # Apache 2.0 license terms and conditions
└── 📄 README.md # This comprehensive project documentation
- Power Platform CLI – Microsoft Learn (required for packaging and deployment)
- Visual Studio Code with recommended Power Platform extensions (Power Platform Tools, Power Apps CLI)
- Power Platform Environment (admin access required for solution import and configuration)
- SharePoint Site (with list creation and permission management capabilities)
- Git (for version control and repository management)
- PowerShell 5.1+ (for automation scripts and deployment utilities)
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/KCoderVA/Employee-Recognition-App.git
cd Employee-Recognition-App
# Open in Visual Studio Code with workspace configuration
code EmployeeRecognitionApp.code-workspace
# Authenticate to Power Platform (required for CLI operations)
pac auth create --environment [your-environment-id] --tenant [your-tenant-id]For immediate deployment without source code modifications:
- Pre-built Application Package:
src/v1.0.x/v1.0.0/power-apps/.msapp/v1.0.6.msapp - Enhanced Features: Modern VA branding, integrated tutorial videos, animated loading components
- Public PowerShell Scripts: Available in
src/v1.0.x/v1.0.0/powershell/(14 production-ready scripts) - Deployment Utilities: CLI automation and validation scripts for enterprise environments
- Installation Documentation: Complete step-by-step setup instructions in INSTALLATION_GUIDE.md
VA USGov Cloud Users: The application is configured for VA USGov environments with specific tenant and authentication requirements:
The Employee Recognition App maintains comprehensive security and compliance standards for enterprise healthcare environments:
- VA Healthcare Compliance: Full compliance with Veterans Affairs security requirements, FISMA controls, Privacy Act regulations, and HIPAA standards
- Enterprise Security: 50+ VA Healthcare enterprise restrictions implemented and validated through automated security compliance scripts
- Data Protection: Zero sensitive data, PHI, or PII included in repository - only sanitized template files and configuration examples
- Audit Trails: Complete audit capabilities with SharePoint integration for all recognition submissions and approval workflows
- Access Controls: Role-based permissions and principle of least privilege implementation throughout all components
- Secure Deployment: All deployment artifacts undergo security validation before public release
See SECURITY.md for comprehensive security policy, threat model, and compliance framework documentation.
We welcome community contributions! The Employee Recognition App follows comprehensive contribution standards:
- Code Standards: Power Fx best practices, delegation-aware patterns, and enterprise-grade naming conventions
- Documentation Requirements: Complete documentation for all contributions with license header compliance
- Testing Protocols: Multi-device testing, integration validation, and security compliance verification
- Review Process: 2-step review with automated quality gates and manual stakeholder approval
- Community Guidelines: Professional collaboration standards with VA Healthcare compliance requirements
See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines, code standards, submission process, and community expectations.
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| CHANGELOG.md | Complete development history |
| CONTRIBUTING.md | Contribution guidelines and best practices |
| SECURITY.md | Security policy and compliance framework |
| PROJECT_STATUS.md | Project status and roadmap |
| INSTALLATION_GUIDE.md | Installation and setup instructions |
| RELEASE_NOTES.md | Release notes and highlights |
Organization: Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital (Station 578), VISN 12, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Development Team: Advanced Analytics & Clinical Informatics Project Lead: Kyle J. Coder (Developer/Program Analyst) Primary Stakeholder: Christina Conway (Health Systems Specialist) Executive Sponsor: James Doelling (Executive Director/CEO) Project Timeline: April 9, 2025 – August 12, 2025 (125 days of active development) Total Releases: 100+ incremental development releases with complete traceability Repository Statistics: 1,879 lines in CHANGELOG.md documenting complete project history License: Apache License, Version 2.0 – See LICENSE for complete terms and conditions Contact:
- [PREFERRED] GitHub Repository: https://github.com/KCoderVA/Employee-Recognition-App
- [VA INTERNAL ONLY] SharePoint site: https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/vhahin/svc/ci/
- [ALTERNATE] Email: HINClinicalAnalytics@va.gov