How To Use Power Automate to Build Workflows?

Microsoft Power Automate is a very basic workflow-based automation tool that just works by dragging and dropping tasks to automate repetitive and manual processes. The main goal of Microsoft Power Automate is to allow both programs and non-programmers to automate repetitive operations by a step-by-step rule-based flow.

If you are looking to create a process, make a flowchart and visualize the process flow before you start. There are several phases such as variables, loops, and even conditions in this flowchart. After that, you can use Microsoft Power Automate to create an identical flowchart.

This blog will help you understand the steps of building workflows in Microsoft 365, but before that check out about what is Microsoft Power Automate.

What is Microsoft Power Automate?

Microsoft Power Automate which was also known as Microsoft Flow, is a tool that users can use to construct automated workflows across various applications and services.

Microsoft developed the software to increase productivity by assisting users in automating repetitive, manual tasks in Microsoft Office 365 Power Automate and Microsoft Azure.

All Office 365 automation applications are pre-configured with Power Automate workflow, which has roughly 150 standard connectors. To enhance Microsoft team workflow automation possibilities, the tool provides an equivalent number of high-quality connectors for sale.

In essence, Microsoft Power Automate is a scripting/development language similar to PowerShell, in which network users create their instructions to automate tasks. The Power Automate admin center is quite strong for hackers, since, if you have access to the environment, you probably have access to it as well. Because users with admin-level access produce scripts that are identical to one another, it is challenging to identify suspicious script creation.

What are the Use Cases of Power Automate?

Check out the use cases of Power Automate Workflow and who can use Power Automate:

1. Customer Onboarding

A company can have a procedure in place to allow a new customer they sign up for a service or make a transaction. This could entail distributing new emails, gathering more data, and allocating responsibilities to various team members. This procedure can be automated by using Power Automate which starts the workflow at the first stage the moment a new customer is added to the database.

2. Freelancers

Freelancers are independent contractors who typically operate alone or a small team. Microsoft Power Automate allows freelancers to automate labor-intensive processes such as creating autoresponders, receiving email notifications, posting automatically to social media, and more.

3. Managers

Workflow management software enables managers of businesses or brands to set up OOO messages, synchronize data between applications, and establish automated warnings.

4. Sales Lead Management

A company can have a procedure in place for handling new sales that is added to a CRM system. This procedure can include following up with emails, setting up sale calls, and delegating work to sales reps. This process can be automated by using Power Automate, which will start with the workflow at every stage as soon as a new lead is entered into the CRM.

5. Expense Reporting

Employee submission of expenditure reports is a requirement for reimbursement in many businesses. This procedure can be error-prone and time-consuming. With Power Automate, you can automate the process of reporting expenses. It will gather data automatically from receipts and other sources, compute totals, and submit the report for approval.

6. Finance Department User

Users of the Finance Department’s finance jobs are mostly manual. You can create workflows using Power Automate for processing invoices, approval procedures, and other purposes.

7. Entrepreneurs

Using automated workflows, business owners can automate several tasks, such as sending thank-you emails, receiving alerts when customers write emails, syncing customer data across platforms, establishing automated email answers, and more.

8. HR Onboarding

Before a newly hired employee can begin working, they must finish several activities. This can entail completing applications, creating email addresses, and planning orientation meetings. The HR onboarding process may be made entirely automated using Power Automate, which starts the workflow as soon as a new employee is introduced to the system.

9. Project Management

To guarantee that a new project is finished on schedule and within budget, several duties must be accomplished when it is first started. This could involve allocating team members, establishing project tasks, and monitoring advancement. The project management process can be automated with Power Automate, which starts the workflow from the first stage the moment a new project is introduced to the system.

What are the Key Features of Power Automate?

Integration with other Microsoft programs is not only a feature of Microsoft 365 Power Automate. It is also compatible with a large number of programs and services, or what Microsoft refers to as connectors, such as Google Drive, Salesforce, SQL, Server, Twitter, Box, DocuSign, Slack, and Skype. An API proxy known as a connector enables these services to establish cloud connections with Microsoft 365 Power Automate, Microsoft PowerApps, and Azure Logic Apps.

A comprehensive collection of prebuilt flows, or templates, is available for anyone to use. Examples of templates include the following functions

• Save attachments from Gmail to OneDrive
• Upon the occurrence of a Power BI data alert, send an email to any audience. 
• Every week, copy the contents from a SharePoint list into a comma-separated value (CSV).

If none of the available templates suit the process that requires Office 365 Microsoft automation, users have the option to create custom flows. With the use of Microsoft Power Automate, nontechnical employees can automate procedures without the need for a developer. An administrator can control users, roles, and permissions with the Power Automate Admin Center. They can also make sure that employee-created flows adhere to data loss protection guidelines.

How Does the Power Automate Function?

To initiate with, Choose the process you wish to automate. This is how to procedure will work:

• You can select one of the pre-made templates or start from scratch with an entirely new flow
• There are more processes involved in creating a flow from scratch.
• After you have outlined your flow, use connectors to link it to the necessary datasets.
• To test it and look for the faults, use the “Run” option.
• Go Live

Before learning more about Microsoft Power Automate check out the various flow types that users can choose from.

Which are the Flow Types of Power Automate?

There are several types of Power Automate flows based on Power Automate created

1. Cloud Flows

Online flows also known as “Cloud Flows” begin with an action or trigger. Depending on when you want the action to occur the trigger criteria are satisfied. Cloud Flows offers 3 options:

Quick Cloud flows – this is available when you need to respond on an immediate basis.

Automated cloud Flows- When your clouds are satisfied, Automated cloud flows proceed in a predetermined manner

Scheduled Flows- You can utilize cloud flows to execute a series of tasks regularly.

2. Desktop Flows

Desktop flaws have an offline format. Once Microsoft Power Automate has coded your actions, you can record yourself carrying out a series of tasks and automate the flow.

3. Business Process Flows

Using business process flows, you can digitize and automate all of your paper-based operations. Business process flow enables you to establish a uniform procedure that staff members must adhere to deliver results that are comparable regardless of the product’s user. Your employees can use a functional front-end application as the output of your business process flow to carry out activities.

How to Create Power Automate WorkFlows- Step-by-Step Process?

As an example, here we will use a template to send a message in Microsoft Teams upon the addition of a new item to the planner.

Use the app launcher to open Power Automate after logging into Microsoft 365.

The Homepage will allow you to:

• Use the template to initiate quickly
• Examine the available connectors
• Control the flow
• Creating a new Flow

Search for the planner to get the template

You can sign in to Microsoft Power Automate Teams and Planner

Continuing

You can observe the workflow’s design on the below screen. The extremely visible power Automate application makes workflow management easier.

You can enter necessary details like the Plan ID, Team, and channel here.

Press Save- That’s it – here you can now enhance team communication using a straightforward flow.

Flow checker and Test are two methods available for flow validation.

Under “My Flows”, you can always check the current flow state.

This makes it simple to:

• Modify certain flows
• Distribute the flows to a colleague
• View the history flow
• Click on the flow name to view additional info about it

When You Can Use Power Automate?

When done correctly, Microsoft Power Automate can be quite differently may be quite effective. You can use Power Automate in the below scenarios:

1. Once You Have planned Out Every Component of your Process

You must map out every variable and step of the complete flow before you can begin to create your Power Automate workflow

Every variable in Microsoft Power Apps must be created. Thus, before you start producing on the Power Automate Platform, it is a wonderful exercise to map out all the components: Variables, AI Models, stages, conditions, connectors, and templates.

2. When You Follow a Sequential Method

A majority of the flows adhere to the trigger and action model. Making loops is challenging. It is best to transform your procedures into a series of steps. Make sure you collaborate with a developer if loops are necessary.

3. Upon Gaining Entry to Every Admin Account

You must be the administrator of both accounts if you are connecting two applications. Before beginning working, confirm that you have the necessary authorization.

Conclusion

Businesses will need Power Automate developers because of their increased productivity, security, and efficiency. The market is still in its early stages and will develop with more features and advancements over time. To benefit from technology in the future, businesses must start implementing it now.

Businesses can also benefit greatly from Microsoft Power Automate due to its strong connectors and improved connectivity possibilities. Hire Office Add-Ins developers to get the best Power Automate workflows.