Client Portal Requirements Checklist for Microsoft Power Platform Projects

Before building a client portal with Power Pages, Power Automate, SharePoint, or Dataverse, document the business workflow and the conditions the finished solution must satisfy. A clear requirements brief helps prevent missed security rules, unclear completion criteria, and repeated scope changes.

Use the checklist below to prepare for a discovery meeting or development estimate. You do not need every answer on day one; mark unknown items for investigation rather than silently assuming a solution.

1. Business objective and scope

• [ ] What problem does the portal need to solve?
• [ ] What is the current process, and where do delays or errors occur?
• [ ] Which tasks must be included in the first release?
• [ ] Which features can wait until a later phase?
• [ ] What measurable operational improvement would make the project useful?
• [ ] Who approves the requirements and final acceptance?

2. User types and access

• [ ] Who will use the portal: external clients, client administrators, internal staff, or system administrators?
• [ ] Can an organization have multiple contacts?
• [ ] Can a contact belong to more than one organization?
• [ ] How are users invited, authenticated, and removed?
• [ ] What can each role view, create, update, approve, or delete?
• [ ] Which records are shared across an organization, and which are contact-specific?
• [ ] What happens when a client employee leaves or changes roles?

Read how to keep each client's data separate in Power Pages for the security questions that need explicit answers.

3. Forms and information collection

• [ ] Which forms are required?
• [ ] What fields, validation rules, and conditional questions are needed?
• [ ] Are forms single-page or multi-step?
• [ ] Can users save a draft and resume later?
• [ ] Which fields are mandatory?
• [ ] Can clients edit a submission after sending it?
• [ ] What should happen when information is incomplete or invalid?
• [ ] Which data must be integrated with existing systems?

4. Documents and file handling

• [ ] Which documents are required for each onboarding path?
• [ ] What file types and sizes are allowed?
• [ ] Are documents optional, mandatory, or conditionally required?
• [ ] Who can view and download each file?
• [ ] Can clients replace a document?
• [ ] Is staff review or approval required?
• [ ] How are rejected documents returned for correction?
• [ ] What retention, deletion, and versioning rules apply?
• [ ] Are additional file-security controls required?

See how to collect client documents online using Power Pages and SharePoint.

5. Workflow and status definitions

• [ ] What are the onboarding stages?
• [ ] What event moves a case from one stage to another?
• [ ] Which steps require human approval?
• [ ] Which tasks can happen in parallel?
• [ ] Can a case be reopened or cancelled?
• [ ] What conditions must be satisfied before a case is complete?
• [ ] Who owns each task?
• [ ] Are due dates or escalation rules required?

6. Notifications and automation

• [ ] Which events send a confirmation?
• [ ] When should missing-information reminders be sent?
• [ ] How many reminders are allowed?
• [ ] Should timing use business days or calendar days?
• [ ] Which time zone applies?
• [ ] When should reminders stop?
• [ ] Who is notified when staff action is needed?
• [ ] How are failed emails and workflow errors handled?
• [ ] How will duplicate notifications be prevented?

See automating client onboarding with Power Automate.

7. Progress tracking and reporting

• [ ] What status can clients see?
• [ ] Which internal notes or statuses must remain private?
• [ ] Which queues or views do staff need?
• [ ] Which cases should be highlighted as overdue or stalled?
• [ ] What management metrics are needed?
• [ ] How are metrics defined and validated?
• [ ] Is a dashboard necessary for launch, or can it be a later phase?

See tracking client onboarding progress with Power Apps and Dataverse.

8. Integrations and technical environment

• [ ] Which existing systems must exchange data with the portal?
• [ ] Which system is the source of truth for each data item?
• [ ] Are supported connectors sufficient, or are custom APIs required?
• [ ] How will integration errors be logged and reconciled?
• [ ] Which Microsoft environment will own the solution?
• [ ] What development, test, and production environments are required?
• [ ] Who owns connections, service accounts, and deployment approvals?
• [ ] What are the expected data volumes and performance requirements?

9. Security, privacy, and governance

• [ ] What sensitive or regulated data will be collected?
• [ ] What authentication requirements apply?
• [ ] How will organization-level access be enforced?
• [ ] How will direct record and document access be tested?
• [ ] What audit history is required?
• [ ] What are the retention and deletion rules?
• [ ] Who reviews access and manages account revocation?
• [ ] What backup, recovery, incident, and support procedures apply?

Requirements may be subject to organizational policy or legal obligations. Obtain appropriate security, privacy, and compliance review for the specific use case.

10. Acceptance criteria and handoff

• [ ] Which end-to-end journeys must pass?
• [ ] Which negative security tests must pass?
• [ ] How are failed uploads, notifications, and integrations tested?
• [ ] Which browsers and devices must be supported?
• [ ] What documentation is required?
• [ ] Who will administer the portal after launch?
• [ ] What training is needed?
• [ ] What support and maintenance arrangements are expected?
• [ ] What deliverables demonstrate completion?

11. Budget and delivery assumptions

• [ ] What is the target launch window?
• [ ] What budget range has been approved, if any?
• [ ] Which features are essential versus optional?
• [ ] What licensing and capacity assumptions need confirmation?
• [ ] Which dependencies are controlled by third parties or internal IT?
• [ ] What is explicitly excluded from the first release?
• [ ] What change-control process will be used?

The Power Pages client portal cost guide explains the major budget drivers. The Power Pages vs. custom portal comparison can help if the technology choice is still open.

How to use this checklist

Complete the sections you can answer, identify unresolved decisions, and use the result as the basis for a discovery workshop. A developer should be able to explain which requirements affect architecture, security, licensing, effort, testing, and deployment.

Xcesslogic can discuss your current process and help turn the requirements into a scoped implementation plan.