Approval Flow to Update Sharepoint List and email flow

[ChButler]

Hey everyone,

I've built a pretty slick Power Automate flow for our SharePoint list to streamline the purchase approval process. It handles steps 1-4 flawlessly:

1. New item created
2. Approval sent
3. Approval received
4. Quote request email sent

But here's where I need your help: gathering purchase information after receiving the quote!

To complete the flow, I need two additional steps:

1. Send email requesting purchase information (e.g., vendor, cost, delivery etc.) - this email is after the Quote department updates their information within the Sharepoint list. Once they click save - NEED EMAIL TO PURCHASE DEPARTMENT to input the required date needed for purchase. Once they are complete the email goes to the order department. That would be the end of the flow.
2. With each update the 'ORDER STATUS' column is changed accordingly with each new update.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for these steps, please chime in! Your input will be invaluable in making this flow a powerhouse.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. If you're curious about the existing flow or have any Power Automate pro tips, feel free to share!

Pics below of the flow:

I do not get an email from here. The flow stops "EMAIL REQUEST QUOTE"

[wskinnermctc]

So you are getting multiple people/departments to update a single item? 

You want the flow to send an email to the next department after the previous department updates an item? The department receives an email and then they go update their part of the item on the SharePoint list?

This isn't exactly the flow, this is more like the overall process. Please update or correct the process so I can understand better.

1. New item created in SP List - Purchase Approvals
2. Approval Request Sent - (to purchase approval manager??)
3. Approval Received
4. Item is updated with Purchase Approval Approved
5. Quote request email sent - (to quote department)
6. Quote Department manually updates SP List Item with info details - (checks their box or status complete? clicks save)
7. Purchase Department email sent - (to purchase department)
8. Purchase Department manually updates SP List Item with info details - (checks their box or status complete? clicks save)
9. Order Department Email sent

So I don't have the exact method that this should work, but it seems like you have a number of people making inputs on a single item. There won't be a way for a single flow to continually track an item through the entire process since there won't be another trigger as people make changes.

For example, how will the flow know that the quote department changed the status and then move to emailing the next purchase department?

At best, you would have to put some delays and loops in the flow to continually check if the department made a change. This is not a good approach since it is dependent on timely updates and leaves a flow running.

My first suggestion: 

First - add a status column for each department - so when each department makes their change, their column is updated from like pending to completed. 

Second - add an overall Stage column that will signal where the approval is sitting. So this could be something like "Quote Pending" or "Quote Completed" so logically you know that it is either in that stage or the next stage.

Third - have your flow trigger on when an item is updated or modified. Whenever the flow is triggered, have it check the Stage column using a Switch function. Depending on what Stage it will follow that Switch Case path. 

This way there is a single flow that handles all the steps, but it doesn't do it all at once. The flow may be triggered 4 or 5 times on the same item.

Does something like that sound reasonable to you?

[ChButler]

1. First - add a status column for each department - so when each department makes their change, their column is updated from like pending to completed. Okay I can do that to create the following columns:

Quote Status - quote information

IDIQ Status - purchase information

Those are the only two columns that need to be created.

2. Second - add an overall Stage column that will signal where the approval is sitting. So this could be something like "Quote Pending" or "Quote Completed" so logically you know that it is either in that stage or the next stage.Yes that does. So I do have an overall "Order Status":

3. Third - have your flow trigger on when an item is updated or modified. Whenever the flow is triggered, have it check the Stage column using a Switch function. Depending on what Stage it will follow that Switch Case path. Never heard of a "Switch Function".  How does that play into the flow and where does that get placed within the flow.

Thank you for your response and really appreciate the support.

[wskinnermctc · Accepted solution]

The control Switch is very similar to a Condition control; except it only checks one value, but then has multiple branches. (Condition has multiple checks but only 2 branches Yes/No.)

You will trigger the flow, and then the Switch will check the Order Status value and then have flow actions based on each.

Switch control uses the value to determine which Case to use. Each case is like a separate branch of the flow.

Each Case of a Switch is like a separate flow. Only 1 Case is used per switch when it is run, like it can't run Case 1 and Case 2 at the same time.

You will have to think more about how the logic of the flow will work with the process. Like what makes sense for people to update the status to be. Then the Switch will use a Case that matches.

For example, when the Quote department updates the item, they could change the Status to "Quote Completed". The flow will trigger and the Switch will have the value of "Quote Completed". So in the Case with Quote Completed, you would put the flow steps that emails the next people in the process, purchase department.

Status Options Note:

(It wouldn't make sense for the Quote department to complete their step and they select the status of "Awaiting Purchase" because they don't think like that in the process. They only care about their step in the process and that it is completed. Once they are done, the quote department aren't awaiting for anything. So they should select "Quote Completed" instead of "Awaiting Purchase".

This is why it is beneficial for a Status column for each department and then an overall stage column for the item. Each department would select a status for their own action. You can make the flow change the overall Stage using checks against the department status columns.)

Example below of separate status with an overall Stage

[ChButler]

Thank you so much for the information and solution for my issue. I will work on those changes. Again thank you.