Automate workflows with Power Automate and SharePoint
13/01/2025
SharePoint and Power Automate working together
Are repetitive tasks slowing your team down?
Think about this: Every time a new document is uploaded, your team has to manually email approvals, send updates, and track changes. It’s a time drain – frustrating and prone to errors.
Now, imagine those tasks happening automatically while your team focuses on more valuable work. That’s the power of automation with Power Automate and SharePoint.
Whether it’s sending alerts, managing approvals, or syncing data, automation streamlines your processes and gives you back precious time.
How one company saved hours each week with automation
A professional services company faced constant delays in managing document approvals. The manual process required multiple emails, follow-ups, and wasted time. To solve this, they integrated Power Automate with SharePoint and set up an automated workflow:
- Documents uploaded to a specific folder automatically triggered an approval request.
- Notifications were sent to the right stakeholders for review.
- Approvals or rejections were logged in SharePoint automatically.
As a result they saved hours each week, reduced errors and improved team satisfaction.
Why SharePoint with Power Automate is a game-changer
Power Automate simplifies workflows by connecting your SharePoint environment with hundreds of apps and processes. Here’s why it’s so valuable:
- Boost productivity: Automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for strategic work.
- Reduce human error: Standardise processes to eliminate missed steps.
- Improve collaboration: Ensure the right people are notified at the right time.
- Increase efficiency: Reduce delays with real-time task automation.
SharePoint workflow
How to integrate Power Automate with SharePoint
Start with a clear process in mind
A great place to start is to identify which tasks or workflows you want to automate. Common examples include:
- Document approvals
- Notifications for updates in SharePoint libraries
- Data synchronisation across systems
Start directly from SharePoint
- Navigate to your SharePoint library or list
Open the document library or list where you want the workflow to be triggered. - Access the Automate menu
- Click on the Automate option in the toolbar at the top.
- Select Power Automate from the dropdown menu.
- Choose Create a flow to start building your workflow.
- Choose a predefined template or start from scratch
- SharePoint offers prebuilt templates for common tasks like approvals and notifications.
- For custom needs, select See more templates to explore additional options or Create from blank to design your flow.
- Set up actions and conditions. Add actions such as:
- Sending an email notification when a file is uploaded.
- Updating metadata when a document is approved.
- Add conditions to customise your flow further. For example: If “File Type = Contract,” route the file to a legal approver.
- Save and test your workflow
Save the flow and test it with a sample file or list item. Review the run history in Power Automate to ensure everything works as expected.
- Navigate to your SharePoint library or list
Monitor and optimise workflows
Once your workflow is live, use Power Automate’s built-in analytics to monitor performance. Regularly check for errors, optimise conditions, and adjust actions as needed to ensure everything runs smoothly.
This is just the beginning, take a look at Microsoft Learn to understand more about the deep integration of Power Automate in SharePoint
Ready to automate your workflows?
💡 Automation can revolutionise how your team works, but implementing it can feel overwhelming. That’s where we come in.
📅 Book a Free Information Management Strategy Session to assess your automation needs.
🛠️ Explore our IMaaS services for ongoing support, from workflow design to optimisation.
Need help setting up workflows in SharePoint?
