In a world where speed and accuracy are non-negotiable, manual processes become the bottleneck. Microsoft Power Automate (formerly Flow) lets you build low-code “automations as code” that integrate seamlessly with SharePoint. In this post, we’ll dive into five ready-to-deploy flows that will transform your SharePoint sites from static document stores into dynamic, self-driving workhorses.

1. Auto-Archive Stale Documents

Why you need it

Over time, your document libraries fill up with legacy files. Auto-archiving keeps your main workspace lean, while preserving historical data in a dedicated archive site.

Flow Overview

  1. Trigger: Recurrence (once per day at 2 AM)

  2. Action 1: Get files (SharePoint “Get files (properties only)” on your target library)

  3. Action 2: Apply to each → Filter where Modified ≤ addDays(utcNow(), –180)

  4. Action 3: Move file (SharePoint “Move file” to your Archive library)

  5. Action 4 (optional): Send summary email to site owner

Key Details

  • Use an OData filter query:

     
    Modified le '@{formatDateTime(addDays(utcNow(), -180), 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ')}'

  • Ensure the Archive library has identical folder structure (or adjust “Destination Path” dynamically via expressions).

  • Test on a small subset before going wide—use “Top Count” = 10 in your Get files action.

2. Instant Approval Chain

Why you need it

Approvals scattered across inboxes get lost. This flow routes a document through a manager hierarchy automatically—no Outlook clicks required.

Flow Overview

  1. Trigger: When an item is created or modified in your “Draft Approvals” list

  2. Action 1: Initialize Variable currentApprover (string)

  3. Action 2: Switch on a “Manager Level” column (e.g., “Level 1”, “Level 2”)

  4. Action 3: Start and wait for an approval (Approvals – send to currentApprover)

  5. Action 4: Condition: if Approved, update item → increment “Manager Level” → loop back to Action 2, else send Rejection email

Key Details

  • Adaptive Cards integration: embed rich details (document preview, comments) directly in Teams

  • Dynamic hierarchy: store your org chart in a SharePoint list and Get items at runtime to determine next approver

  • Timeouts & escalations: configure “timeout” on the approval action and add a parallel branch to notify HR if stuck > 48 hrs

3. Daily Digest Email

Why you need it

Teams wake up to an avalanche of lists and libraries. A single daily summary keeps everyone informed without inbox overload.

Flow Overview

  1. Trigger: Recurrence every day at 8 AM

  2. Action 1: Get changes for an item or file (SharePoint “Get changes for an item or a file (properties only)”) for each target list/library

  3. Action 2: Apply to each → if Has Column Changed? = true, compose an HTML snippet with Title + Link

  4. Action 3: Append to variable digestHTML

  5. Action 4: Send email (Office 365 Outlook “Send an email (V2)”) with digestHTML as the body

Key Details

  • Use <table> HTML for neat formatting: columns for “Library”, “Title”, “Modified By”

  • Leverage Page templates: store a base HTML template in a SharePoint “Templates” library and Get file content, then replace() placeholders

4. Cross-Site List Sync

Why you need it

Your global “Projects” list lives in multiple Hub sites. This flow keeps them in lock-step without manual CSV exports.

Flow Overview

  1. Trigger: When an item is created or modified in the source list

  2. Action 1: Get item (source)

  3. Action 2: Get items (target list) with OData filter Title eq ‘@{triggerOutputs()?['body/Title']}’

  4. Action 3: Condition: if exists → Update item in target; else → Create item in target

  5. Action 4: (Optionally) Handle deletions via a separate scheduled flow that checks for missing titles

Key Details

  • Delegation: for large lists, filter server-side via OData to avoid delegation warnings

  • Batching: group create/update actions into a single “Send an HTTP request to SharePoint” call for volume efficiency

  • Conflict resolution: add a “Last Synced” timestamp field to detect out-of-order changes

5. Onboarding Checklist Automation

Why you need it

Manual onboarding checklists slip through the cracks. Automate task creation, folder provisioning, and welcome messages in one go.

Flow Overview

  1. Trigger: When a new item is added to a “New Hire” list

  2. Action 1: Create Microsoft Planner tasks (for each checklist item) in your “HR Onboarding” plan

  3. Action 2: Create a folder in OneDrive/SharePoint (“New Hires/[@{Title}]”)

  4. Action 3: Send Teams message to #onboarding channel with welcome card + links

  5. Action 4: Add new hire to Azure AD security group (via Azure AD connector)

Key Details

  • Planner templates: store your checklist in a template plan and Get tasks from plan to clone automatically

  • Adaptive Card: design a beautifully branded card in the Adaptive Card Designer and embed it in Teams

  • Error handling: wrap your flow in a parallel “Scope” with “Configure run after” on failure to notify ITOps

Conclusion

Power Automate transforms SharePoint from a passive file cabinet into an active workflows engine. By implementing these five flows, you’ll reclaim hours, enforce consistency, and impress stakeholders with near-instant automation.

Ready to deploy?

  1. Click the links in each section to access Microsoft’s official templates.

  2. Customize for your site URLs and field names.

  3. Test on a dev site, then promote to production via solutions and ALM pipelines.

“Automate what you can, then innovate on what you do.”

Happy automating!