Available on all subscriptions.
Feature overview
What
Create automations to automatically perform actions when certain task events (i.e. triggers) occur.
Why
  • Save time by automating steps in your workflow. You don't need to update key details as tasks progress. Teamwork.com can do that for you!
  • Ensure that people are notified of key events (and that they're notified in a timely manner). No more playing messenger!
Who
  • Site admins and standard users in the owner company
When
Any time there's manual work that a trigger/action exists for. If Teamwork.com can do it, why not make things easier and save time? Examples:
  • Have tasks automatically complete when moved to a "Done" column.
  • Set high priority on tasks created via form submissions.
  • Send notifications when key task details change.
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Before you start

The successful execution of an automation depends on the creator's permissions on the automation's associated projects. For example, time-based automations require the creator to have permission to view estimated time and view time log on the selected projects in order to run successfully.

Usage limits

Each automation has to have a trigger and (at least one) action. Then each time a trigger event occurs, the automation runs. The number of times automations can run (aka be performed) depends on your subscription type.

Teamwork.com plan
Automation runs per month
Actions per automation
Free Forever (& legacy)
100
1 action per automation
Starter
1,000
1 action per automation
Deliver (& Pro)
5,000
Multiple actions per automation
Grow (& Premium)
20,000
Multiple actions per automation
Scale (& Enterprise)
100,000
Multiple actions per automation
View your usage from the Usage tab of the automations builder.

Automation flow

The automations feature provides a variety of trigger options you can use to initiate certain actions. In addition to the basic trigger/action relationship, you can also set additional trigger conditions to make your automation even more specific.

Automation flow: Trigger event → Conditions (optional) → Actions (with target selection)
When a trigger event happens, and any conditions are true, the selected actions run.

Examples

Trigger
(when this happens)		Condition(s)
(and these conditions are true)		Action(s)
(perform these actions)
Start date arrives
Priority is set to medium
Notify task assignees
Task is completed
no conditions
Move task to "Done" column
Due date arrives
Progress is set to 90%
and
Priority is set to high
Move task to "Review" column
and
Notify "Marketing" team


Create an automation


Create and manage automations at the project level.

  1. Click Jump to in Teamwork.com's main navigation menu.
  2. Search for and select a project.
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  3. Select Automate from the project's main navigation menu to open the automations builder.

  4. Click Custom Automation. Alternatively, you can choose a pre-defined template. Image Placeholder
  5. Go to the When section and select an option from the Trigger dropdown. This is the event that'll prompt the corresponding action(s) to occur. In this example, we're using "task added." Image Placeholder
  6. Use property fields to refine the trigger criteria. Options vary depending on the trigger you select. Here, we're using task added via forms.
  7. Choose which project (or projects) the trigger should pay attention to (i.e. only trigger events in these projects will activate the automation). By default, only the current project is selected.
  8. Click + add condition below the When section to refine your trigger with additional criteria. This is optional — skip to step 9 if the main trigger is sufficient.
    Only one project can be selected when using the task list condition.
    Conditions cannot be set when using the comment added trigger.
  9. From the Then section, select an option from the Action dropdown. This is the action that'll happen when the associated trigger event occurs.
    Notify and assignee actions only run successfully if the selected users are members of the associated projects.
    The change tags action only displays project-specific tags when a single project is set for the trigger.
  10. For task-based actions, choose which task the action should apply to from the Target dropdown. Options can include the trigger task, parent task, subtasks, or a task created earlier in the automation.
    Previous task is only available when an earlier action in the same automation creates or copies a task.
  11. Use fields to refine the action event. 
    You can combine static text with dynamic text fields to customize certain content fields such as comments, messages, and task name or description.
     
  12. Click the Active toggle.
  13. Next:
    1. Stop there: Click Create  to complete the automation setup.
    2. Keep going: Add additional details (options outlined below), then click Create.
      1. Add condition: Set one or multiple conditions (under the trigger) that must be met before the action(s) are performed.
      2. Add action: Set additional actions to be carried out when the automation runs.
      3. Add description: Set a custom description for the automation.

The automation is created and listed in the Manage Automations tab of the automations builder where you can edit, delete, or manage the automation's active status.
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Date and time triggers

You can create automations based on tasks' dates, estimated time, or logged time to help you prioritize and sequence tasks efficiently.

Automations based on task dates or estimated/logged time run on the automation creator's time zone .

Example: An automation is set to notify task assignees when the task's due date arrives (at 9AM). The creator's timezone is New York City (EST), therefore assignees are notified at 9AM EST on the due date.

For time-based automations to run successfully, the creator must have the following permissions on the associated projects:
  • View estimated time
  • View time log

Duplicate an automation

Don't want to start from scratch? Create an automation by duplicating an existing one with similar criteria.

  1. Click Jump to in Teamwork.com's main navigation menu.
  2. Search for and select a project.
  3. Select Automate from the project's main navigation menu to open the automations builder.
  4. Select the Manage tab.
  5. Scroll to the relevant automation and click the ... (ellipsis) on the right-hand side.
  6. Select Duplicate from the dropdown. Image Placeholder
  7. Adjust any of the automation's existing trigger or action criteria. These are populated automatically with the original automation's settings.
         Image Placeholder
     
  8. Click Create to save the new automation.



You can create automations that interact with linked Teamwork Desk tickets when the automation runs.
Desk-related actions are configured in the Then section alongside other automation actions. They only apply when the task is linked to a Teamwork Desk ticket.
Desk action
What it does
Send a reply to linked Desk tickets
Sends a reply to any linked Teamwork Desk tickets.
Add a note to linked Desk tickets
Adds an internal note to any linked Teamwork Desk tickets.
Create Desk ticket
Create a new Desk ticket and link the task it's created from.

Best practices

  • Efficiency: Save yourself manual work (and guarantee something gets done) by creating automations to run on multiple projects.
    Also using forms ? Create automations to update tasks created via form submissions.
  • Prioritization: Leverage priority and due date triggers in automations to keep track of time-sensitive work.
  • Time management: Use logged vs. estimated time triggers to monitor resources.
 

Elevate

  • Automate in templates: Set up automations directly in project templates so that they're populated by default in each project created from the template. Automate your workflows once and reap the benefits many times over.
  • Automate in forms: Set up automations to take key actions when tasks are created via form submissions. Ex. Update the task's details, log time, notify users.
  • Integrate: Take your automated workflows even further by creating automations between Teamwork.com and supported integrations (subscription dependent):