One of Power Platform’s biggest strengths is how anyone can build apps quickly — but that’s also its greatest risk when there’s no governance. I’ve faced this issue where dozens of apps get created, but when the original creators leave, nobody else knows how to maintain or update them.

Below are best practices I put in place which drastically improved governance, security, and maintenance.

1. Implement a Solid Environment Strategy

Never let everyone use the Default environment for their builds. Create separate Dev, Test, and Production environments, so apps can be developed and tested safely without affecting live users.

# PowerShell example: creating a development environment
New-AdminPowerAppEnvironment -DisplayName "Development" -LocationName "westeurope" -EnvironmentSku "Trial"

Use environment variables extensively for connections and URLs. This makes moving apps between environments much smoother.

2. Use Connection References Instead of Hardcoded Connections

Hardcoding connections in apps and flows makes deployments fragile since endpoints and credentials are baked in.

Instead, use connection references, which act as an abstraction layer for connections, allowing you to switch connections without rebuilding your apps.

3. Deploy the Center of Excellence (CoE) Starter Kit

Microsoft’s CoE Starter Kit is a treasure trove for governance. It lets you monitor all makers, apps, flows, and connectors in your tenant, helping you identify unused or critical apps that need attention.

4. Package Everything Inside Solutions

Personal flows or apps die with their creators — this leads to broken processes and operational risks. Once you build a solution inside a solution container, it becomes much easier to manage lifecycle, updates, and ownership transfers.

# Exporting a solution via PowerShell
Export-CdsPackage -PackageDirectory "C:\solutions" -PackageName "CustomSolution" -SolutionZipFileName "CustomSolution.zip"

5. Create Lightweight Documentation for Each App and Flow

Spend 10 minutes documenting your app’s purpose, users, data sources, update process, and any known quirks. This will save hours of frustration later when someone else inherits your work.