Ensuring Your Sharepoint Email Workflow Settings Are Properly Configured

What Are SharePoint Email Workflows

SharePoint email workflows are automated processes that use email notifications to facilitate review, feedback, approval, and other actions across users in SharePoint. They allow managing tasks and business processes by routing content, forms, and tasks to the right people at the right time.

The main purpose of SharePoint email workflows is to standardize and streamline common business processes like document reviews, approvals, feedback cycles, and more. They save time and effort by automatically assigning actions to users based on configurable rules and logic.

Some common use cases and benefits of using SharePoint email workflows include:

• Automating document review and approval cycles – Emails request feedback and collect approvals.
• Facilitating paperless expense report processing – Emails route reports for manager approvals.
• Streamlining employee onboarding – Emails guide new hire paperwork routing.
• Enabling policy and contract acknowledgements – Emails deliver documents and collect signatures.
• Centralizing support ticket handling – Emails assign tickets to agents for resolution.

Core Components of Email Workflows

The core architecture of SharePoint email workflows contains several key components working together:

• Triggers – Events such as item creation or change that initiate a workflow.
• Actions – Tasks performed in the workflow like sending emails or data updates.
• Logic – Rules and conditions that determine workflow processing flow.
• Parameters – Configurable settings that define details emails, users, timing..
• Email Notifications – Messages which deliver task requests or data to users.
• User Tasks – Assignments for users to take actions external to the workflow.

This underlying architecture highlights the critical configuration settings that directly impact core email workflow behavior:

1. Workflow Triggers – What item events start the automated workflow.
2. Email Recipients – Which users receive task and notification emails.
3. Email Subjects and Bodies – Defining informational email content.
4. Conditional Logic – Rules that determine processing branches.
5. User Task Settings – Defining assignments for external users.
6. Timeout Durations – Length of time given for task completions.

Paying careful attention to properly configuring these core settings ensures your SharePoint email workflows execute as intended.

Troubleshooting Configuration Issues

Despite best efforts configuring SharePoint email workflows, issues can still arise that prevent their correct operation. Some common problems include:

• Missing Email Notifications – Recipients not receiving task assignments and data as expected.
• Workflow Execution Failures – System errors during processing resulting in stalled progress.
• Assignment Delays – Users not acknowledging tasks on time impacting process delays.

Fixing issues with missing or incorrect email notifications usually involves confirming:

1. Correct email recipients populated.
2. Workflow has access permissions to email recipient lists.
3. Valid email server connection settings configured.

For debug workflow execution errors, enable detailed logging in SharePoint, then review error descriptions. Common fixes include:

1. Address invalid timeout duration parameters causing stalls.
2. Revise incorrect conditional logic preventing branch execution.
3. Verify custom action configurations that are failing.

Monitoring overall workflow health is also advised, using reporting on metrics like:

• Average workflow completion times
• Count of stalled or failed instances
• Timeout rates on user tasks

This info determines if higher-level adjustments like timing windows or user permissions need correcting.

Best Practices for Configuration

Properly configuring SharePoint email workflows the first time avoids troublesome issues. Recommended guidelines include:

Permission Planning

• Audit necessary access levels early before development.
• Grant workflow identities read permissions to email recipient lists.
• Restrict edit access only to workflow designers/owners.

Notification Settings

• Inform user groups early workflows will assign email tasks.
• Include processing details in email bodies to set expectations.
• Send completion confirmation emails at process end.

Example Configurations

Document Review Cycles

• Trigger on item creation in review library.
• Email first reviewer inviting feedback.
• Route document to next on first review completion.
• Repeat until final approver accepts.

Help Desk Tickets

• Trigger on list item creation assigning technician.
• Timeout if untouched for 2 days.
• Escalate to manager by email for reassignment.
• Email all upon resolution with details.

Additional Resources

For more information, refer to the following links:

• Develop SharePoint Workflows Using Visual Studio
• SharePoint Designer Workflow Getting Started Guide

• Code Sample:
  
  If current item priority = "High"
     Send email to support manager
     Set due date to 2 days
  Else 
     Send email to technician
     Set due date to 5 days  
  End If