Triggering an Automated Workflow

aschneiderheinze1025

I have a sheet that tracks a payment approval process. It begins when a program manager submits a payment request form, and a new row is added to the sheet. In an ideal situation, there aren't any issues with the information submitted on the form, and Smartsheet has the information it needs from the form and via a cell reference formula to another sheet to calculate the payment amount.

In most cases, the row is "flagged" because of something submitted on the form, or the cell on the other sheet to calculate the payment amount on this sheet hasn't been updated yet. As a result, the contract approval workflow doesn't start until the flag is removed and the Payment Amount is > 0.

In some cases, the information is fine and the Payment Amount is calculated.

When setting up the first step in the approval request workflow (that goes to the program manager), I am trying to decide what to use as a trigger, aside from when rows are added or changed. Initially, I was going to use "when modified date changes to any value" (and when the approval status column was "Not Started", but this means a row that is added that has good information and the Payment Amount can be calculated wouldn't start the approval request workflow because the row hasn't been modified, right?

If the contracts manager has to edit some of the information or the Payment Amount is 0 until that cell on the other sheet is updated, this "modification" would eventually trigger the workflow.

What would be the best thing to use for the "when ____ changes" to trigger the workflow?

Matt Lynn ACT

@aschneiderheinze1025 I would add a hidden helper column. This column would just be a =if( formula or maybe a =if(and etc. to look at the various values on that row and based on your logic if X or X(and(Y are done/complete/not blank etc. and ready to start the process just make that formula output "GO" or "Ready" etc. Anything is fine… but then base your automation on that value and only when that hidden column says "Go" will the automation trigger.