Automation, Apps & Microsoft 365 — Built for Your Business
Boutique IT consultancy by Dave Van Gool. I build practical solutions on the Microsoft stack you already own — and I make sure your team can run them without me.
Get in touchAbout The Office Lab
I'm Dave Van Gool — a Microsoft 365 and Power Platform specialist with 25 years in IT and a Microsoft Certified Trainer since 2021. I founded The Office Lab at 49, after building a career across factory automation, field engineering, SharePoint consulting, and coaching development teams at some of Belgium's largest organisations.
It started on the floor of an Opel factory in the 1990s, watching automated systems free people from work that machines should handle. When I moved into IT in 1998, I saw the same pattern everywhere: the technology to automate existed, but nobody was connecting the dots. I spent two decades connecting them — as a field engineer, a SharePoint consultant, and eventually a trainer teaching teams to own what they build.
Today, The Office Lab does one thing well: practical Microsoft-stack delivery for organisations that want working solutions, not transformation roadmaps. I build on what you already have — M365, Power Platform, SharePoint, Dataverse — and I use AI tooling to move faster without cutting corners. Every engagement ends with your team in the driving seat.
Full career detail on LinkedIn .
What I Build
Practical solutions on the Microsoft stack you already own. No rip and replace, no vendor lock-in.
Power Platform Solutions
Custom apps, automated workflows, and dashboards built with Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Dataverse. You already own the tools — I make them useful.
Microsoft 365 & SharePoint
Tenant administration, information architecture, migrations, and governance. Intranets, document management, or a tenant that actually follows policy.
Automation & Scripting
PowerShell scripts, workflow automation, and API integrations that remove the manual steps. If it's repetitive, it can almost certainly be automated.
Websites & Web Apps
Business websites, landing pages, and lightweight web tools — designed to work and built to last. Full delivery: structure, copy, hosting, maintenance.
AI-Augmented Development
Solutions built with Claude Code, Copilot Studio, and AI-assisted pipelines. I use AI tooling in my own process and can build it into yours.
How I Work
Same approach every time: understand first, build on what you have, leave your team in control.
Understand
Before I write a line of code, I learn your systems, constraints, and where the actual pain is. Most problems turn out to be different from the first description.
Build
I build on the Microsoft stack you already own — no new platforms, no surprise licence costs. AI tooling accelerates delivery without cutting corners on quality.
Transfer
Every engagement ends with documentation and hands-on training. I'm a Microsoft Certified Trainer — knowledge transfer is part of the delivery. When I leave, nothing leaves with me.
Recent Work
Real engagements. Client names withheld under confidentiality agreements. References available on request.
Transport Sector
License ManagementPremium Microsoft licenses (Copilot Pro, Project P3) sitting unused while others waited. Automated license pool management — tracking usage, out-of-office, illness — auto-reassign to next in queue.
Financial Services
Invoice ProcessingFinance team spent 3 days/month manually processing 500+ invoices. AI now reads, classifies, and books automatically. Accountants review exceptions only.
Public Sector
Case ManagementGovernment inquiries required manual research through years of data, 2-3 weeks per response. AI case management: reads inquiry, searches history, proposes draft. Team validates and sends.
Side Projects
Side projects that became real products. Goal: one new product per year.
10-5-1 Planner
Strategic planning framework connecting your 10-year vision with 5-year milestones and 1-year execution plans.
Launch AppTimetracker
Time registration, PO consumption tracking, calendar view, holidays, multi-user dashboards, booking codes, and PDF export.
Launch AppFieldFlow
Mobile-first platform for tradespeople — electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs. Job tracking, on-site checklists, and client reporting. Built to be dead simple.
Get in Touch
Have a project in mind? No sales process — just a straightforward conversation about what you need.
Phone
+32 3 346 07 26
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
I respond within two working days.