Easily manage InfoPath migrations with specialized project management tool from Crow Canyon!
The impetus to move off InfoPath is growing. Microsoft stopped development of InfoPath back in 2013 and will end mainstream support in July 2021. At many companies, the conversation is moving from asking “Should we move off InfoPath?” to “We need to get going on this right away!” So what are you Infopath replacement options?
Organizations are realizing a simple fact: continuing with InfoPath means they are missing out on the new technologies available in modern form and workflow solutions. Cloud services, mobile responsive design, chatbots, and modern browsers came into prominence well after InfoPath forms were in vogue. Staying on InfoPath forms puts companies further and further behind the technological curve.
Crow Canyon’s InfoPath Replacement Manager
Crow Canyon offers a robust set of tools and resources to assist with the move off InfoPath and to identify your Infopath Replacement options. These include applications, eBooks, online guides, and professional services. See our InfoPath Resources page.
In this article, we will showcase our InfoPath Replacement Manager application, a variation of our Project Manager for SharePoint and Microsoft Office 365 that was built specifically to help organizations move off InfoPath.
The InfoPath Replacement Manager helps organize and track InfoPath form conversions. Each form replacement becomes a project that is easily managed from the initial discovery phase through the form recreation process to the implementation of the new form. The Manager guides each step of the way, with sub-tasks, approvals, status checks, alerts and notifications, custom actions, and more, so that the team stays fully engaged and on track.
Data and Meta-data About Each Form Helps Guide the Conversion
Data about each form is entered into the Manager. This can be done manually or by importing from a spreadsheet. To build a spreadsheet, Crow Canyon provides PowerShell scripts that “read” what InfoPath forms are on the SharePoint server and then output that info to a CSV file, ready for importing.
Meta-data about each form can be added. This includes usage data, what group or department uses the form, how critical the form is to the business, if any modifications should be made, etc. By gathering data and meta-data about each form in one place and then reviewing it, the team can decide how (or if) the form should be recreated in the new solution, whether it needs modifications, how much effort it will take to recreate it, and the timeline for doing that.
The form conversion can then be efficiently managed and tracked using the Replacement Manager. Note that the InfoPath Replacement Manager does not perform the actual form conversion. That is done using a tool such as NITRO Studio, our sophisticated forms and workflow creation platform for both SharePoint on-premises (2013, 2016, & 2019) and Microsoft Office 365.
Using NITRO Studio to Build New Forms and Workflows
NITRO Studio comes with a Forms Designer, Workflow Manager, and all the other features needed to make the move off InfoPath peroviding you effecient and simple Infopath replacement options. Your team can easily replace InfoPath forms and workflows with up-to-date, modern, responsive NITRO forms and workflows. For Office 365, NITRO includes Microsoft Teams integration and chatbots as ways to interact with end users and staff.
NITRO Studio works in conjunction with the InfoPath Replacement Manager. The Manager holds the information about each form – who is responsible, what is its purpose, updates on the progress of the conversion, when it needs to ready, etc. NITRO Studio is used to create the actual forms and workflows and to get the form implemented and in use.
Working together, these two tools – the InfoPath Replacement Manager and NITRO Studio – bring an easy and efficient way to make the move off InfoPath to modern, responsive, full-featured forms. The goal is to drive business process automation forward so that your organization can reap the benefits of all the capabilities of the cloud first, mobile friendly world that has left InfoPath in the dust.
