Key takeaways
Featured partners
What is workflow automation?
Workflow automation refers to the process of pre-programming tasks using a simple command. The command follows a basic formula: when + then = automated task.
When represents the trigger and condition, while Then indicates the desired action. At the core, it means, “When something happens, then this event should follow.”
Most project management software solutions have pre-built automation recipes, which makes setting up automations easier. These are the common templates:
- Status change: This entails a specific action being implemented when a status is updated. For example, when the status changes to Done, archive the task item.
- Time-based: This refers to an action that will be performed when a particular date arrives. For example, three days before the due date arrives, notify someone.
- Item creation: This involves an item being created at a specific time period or an action being implemented when an item is created. For example, every time period, create a task item; or when a new item is created, assign a team as the assignee.
Note that workflow automation is not the same as robotic process automation (RPA). Learn the differences between the two in our RPA vs workflow automation guide.
Workflow automation examples
Different departments across a company will benefit from automated processes. Here are some common workflow automation examples categorized per use case:
Human resources (HR) management
HR management involves various administrative tasks involving integrating new employees, engaging the existing workforce, and complying with laws, rules, and regulations. To enhance the efficiency of these processes and facilitate a better experience for new and seasoned team members, use workflow automation. These tasks especially benefit from automated systems:
1. New employee onboarding
Onboarding new employees requires collecting important pieces of information, including their job titles, business departments, office locations, and hiring dates. With a project management software solution in place, you’ll be able to gather these details without manually asking employees one by one.
Project management tool ClickUp features an employee onboarding project template, which has columns for hire source, department, induction date, and, most importantly, the onboarding stage. Its automations include status changes.
When the onboarding stage transitions from HR to Legal, you may switch the assignee to a member of the legal department to notify them of the change and allow them to take the necessary actions to move the onboarding process along.
2. Time-off request approval
Vacation requests can quickly pile up in the email inbox if not managed well. Instead of having team members send requests to their managers via email, let the employee file requests in your automated system.
Create a time-off request form to centralize all applications in one board. Let managers and HR officers have visibility on the board so they can quickly review and approve. Use the status change automation “when the status changes to Approved, send a notification to the person who filed for the time-off.”
3. Expenses reimbursement
With workflow automation, employees simply need to fill out and submit a reimbursement request form that their manager will review and approve. The request is visible on a project board that the finance department can access, which will then be evaluated to ensure that it reflects on the employee’s next paycheck.
On the project management app Asana, you may configure the automation so that when the reimbursement request moves to the finance team evaluation section, the system automatically assigns it to a team member of that department and sends a note or prompts a team chat app notification. Asana integrates seamlessly with Slack and Microsoft Teams, allowing users to get updates on task creation, completion, or comments.
4. Employee status change
HR practitioners find it tedious to update statuses when employees get promoted or leave the company. Workflow automation removes the hassle of the laborious process of changing statuses. To facilitate this, you must connect the project management platform with third-party apps like the human resources information system (HRIS) and employee directory platform.
With these solutions in sync, when a team member changes their status and submits pertinent documents to the directory, the information on other platforms is automatically updated. Set an automation rule wherein you receive notifications for every status change.
Information technology
Ypur IT department handles numerous complex business processes, from implementing software solutions to accommodating users’ requests. While some IT processes may be complicated, others can be automated to reduce the burden on the team, facilitate efficiency, and ultimately offer better services to internal stakeholders. Apply these workflow automation examples in your IT operations:
5. Ticket management
Organize incoming service requests by setting up a form and letting the system automatically convert the requests into tasks in the IT board. monday.com enables teams to collect information through customizable forms. It also allows the creation of a workflow automation rule that will notify someone whenever a new item is created. With this functionality, it’s easier to track incoming IT tickets and prompt team members to take appropriate action.
6. Asset management
When an employee joins or leaves the company, the IT team is actively involved in the onboarding and offboarding process, particularly in the distribution and return of hardware. By implementing online forms, you can easily monitor which employees already received or handed back the required devices. With workflow automation, the system will notify key IT team members for action about an asset that needs to be deployed or received.
If you’re using the project management solution Jira, create an automation rule that automatically assigns issues to team members. “When an issue is created” is among the platform’s recommended triggers, making it easy for new users to set up this automation command.
7. Compliance
Software solutions used in the company must adhere to regulatory and data protection standards. The IT team must conduct regular inspections to ensure that no data security protocols are bypassed. By using automated forms, you’ll quickly build a master list of team members who finished the compliance testing and those who haven’t gone through it yet.
In addition, workflow automation software apps like Wrike allow you to set time-based automations. You may send a reminder in the form of a comment to IT team members to remind them of audit deadlines.
Marketing production & campaign management
The marketing production process includes many moving parts that can easily be automated. This allows team members to focus on more high-yield tasks instead of the administrative assignments the workflow demands. These are the marketing production to-dos you can set automatically:
8. Task request organization
The marketing team receives several collateral creation requests. These materials may be used on various platforms: websites, blogs, or social media. To organize the workflow better, automate the filtering of incoming requests. Include an input field for the type of marketing asset in the request form. Then, on the project management app, create a custom automation wherein when a field is labeled as something, the request is moved to a specific column or section on the project board.
9. Output approval
All marketing collaterals must go through the review and approval process. With workflow automation, asking for feedback becomes easier and quicker for team members. Simply configure the automation settings to notify a team leader or a supervisor when a task is moved to a specific stage, for example, when it reaches the Done or Ready for Approval column.
The easy-to-use project management solution Trello integrates with an approval tool that automatically moves cards to specific sections based on the approval status. Create an automation rule that notifies a manager or supervisor when a card moves to a particular column.
10. Content posting
Publish marketing materials right from project management apps by configuring workflow automations. On monday.com, when you connect your LinkedIn app and profile, you can set time-based and status-change automations. With this, you’ll be able to create a new post when a specific date arrives or when a task status gets updated to Ready to Publish. Many project management apps like monday.com integrate seamlessly with social networking platforms, including Facebook.
11. Drip campaigns
Drip campaign refers to a series of automated emails sent to a specific audience segment over some time. The audience is grouped according to particular actions they took, say, when they signed up for a free trial or purchased a product for the first time.
Zoho is one of the best marketing automation platforms for drip campaigns, as it features a drag-and-drop customer journey builder, in which you’ll be able to choose among various triggers and decide corresponding messages to be sent. For example, when a new lead fills out the sign-up form, the platform automatically sends a welcome email. The best part is that the platform offers pre-designed templates for different campaigns, including lead nurturing, re-engagement, and customer retention.
Customer relationship management (CRM)
CRM processes are intricate, requiring follow-ups with prospects, sending messages to clients, and plotting appointments. Fortunately, you can automate these and ensure no important task is neglected. This results in positive customer experiences that translate to brand loyalty. Below are some automated workflow examples for CRM:
12. Lead follow-ups
When a potential customer shows interest in your company’s products and services, a quick response is critical in increasing the likelihood of a sale. Through workflow automation, you don’t need to manually send an email to prospects. After they fill out your contact form, an automated welcome email will be delivered to their inbox. Depending on the end result you want to achieve, the message may be an invitation to book an appointment or receive updates about sale promos.
13. Sales pipeline management
Automation in sales pipeline management involves eliminating the manual steps of moving leads along the sales process. For example, when the contract status changes to Signed, the system will move it to the Closed column. Add a workflow automation rule that when a deal reaches the Closed stage, you get a notification on your Slack channel. This way, it will be easier for the team to discuss sales wins on your group chat.
Notion is a popular project management platform that enables users to view tasks and projects on a Kanban-style dashboard. Use this tool to keep track of and automate all your leads, deals, contacts, and sales within a single platform.
14. Post-interaction customer communication
After a successful meeting with a client, you want to maintain customer engagement and send them an email expressing your appreciation for their time and presence. On your project board, configure the automation settings to allow the system to send an email to a contact when you move the task to a certain stage in the sales pipeline. This is especially useful when managing multiple clients, and individually sending them a message is tedious.
15. Task creation in specific pipeline stages
When a lead enters a new stage in the sales pipeline, assign tasks automatically so the team can immediately work on the deliverables needed for that stage and ensure that the lead is constantly pushed to move along the pipeline. A good workflow automation example to apply here is when a lead’s status changes to Qualified, create a task for specific team members to draft a proposal, or schedule a sit-down meeting with the client.
What are the benefits of workflow automation?
In a nutshell, the main benefit of having workflow automations set up is increased productivity, but it doesn’t stop there. Here are other specific benefits of automated workflows:
- Better team performance: When tasks are automated, employees save time. Thus, they have more bandwidth to attend to high-yield activities, such as cultivating relationships with clients or recalibrating sales strategies.
- Reduced errors: Manual processes are susceptible to mistakes, especially when users are not fully focused on the task. Workflow automation reduces or removes errors. Moreover, when automation fails, users are compelled to review triggers, conditions, and data sources, recalibrating the workflow.
- Support for large projects: The intricate details of complicated projects can be overwhelming to track and manage. However, by automating processes, you can ensure that repetitive, administrative tasks are properly handled and not causing any bottlenecks to the project’s progress.
- Improved transparency: Working on projects involves several people using different tools, which sometimes results in data silos. Since automation compels you to connect business software solutions to establish the correct sequence of processes and create a smooth workflow, all departments have visibility on important data.
How do you create an automated workflow?
Most project management apps have an easy-to-use workflow automation builder, which features input fields for triggers, conditions, and actions. In general, creating a custom automation is easy.
- Input the trigger and condition: Identify the event that kicks off the automation. This may be a board item in your column, like a status update, a person assigned, or a particular date. It could be an event such as an item created. In a project management app, the triggers and conditions are indicated by the “When” clause.
- Input the action: Decide your preferred action when the triggers and conditions are met. Some examples are changing the status, moving an item to a group, notifying someone, creating an update, or assigning a team member. The actions are indicated by the “Then” clause.
- Launch the automation: Once you fill out the triggers, conditions, and actions, create the automation. See if the system successfully executes the preferred action by prompting the trigger and condition event.
Incorporate automations into your workflows
Workflow automation improves team performance, minimizes errors, and supports growing operations and complex projects. Ultimately, it facilitates efficient business processes. Adopt the automated workflow examples above or take advantage of pre-built automation recipes in your project management app to get started on automated tasks. As you become familiar with the system’s functionality, create custom, complex automations to completely remove the manual administrative work on your to-do list.
If you’re still on the market looking for the ideal software solution, check out our top picks for the best project management software.
