In this guide, Helen Devlin, a trainer at Pragmatic Works, demonstrates how to create a simple approval flow in Microsoft Teams using Power Automate. This process is especially useful for educators, though anyone in various industries can adapt it for their own needs. The tutorial covers step-by-step instructions to help users create an approval flow that allows team members to request and approve assignment extensions within a Microsoft Teams environment.
Before creating the flow, ensure that Power Automate is enabled in your Microsoft Teams environment. This is done by navigating to the relevant channel in Teams (e.g., "First Period English Assignments") and adding the workflow.
Go to Power Automate and create an "Instant Cloud Flow". Name your flow, such as "Assignment Extension", and choose a manual trigger. This trigger will be used to gather student information like their name, assignment details, reason for extension, and email address.
Helen walks through adding various input fields for the flow. These fields include:
Next, Helen demonstrates how to add an approval action. For this use case, she selects the "Approve, Reject - First to Respond" option. This allows one teacher to approve the extension request. The approval will include dynamic content such as the student's name, the assignment, and the reason for the request.
After the approval is received, a condition must be added to check if the request is approved. If the request is approved, a notification is sent to the student via Teams or Outlook with the new due date. Helen shows how to use both dynamic content and variables to calculate or manually set the new due date.
If the request is rejected, another message will be sent to the student, notifying them of the rejection and the original due date. The rejection message is formatted in red for emphasis, making it easy for students to understand their request's status.
Helen demonstrates the use of variables to calculate the new due date for the assignment. Using Power Automate's "Add Days" function, the flow can automatically generate a new due date, either by adding a fixed number of days or by calculating based on the request date.
Once the flow is set up, Helen saves the flow and connects it to the Microsoft Teams channel. Teachers can now use the flow directly from within Teams to approve or reject assignment extensions, saving time and reducing manual errors.
Helen tests the flow by submitting a request for an extension from a student account. She shows how the flow operates in both the teacher's and student's Teams account, including how approval and rejection messages are displayed.
Helen concludes by suggesting additional actions that could be added to the flow, such as backing up the data to a log for record-keeping. She encourages viewers to explore Pragmatic Works' Power Automate courses to further enhance their skills.
This tutorial provides a simple and efficient way to automate and manage requests for assignment extensions, benefiting both teachers and students by streamlining communication and approval processes.
Don't forget to check out the Pragmatic Works' on-demand learning platform for more insightful content and training sessions on Power Automate and other Microsoft applications. Be sure to subscribe to the Pragmatic Works YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on the latest tips and tricks.