SharePoint (and Project Server) Shenanigans

This post shows you how to utilise a little known workflow action in SharePoint Designer 2010, which allows a workflow to fire off an email to a user’s manager.

Note that your AD hierarchy needs to be correct for this to work.

Step 1 – Create a Custom List (Absence Log)

Here I created a basic custom list, adding the columns you see below;

• Member of Staff (Person or Group)
• Date of Absence (Date and Time)
• Reason for Absence (Single Line of Text)
• Estimated Duration (Choice)
• Line Manager (Person or Group)

Step 2 – Create List Workflow (SharePoint Designer 2010)

Now open up SharePoint Designer 2010, choose ‘Workflow’ on the left hand navigation and then create a new ‘List Workflow’ – selecting the Absence list.

• Create a New Action –> LOOKUP MANAGER OF A USER

Now Use ‘Workflow Lookup for a user’, keep the Data Source to: Current Item, then choose the ‘Member of Staff’ field from list. This sets the Workflow Variable (Manager) to the manager of the user listed as absent.

Step 3  – Build the Email content to the Manager

Now add an email action with the manager as the recipient, using: Workflow Lookup for a User – Workflow Varaiables –> Manager

Now you can add in any of the information originally recorded in the list item – anything that might be useful for the manager such as the absence reason and the estimated duration. Another field I often include is ‘Contactable’ – which shows if the employee is contacable via phone, email or not at all.

Step 4  – Finish by setting the Line Manager field (Not essential)

This last step is not needed however I like to populate the Line Manager field in the list entry, it it useful when HR are reviewing the absence list they can see who received the email notification.