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| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Custom automations |
| 3 | +hide_title: true |
| 4 | +description: Automate repetitive project tasks with trigger-based workflows. Set up rules to automatically update issue properties, assign team members, and manage priorities when specific conditions are met. |
| 5 | +--- |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +import Tags from "@site/src/components/Tags"; |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +<div className="tag-wrapper"> |
| 10 | + <h1>Automate your project workflow</h1> |
| 11 | + <Tags tags={[{ name: "Business", link: "https://plane.so/pricing", additionalClass: "business" }]} /> |
| 12 | +</div> |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +Automations let you streamline your project management workflow by automatically performing actions based on specific triggers and conditions. This powerful feature eliminates repetitive manual tasks, ensures consistency in your processes, and helps your team maintain focus on high-value work by letting the system handle routine operations. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +Think of automations as your digital assistant that watches for specific events in your projects and responds according to rules you define. Whether it's updating issue statuses, assigning team members, adding labels, or posting comments, automations work behind the scenes to keep your projects moving smoothly. |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +## What automations do |
| 21 | +Automations follow a simple but powerful logic: When [trigger] happens, if [conditions] are met, then perform [actions]. This trigger-condition-action framework allows you to create sophisticated workflows that adapt to your team's specific needs. |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +### Key components |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +- **Triggers** |
| 26 | +Events that start the automation (work item created, updated, state changed, assignee changed, comment created) |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +- **Conditions** |
| 29 | +Optional filters that must be met for the automation to proceed (specific state, type, label, assignee, creator, or priority) |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +- **Actions** |
| 32 | +What the automation does when triggered (add comments, change properties) |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +You can create complex workflows by adding multiple conditions and multiple actions to a single trigger, giving you fine-grained control over when and how automations execute. |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +## Set up automations |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +1. Navigate to your Project Settings. |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +2. Select **Automations** on the left pane. |
| 43 | +3. Click **Create automation** to start building your workflow. |
| 44 | + - Give your automation a descriptive name and description. |
| 45 | + - Save the configuration. |
| 46 | +4. Click **Add trigger** in the trigger section. |
| 47 | +5. Choose from available trigger types: |
| 48 | + - Work item created |
| 49 | + - Work item updated |
| 50 | + - State changed |
| 51 | + - Assignee changed |
| 52 | + - Comment created |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +6. Click **Add condition** to specify when the automation should run. Select condition types such as: |
| 55 | + - State (specific workflow status) |
| 56 | + - Type (work item type) |
| 57 | + - Label (project tags) |
| 58 | + - Assignees (specific team members) |
| 59 | + - Created by |
| 60 | + - Priority |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +7. Click **Add action** to specify what the automation should do. Choose from available actions: |
| 64 | + - Add comment |
| 65 | + - Change property (State, Priority, Assignee, Labels, Start Date, Due Date) |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +:::tip |
| 68 | +You can add multiple conditions to create more specific rules and multiple actions to perform several operations in sequence on a single trigger. |
| 69 | +::: |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +8. Click **Enable** on the top right corner of the screen to to start turn on the automation on your project. |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +## Manage automations |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +### Activity monitoring |
| 78 | +Track your automation's performance through the Activity panel, which shows: |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +- When the automation was created |
| 81 | +- Trigger additions and modifications |
| 82 | +- Condition updates |
| 83 | +- Action changes |
| 84 | +- Execution history |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +Filter the activity view to see only relevant events or view the complete run history to understand your automation's impact. |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +### Enable or disable automations |
| 89 | +Toggle automations on or off as needed without deleting them. This is useful for: |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +- Temporarily suspending automations during maintenance |
| 92 | +- Testing new workflows before full deployment |
| 93 | +- Seasonal or project-phase-specific automations |
| 94 | + |
| 95 | +### Edit and delete automations |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +- Modify triggers, conditions, and actions using the **Edit** option |
| 98 | +- Remove automations that are no longer needed |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +## Common use cases |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +- **State management** |
| 104 | +Automatically transition work items between workflow states and update status when specific conditions are met. |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +- **Team assignment and handoffs** |
| 107 | +Automatically assign team members when issues reach specific stages, reassign work based on type or priority, and ensure proper handoffs between different teams or departments. |
| 108 | + |
| 109 | +- **Priority and categorization** |
| 110 | +Auto-adjust issue priorities based on labels or assignees, apply consistent labeling across similar issue types, and maintain project organization through automated property updates. |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +- **Communication and notifications** |
| 113 | +Post automatic comments when issues are assigned or reassigned, add context when issues move between stages, and ensure stakeholders receive updates on critical changes. |
| 114 | + |
| 115 | +--- |
| 116 | +Automations transform reactive project management into proactive workflow orchestration, allowing teams to focus on solving problems rather than managing processes. With the ability to monitor, edit, and control when automations run, you maintain full control over your automated workflows while reducing manual overhead. |
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