Automation is only on Business and above, learn more.
Automation can be used with custom workflows and task approvals or on its own to automate actions when defined triggers occur on the task level. Watch our video below to get started.
Workflow automation uses simple “when” and “then” language to define triggers and actions, and you can establish multiple triggers and actions within one workflow. For example: when approval is granted, then assign the task to Bob Smith.
Use automation to:
- Streamline administrative tasks
- Avoid updating tasks manually
- Save time and catch things that could derail the project
How to Automate your Projects
Automation is configured at the project level, and users with project security roles of “creator” and “manager” can update automations from any project view. All other project members have read-only access.
To create or view workflow automation, access project settings by locating your project of choice. Click on its name at the top of your screen. A drop-down menu will appear where you'll select “workflow & automation.”
Available triggers:
| Field | Options |
| Status | Multi-select statuses |
| Priority | Multi-select priorities |
| Progress | Equals, less than, greater than |
| Tag | Added, removed |
| Approval | Approved, declined |
| Assignee | Added, removed |
| Actual cost | Less than, greater than, any increase, any decrease |
| Planned cost | Less than, greater than, any increase, any decrease |
| Planned duration | Less than, greater than, any increase, any decrease |
| Actual duration | Less than, greater than, any increase, any decrease |
| Start date | On start date, x days before or after start date |
| Due date | On due date, x days before or after due date |
Available actions:
- Set status
- Assign
- Unassign
- Set priority
- Set progress
- Add tag
- Remove tag
- Notify project manager
- Notify assignees of this task
- Notify assignees of linked tasks
All rules are evaluated top to bottom and you can reorder them by dragging. If there are multiple trigger actions, all must be true for it to fire. All actions are applied if the rule is true, unless the user doesn’t have permission to perform the action (in which case that action is skipped).
Start and due date triggers run once per day, between 7 and 8am in your account timezone. These date triggers don't fire when a task is first created (even if you create it during the window above), if you want to be notified immediately when tasks are created or assigned refer to our standard email alerts.
Sample Automations
Automation rules can be added to any workflow (even if the workflow isn't customized) and the rules can range from very simple to very complex. The use cases are nearly endless! For example, when the planned cost and actual duration increase, the task will automatically be assigned to Sam Watson.
Teams can set up sophisticated rules to be notified when a task goes over budget, falls behind, etc. For example, set up automation based on progress to automatically assign users to tasks to keep workflows moving. That way, approvers will automatically be notified that there's a task ready for review.
You can also use automation to oversee actual costs and duration, automatically setting statuses to particular priority levels.
Pro Tips
Business and Enterprise users can add automation rules to any project.
- Business edition has a limit of 5 automations per project.
- Enterprise edition has a limit of 20 automations per project.
There's no limit on the number of triggers and actions each automation can have.
As you construct your automations you can save as draft, allowing you to come back to it later or share it with a team member before going live. When you're ready, click Publish and your automations will run as soon as the next trigger condition is met. You can also disable individual automations with the On toggle.
When you save a project as a template you'll have an option to include your automation rules, any new projects created from that template will include your automation rules, saving you from double-entry.
Although "workflow and automation" appear as one menu item, these are distinct features. Read about our workflow feature.
Next Steps
Want to learn even more about automation? Watch our Listen & Learn below.
Our support team is always happy to help! If you have additional questions about automation, please reach out to us at support@projectmanager.com