Automation Workflow Not Running

gjohnson.pcpro

Hello all!

I have an automation workflow set up to record a date when a particular column changes to a specified value. Essentially I need to record a date when the "Current Stage" column changes to "Reevaluate/Schedule Final". See the workflow trigger screenshot below.

I created this workflow and tested it on 11/16. It worked at that time, however today I noticed that the actual approval date field was not populated on several recently updated projects. Looking at the "Manage Workflow" list, I found that this workflow last ran on 11/20, despite the fact that many lines have been changed since then that should have triggered the workflow.

I deleted and recreated the workflow in an attempt to get things flowing again, but in testing it today it still does not work and I do not understand why. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thank you!

Genevieve P.

Hey @gjohnson.pcpro

Using a cell looking at a cross-sheet reference will have the same issue, as source of that cell's change is the same thing.

What I would likely do here is set up a Time Based workflow instead, running once a day at the end of the day (e.g. 9pm) where it adds the date if the Current Stage is your criteria and the Date column is blank. Will that work for you?

Cheers,

Genevieve

John_Foster

@gjohnson.pcpro I have had this once before and it was because someone had disabled the automation, it is probably something that you have already checked, but if not, it might be worth checking this.

Genevieve P.

Hi @gjohnson.pcpro

How are the cells changing in your Current Stage column?

Actions that modify a sheet (including Record a Date) cannot be triggered by inbound cell-links or cross-sheet references. The Note on this Help Article has more information: Action blocks: Specify what automation is triggered

gjohnson.pcpro

Thank you, Genevieve! The Current Stage column is indeed a cross sheet reference. It's odd that the workflow successfully ran for 4 days before suddenly stopping, but stranger things have happened.

Do you have any suggestions for a work around for this? Could I create a helper column with a checkbox that gets checked whenever Current Stage = "Reevaluate/Schedule Final", then build the automation to trigger based on that checkbox? Or does the restriction on cross-sheet reference triggering actions follow?

Genevieve P.

Hey @gjohnson.pcpro

Using a cell looking at a cross-sheet reference will have the same issue, as source of that cell's change is the same thing.

What I would likely do here is set up a Time Based workflow instead, running once a day at the end of the day (e.g. 9pm) where it adds the date if the Current Stage is your criteria and the Date column is blank. Will that work for you?

Cheers,

Genevieve

gjohnson.pcpro

That's a great suggestion. In this particular case, the Current Stage for each project may only remain in Reevaluate/Schedule Final for a couple hours, which would result in the date not being recorded. But I could set up multiple actions to run the workflow every hour throughout the day. I wish there were an easier way, but this will get me where I need to be.

Thank you so much for your help, Genevieve! Really appreciate it.

Happy Holidays. :)