Automation is a concept that enables you to automate repetitive, routine tasks and workflows. By automating these processes, you can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and minimize the risk of human error.
You can achieve automation with Way We Do in several ways:
Using our internal automation capability
Using external connectors
Creating bespoke automations with our public API
Internal Automation Capability
Activated Checklist Instances can be run manually or automatically. To run an Activated Checklist automatically, you need to add an Automation.
This takes the pressure of employees having to remember to manually run processes. Instead, you streamline activities so processes run exactly when they're meant to.
Way We Do's Automations are created based on Triggers and Actions. You build an automation on the checklist you want to run automatically - this is the action. You format the automation to respond to a trigger that happens elsewhere.
There are 4 types of automations that can be created, click the link to be taken to a dedicated article on this automation:
Date Schedule: which runs the checklist at a predetermined frequency
When a checklist instance is completed: which runs the a checklist upon completion of another
When a step in a checklist instance is completed: which runs the a checklist upon completion of a step in another
When a new team member is added: which runs the checklist when a team member is added to your account
External Connectors
Zapier and Microsoft Power Automate are no-code automation platforms, designed to connect different applications and streamline workflows. While they share a similar purpose—to save time and reduce manual effort—they cater to different users and ecosystems.
How They Work
Both Zapier and Power Automate operate on the concept of "if this happens, then do that." Their automated workflows are built around triggers and actions:
A trigger is a specific event that starts a workflow (e.g., a checklist instance is started in Way We Do, or a new email arrives in Outlook).
An action is the task that is automatically performed in another app once the trigger is activated (e.g., start an Activated Checklist Instance in Way We Do, or send a Slack message).
Zapier calls these workflows "Zaps," while Power Automate refers to them as "Flows." Both platforms provide a visual, easy-to-use interface that allows you to build these automations without needing to write any code.
You can explore how Zapier and Microsoft Power Automate can connect your other business tools with Way We Do on the following sites:
Zapier - explore the Zaps available
Power Automate - explore the Flows
Custom Connectors
Where you're unable to perform an automation using Zapier or Power Automate, a develop can use our Public API to create a customer connection.
A public API, or Application Programming Interface, works like a menu in a restaurant. It's a set of defined rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate and share data with each other.
Information on our Public API can be found here.