Monday 29 May 2017

The Birth of a Dynamics 365 App


This is the first blog in a several part series on the Progressus Software journey to make the jump from great idea to great App in the Microsoft AppSource for Dynamics 365 Financials.  It is a comprehensive and collaborative effort to make it happen, from all aspects of an organization, and we will hear from each in this series of posts.
For the past few quarters, we have been working diligently to get Progressus Software published on Microsoft AppSource.  It has been a complete team effort to make it on AppSource as quickly as possible.  Some have asked, “Why,” when the real question they are asking is “Why is AppSource such a big deal”?   AppSource is key to the success of two products: both Progressus Software AND Dynamics 365 Financials.  Microsoft announced earlier that Dynamics 365 Financials would handle the core financial aspects of a company, and that Microsoft would rely on the marketplace at large to develop and supply the best and most useful “apps” to replicate and extend the specialized functionality that already exists in some of the current Dynamics products.  For Professional Services organizations that rely on the project accounting functionality found in Dynamics SL, Progressus Software is the bridge that will connect them to the power and flexibility of Dynamics 365 Financials.  Dynamics 365 Financials handles the back office, Progressus handles the project accounting functionality.  The picture that comes to mind is one of a coral colony, where an individual piece cannot survive on its own, but as they mature together the branches build on and strengthen each other.  A very similar concept with Microsoft and Dynamics 365 Apps.   Dynamics 365 Financials is the core, with Apps attaching and multiplying the beauty of the whole.  That is why AppSource is such a big deal, and why we have put so much effort into getting it right.

Microsoft recognized the Progressus effort too, and has tapped Progressus Software to help other folks get their “Apps together”.  We shared our experiences and lessons learned along the way with other potential App makers at the International ISV showcase hosted by Microsoft in Lyngby Denmark in March, with the Canadian ISV and Partner teams in May, and we will even host a full session at Directions 2017 on the process and the thought that goes into creating and marketing an App for Dynamics 365.
As I mentioned earlier, we’ll cover some of the building blocks that need to be in place and operational before you can even submit your App for publication, and we’ll hear from our own Progressus team members in each area.  Up next, our own Progressus Development Manager and NAV MVP Mohana Pallapothu will detail the technical side of the App process.
Thanks for following our quest to get Progressus Software into the Microsoft AppSource, and be sure to check out AppSource regularly to see all of the cool and useful applications that can add to your productivity.  Also, be on the lookout for Progressus Software on AppSource very soon!
Learn more about Progressus Software at www.progressussoftware.com.