If you often repeat administrative tasks in Productive, such as creating a new task or sending a Slack message to the team after a sales deal reaches a certain stage, a milestone is completed, or a client budget end date changes, consider automating these processes.
Productive's Automations can help you save time and focus on critical business activities that drive growth and success.
There are three main components to each Automation rule:
The "When" step is the first part of the "when-then" equation. This can be the creation, updating, deletion, or comment on a task, deal, budget, or invoice in Productive.
The "Check if" step is an additional condition you can add to your rule.
Depending on the previous step, it can help fine-tune the automation so that the action is only performed under specific conditions, such as the task type or assignee, the deal owner or pipeline stage, or the budget revenue or type, among others.
The "Then" step is the final portion of the "when-then" equation. This can include sending a Slack message or an email, adding a comment or a new task, or updating a task in Productive.
Check out our Automations: Examples and Best Practices article for tips and practical examples to optimize your automation workflows.
How Automations Work: Example
The automation process begins with a When step, an event that kickstarts the automation. It dictates when a specific action should occur.
When = A new deal is created
Once a Trigger is set, you can add a Check if step to apply more rules. Such conditions manage how the automation proceeds.
Check if = The deal owner is Alex Taylor
When the first two steps are finalized, they lead to the Then step, or in other words, the rule being executed.
Then = Create a new task in a designated project
Once all criteria can be met, the Automation's flag found at the bottom of the screen turns green, meaning the automation is ready to be saved and start being applied.
Note that the "When" step is mandatory, the "Check if" steps are optional; while the "Then" step must conclude every automation.
Automation Access and Settings
Access Automations via Settings > Automations.
Users like Admins, Profitability Managers, and Managers (with unlimited access) can create, edit, and manage Automations. Access to Automations can be further defined through custom permissions if needed!
In the Automation Settings, view all Automations, active or inactive, along with their description and monthly run counts.
Select "+ New automation" to create a new one, following the steps to define the main components of each rule: the When step, the Check if step, and the Then step.
Tip: Access and manage Automations directly from the Projects, Budgets, or Deals screens by clicking the Automate 🤖 icon.
Note that from each location, you can only create Automations specific to that context: task-related rules from Projects, budget-specific rules from Budgets, and deal-specific rules from Deals.
