Mapping Diagram/ Export Documentation of workflows
Can the automation workflows be exported into a mapping configuration for documentation and recording purposes?
Is there a tool or app that anyone uses for this?
Part of our IT process is documentation, and having a way to explain in a visual mapping of all the sheets, reports, workflows, and dashboard components would be very helpful so then we can easily fix any broken pieces, update any changes, training new members and duplicate for future solutions.
Comments
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I have a love/hate relationship with Smartsheet automation. On one hand, the automation has saved me countless hours of work. On the other hand, the way the Automation for a sheet pops out and covers up the data is maddening!
Having the automation pop up in a separate, re-sizeable window would be awesome. Taking it a step further, changing the visuals of the automation window to more closely resemble those used in process mapping would make life so much easier.
As it stands today, an individual must read through the automation rules. That becomes a major task when you inherit sheets from people that have moved on. Visual queues would make it so much easier to review and edit.
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Having a flowchart with every automation process so you could see the full picture and how everything is connected. Because having a list of 30 automation can get confusing
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Can the automation workflows (actions and conditions) be viewed in a map/tree format and made searchable? Often, I need to update a action/condition in multiple places. It would be easier, if I could search for all of the places that the action/condition exists within a workflow.
Also, for documentation purposes can the workflows be exported in a map/tree format. Sometimes I set up the same action in more than one workflow, not realizing it until an email is generated multiple times. Usually, when I copy/paste a message and miss updating the pasted message. At that point I must click on each automation to find the alert.
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1000% agree!
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This idea follows on from two other ideas I posted:
- Add a description field for a workflow
- Generate a workflow diagram for sheet automation
If we have these two things it might be possibly to auto-generate a document that explains the whole sheet automation.
Seems like AI might be applied here.
I'm adding these ideas because I just went through this - creating a document that starts with a workflow diagram and then goes through the automation in the sequence I expect the workflows to be triggered, containing a description of what each individual workflow does.
I have seen other posts asking how to document sheet automation but I didn't see anything that suggested how this could be auto-generated by SmartSheet.
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It would be great to have an AI tool that would create a visual map showing how sheets, reports, dashboards, etc and interact in a workspace? This would help with debugging, documentation and training.
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This would be really nice. Currently I just build a lucid chart , but A I would be much faster!
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I could create my own but why do that when we just created it in Smartsheet. Why can't we just copy it into a better format to be exported.
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Would love this feature. Thought about it today when I needed to update a few user names/emails and then I had to figure out what all sheets/reports/workspaces needed to be RE-SHARED…and no way to know what Workflows until I get an email from SS saying "Not all recipients will receive (name of sheet) notifications."
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Just re-read these comments. A feature to map out automation (+ functions in sheets) would differentiate smartsheet in a world getting very crowded with automation tools!
