How ProdPad Automations Work
← Back to ProdPad Automations
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Availability
- Plan: All
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Roles and Permissions
- Enable Automation: Admin
- Edit Automation: Admin
- Delete Automation: Admin
Automations
Automations are pre-defined rules that trigger specific tasks or actions when a certain condition is met. The rules follow the below format:
When x action is performed, y action is triggered.
For example - the rule: "When Idea is #mentioned in another Idea description, then link them as Related" means that when an Idea is mentioned in another Idea description, the Automation will link both Ideas as related.
The aim of Automations is to streamline and simplify how you organise data in ProdPad, saving you time and effort.
If you don't see the rule you need in the automation list, you can request it by clicking this link here. If we receive enough requests for that particular rule, we'll add it to the Automations for you. You'll also be able to access the request from by navigating to Settings > Account Settings > Automations and clicking the "Request an automation" button. 
1. Automations principles
Before using Automations, it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with how the rules work and the parts of ProdPad they affect.
- Automation rules will not overwrite or delete data, only add. For example, the rule 'When Idea is linked to Initiative then inherit Initiative tags' means the Idea will inherit Tags from an Initiative, and also retain any Tags already added to it.
- Many of the rules work with the Idea states - Unsorted, Backlog, Archived, and Feedback states - Inbox, Reviewed, and Archived. Here's our guide to using those states, and how they apply to your product processes.
- Another key area that the rules affect is Idea and Feedback attributes - specifically, Products, Personas, and Tags. Learn more about using Idea attributes, and Feedback attributes.
- 'Add attribute' type rules do not apply retrospectively. For example, with the rule 'When Feedback is linked to Idea, then add Feedback attributes to Idea' enabled, when a piece of feedback is linked to an Idea, the Idea will inherit the existing Products, Personas, and Tags from the Feedback. Any new attributes added to the Feedback after it's been linked to the Idea, eg. a new Tag, will not automatically be inherited by the linked Idea.
2. How to use an Automation
Navigate to Settings > Account Settings > Automations.
From here, you can toggle on and off the automations you'd like to use. The green toggle indicates the automation is on, and the grey toggle indicates the automation is off.
3. How to select Automation rules
From the Automation rules screen, you can choose which rules you'd like to apply to your account by toggling them on. If you want to stop using a rule, you can come back to the Automation menu at any point and toggle the rule off.
4. Available Automation Rules
The automation rules are broken down into three categories - Ideas, Feedback, and Initiatives.