SharePoint workflows are the automated movement of documents or elements through a sequence of actions or activities related to a business process.
SharePoint workflows can be used to manage standard business processes within a company intranet built with Microsoft 365.
Workflows, that are mostly done with the integration between SharePoint and Power Automate (aka: Microsoft Flow), can simplify costs and save time required to coordinate conventional business processes through the management and monitoring of activities.
You can add a SharePoint workflow to a document library on a site.
When the author of the document starts the workflow, approval activities are created and assigned to the other participants. They receive mails with task instructions and a link to the material to be approved.
While the SharePoint workflow is in progress, participants can check the Workflow Status page to see which participants have completed the required tasks.
When participants complete the activities, the workflow ends, and the owner automatically receives a push.
In addition to supporting current work processes, workflows with Power Automate (aka: Microsoft Flow) offer other ways to collaborate and work with documents, lists and the other types of content that you can have in SharePoint.
Users with a flow, can integrate their intranet's content with all the other services in Microsoft 365 connecting colleagues for approvals or any other internal process.
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SharePoint workflows types
Sharepoint, using the integration with Power Automate (aka: Microsoft Flow), gives you different kinds of workflows with which you can work and grow collaboration among employees:
- Manually triggered workflows - The user selects a document and manually starts the approval flow
- Automatic triggered workflows - The user changes the content of a document or an element in a list and the flow starts by itself.
- Time triggered workflows - Every X hours, minutes or days, the workflow starts by itself following the specified schedule.
SharePoint predefined approval workflow.
A SharePoint document library includes a basic approval feature that meet the basic requirements of typical business scenarios:
- A user changes the content of a document, moving it from a draft (ex: version 0.1) to a public version (1.0)
- Before publishing the document, the document has to be approved by someone with "Approval" permission in the library.
There is no way for reviewers to receive a notification, to provide comments and suggestions or to send back an alert to the person who started the workflow for approval or rejection.
This is why you may prefer Power Automate (aka: Microsoft Flow) for your workflows.
The tool contains also other types of workflows, that where available in the on-premise old versions of the product.
- Approval: This workflow sends a document to one or more approvers to ask their review and approval of content.
Approvals can be in parallel or in sequence and you need to choose, for every document, which are the approvers.
- Signature Collection: This workflow directs a Microsoft document to a group of people to collect their digital signatures.
Participants must complete the task by adding their digital signatures to the document in the appropriate previously called Office application.
- Publication approval: it automates the routing of content to subject matter experts and interested parties for review and approval.
- Three states: this workflow can be used to manage business processes that require companies to keep track of a large number of issues or elements.
You can enable and use these workflows in SharePoint Online, but it's better to evaluate Power Automate for workflows.
Custom workflows allow you to create mini-programs within SharePoint and adapt them to the specific needs of business processes.
The possibilities with personalized workflows are endless. But if you're trying to mostly save time and money with process automation, start with these workflows:
- Help desk ticket management
- Inventory monitoring
- Review of the sales pipeline
- Compliance support
- Meeting planning and management
- Review and approval of a company policy
Custom workflows allow you to create mini-programs within SharePoint and adapt them to the specific needs of business processes.
The chances with personalized workflows are endless. But if you're trying to get the maximum savings in time and money from process automation, start with these workflows:
- Help desk ticket management
- Inventory monitoring
- Review of the sales pipeline
- Compliance support
- Meeting planning and management
- Review and approval of the policy
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