How to record application build on SharePoint or Power App platforms?

[MM21]

Welcome!

We have SharePoint defined as platform application and related to O365 as host. There are many apps built on SharePoint or Power Apps that have separate Owners and Support. What is the best practice to record them? Should they be separate Business Applications or Application Services related to main Business Application e.g. SharePoint?

[TaylorJ78]

I would suggest the following structure:
My thought for organizing the Power Platform would be as follows:

Business Application - Platform Host: O365 & Platform Application: PowerApps
Application Service: PowerApps
Business Service / Offering will be all apps built on the PowerApps platform separated by owner and support
Technical Service / Offering will be who supports the platform and is responsible for platform related support

My thought for organizing in this manner is that PowerApps is what you have a contract and is strategic to the company (business application). The built apps (business services/offerings) are supported by the PowerApps platform (application service) and offered to the business for use.  The PowerApps platform team (technical service / offering) will want to control the environment and provide the guardrails for managing the platform, they would not like everyone in the company to have a stake in the platform for changes.

[elbab]

Thank you for the answer!

I thought about it in similar way, but on the other hand we have very complicated SharePoint apps that provide almost separate business capabilities. 

I was thinking to divide it into two categories: Standard apps - that would follow logic proposed by you and Non-standard that would have separate Business Applications. That could unfortunately make the model very complicated and SharePoint would become platform host as well. 

The model could look like:

Business App (Platform Host): O365

Business App (Platform Host): SharePoint

Business App (Platform App): Custom SharePoint Application

And this is not following the principle to keep to structure flat, but on the other hand some platform apps we have are really massive and require separate reviews by our architects.

[TaylorJ78]

I think of this as I do the ServiceNow platform.  The platform manages the plugins and data hub and provides the service to allow for building of custom 'apps'.  A custom app built on ServiceNow must live within the guardrails of the platform and the strategic value of the application is directly tied to ServiceNow and the lifecycle of the platform.  The "app" (i use that term loosely) is a Business Service and provides an offering for customers to access, without the platform there is no app.  This service offering will have sla and support structure but point back to the ServiceNow platform for processing power and technical support.  I don't like to over complicate the framework, it will make it harder for the customers of CSDM to understand and if you are using APM, rationalization and understanding what you are doing and why will be difficult to understand.  The great thing about the tool is that it is dynamic and you can build it one way, if it isn't meeting your goals, make a change until you are satisfied.  Good luck!  

[Mathew Hillyard]

I would echo @TaylorJ78's comments - technically a team supports PowerApps functionality, so you can have a Technical Service and Offering connected to the primary platform App Service, but also have host/application relationships and Dependent App Services where you could connect Business Service Offerings for those that provide a service to business users. SLAs, support and business/tech ownership are usually referenced within Service Offerings.

The Business Apps represent the application technology at a conceptual or design level and it is common to map out platform hosts and their applications as one of the first steps to establish a business application inventory.