The "When" step is the starting point of any automation in Productive—it’s like pressing play on a sequence of actions that follows.
This step is essential because it defines the trigger for your automation, determining when it should run.
Whether it’s based on user activity or a specific time, the "When" step sets the stage for everything that comes next, including optional "Check if" conditions and mandatory "Then" actions.
Adding a "When" Step to an Automation
Navigate to Settings > Automations > + New automation.
Select "When" to open the "When" setup window on the right.
This will allow you to choose the type of trigger:
A user action (e.g., creating or updating a task).
A specific time (e.g., every Friday at 5 PM). Time triggers are currently in Beta.
Let’s break these options down:
1) When a User Makes an Action
Select the "User makes an action" option and click Continue to start building your action-based rule.
You can choose from the following "When" triggers:
Created: When a Task/Deal/Budget/Invoice is created, then...
Updated: When a Task/Deal/Budget/Invoice is updated, then...
Deleted: When a Task/Deal/Budget/Invoice is deleted, then...
Commented: When a Task/Deal/Budget/Invoice is commented on, then...
Tip:
You can select multiple "When" options by ticking several boxes. This allows you to create broader rules.
Example:
"Any time a task within a specified project is created, updated, or commented on, then...."
After configuring your "When" step:
Click Apply to save your changes.
Add a "Check if" step (optional) to refine the rule further. More about it here.
Add a "Then" step to define the resulting action. More about the resulting actions here.
Pro Tip
To create or adjust an automation rule directly for a task, budget, or deal, use the robot shortcut icon 🤖 in the upper-right corner of your screen.
2) At a Specific Time (Beta)
Select the "At a specific time" option and click Continue to start building your time-based rule.
Here’s how to configure it:
Daily: Run the automation every day at a specific time.
Weekly: Select the specific day(s) of the week and time.
Monthly: Choose between:
A specific calendar day (e.g., "every first or last day of the month").
A specific weekday (e.g., "every last Friday").
Specify the time for the rule to run.
After defining your time-based trigger:
Click Apply to save the trigger.
Proceed to the Then step to define the resulting action (e.g., send a Slack message, send an email or create a task).
Read more about the resulting actions (the Then step) here.Click Save to apply your step settings.
To save your automation rule, select Save in the upper-right corner, name your rule, and optionally, add a description, and you'll be ready to set it live!
Note: The "Check if" step is not yet available for time-specific triggers, but stay tuned for updates!
