4. Workflow automation

With Smartsheet workflowManual repetitive simple workCan be replaced with a flexible automatic solution.
Automate notifications, set deadline reminders, internal approval workflows for updates and approval requests, lock and unlock rows, record dates, assign tasks, change cell values, and much more. ..
Repeat copy and paste, work that is manually repeated by e-mail, replace with workflow,Free employees from simple tasksYou can focus on more essential tasks.

  • Send important alerts about your changes, or as a reminder that your deadline is approaching.
  • Request content updates and approvals.
  • Locks and unlocks rows, and moves rows between different sheets.
  • Assign tasks to users and record the days when milestones are reached.
  • Combine multiple scenarios and actionsBy doing so, we will carry out the necessary work with little effort.

Even if you don't write any codeVisual editorYou can easily collaborate with your team by creating a workflow in.

Benefits of automation with no-code workflow

Building solutions in the user department

As a business process owner, without the help of the T departmentUser departmentYou can use the no-code workflow to create solutions for streamlining and automating the tasks faced by smart sheets.
For users who have been studying the structure of the table such as what kind of items to put in Excel etc. in the user department, and have done some automation using simple functions, although it does not go to macros and VBA, Smartsheet You can build a significant automation solution with no-code automation in the workflow of.

No-code automation is an important consideration when considering the number of Smartsheet licenses

The ability to create solutions with no code is an important consideration when deciding who will be a Smartsheet licensed user and how many accounts to have.
Creating a solution in the user department who knows the business well leads to an easy-to-use solution, so instead of listening to the business requirements and controlling a considerable part by the sysadmin like other systems, create a solution in the user department. I think it's a good idea to consider who in the user department should create the content.

Automated workflowTriggers, conditions, actionsIt consists of three parts.

  • A trigger that tells you when to perform automation
  • Conditions for filtering the rows of the sheet to which automation is applied
  • The action you want to perform
trigger条件アクション
What triggered the automation?Conditions for rows to be automated?What kind of automation?
Change of sheetColumn conditionnotification
Add lineDate <todaySlack, Teams too
Change lineStatus ≠ completedrequest
Add or change rowsPerson in charge = whoUpdate, approval
Reached at daytimeWhen branching other than the conditionSheet change
Specific dayAdd multiple conditional pathsAssignments, cell values, dates, etc.
Date columnInter-sheet workflow
Daily, weekly, etc.Move to another sheet, copy
Organize triggers, conditions and actions

Workrow is a workflowtemplateCustomize orSpecify triggers, conditions, and actions from scratchCan be created.

Specific workflow example

Automatic task assignment

Commentary video (first half)

For example, in IT ticketing, the person in charge is automatically assigned according to the type of request (hardware, software, network, etc.), and the person in charge and the requester are notified.

Below is a workflow that assigns responsibilities according to the classification of IT requests (hardware, software, network, repair). (Hard and network branch has already been created)
You can add two more branching conditions, or you can copy the workflow itself to change the conditions and responsibilities. (The latter is a method of dividing the workflow in parallel.)

Workflow to specify the person in charge by classification
Workflow to specify the person in charge by classification

Commentary video (second half)

Request regular updates for tasks that haven't been updated recently

For example,Record the date the status was updatedHowever, for tasks that have not been updated within a week and have not been completed, we will automate the status update every week on a fixed day.

Below is a workflow that records the date when a status is added or changed.

Workflow to record the date when the status was updated
Workflow to record the date when the status was updated

Below is a workflow that issues an update request every Friday if the update date recorded above is less than 7 days.
The latter workflow is executed at the specified date and time, assuming that the value is changed by the previous workflow so as to cascade to the upper workflow.

Update request workflow for those that have not been updated for a week
Update request workflow for those that have not been updated for a week

This is an update request by email received when I tested whether the above workflow works.

Update request email from workflow
Update request email from workflow

For update requestsThis tutorialplease look at

Summary: Automated workflow

With Smartsheet, you can easily create workflows to automate time-consuming and repetitive manual tasks.Guided workflow templates make it easy to set up automation, even for the first time, to automate things like collecting updates and checking due dates.

Workflow ideas

The Workflow Templates gallery makes it easy to create workflows for common actions.This gallery provides tips for using workflows and how to customize each template.

Here are some examples.

Workflow template usage examplePurpose of use
Send an alert to the user if the specified conditions are metTell the other person that you have assigned a task or changed the date
Send reminders to users on specified datesNotify stakeholders when an important day is approaching
Request weekly updatesCollect weekly status reports to stay up to date on your project
Move row to another sheet if specified conditions are metAutomatically move rows to another sheet if something changes (for example, task completion, status update, assignment of a new task to a team)

These examples are just the starting point.Let's customize the template according to the actual scenario.

Creating an automated workflow

To create or manage a workflowLicensed userMust be.If you are a sheet viewer or editor, you can create your own alerts and reminders.Manage your sheets if you want to create or modify workflows that send alerts or request actions to other users, or if you want to do something with Smartsheet (such as moving rows or recording dates). Requires person-level sharing privileges.

With the sheet open, do the following:

  1. At the top left of the sheet[Automation] > Create workflow from template Select in the order of.
  2. Select a workflow template from the gallery, then [Use template] Choose.In this example,Send Reminder to User on Specified Date  Choose. 
  3. Trigger blocks define when a workflow runs.Reminders can be sent on a regular basis, such as every Friday, or based on the date on the sheet, such as his three days before the due date.You can also change the trigger to run in response to sheet changes, such as when a row is added or changed.
  4. The Send User Alerts block defines who should receive reminders.as needed,{{Field name}} PlaceholderYou can customize the subject and body of the message, such as adding fields to the message and selecting the columns to display at the bottom of the message. 
  5. Most workflows only require triggers and actions, but you can add conditions to make them more targeted reminders.For example, you can set a condition to send reminders only for tasks that haven't been completed yet.You can also add other actions to your workflow.You can also record the date in the Date column to see when the alert was sent. 
  6. At the bottom right of the workflow builder [keep]  Choose.

You have now created a workflow that automatically informs the user that the item is due.

You can also create a workflow from scratch.

  • [Automation] > [Create Workflow] Select, then configure the trigger block, select an action, and add a conditional path.

Is the sourceSmartsheet help articleIs here.

Workflow management screen

Sheet administrator Authorized person can search, check, and edit workflows on the management screen.

  • You can stop or delete a workflow in the workflow management screen.
  • On the workflow management screen, you can check and manage all workflows in one place.