SharePoint 2013: Create a Weekly Reminder Workflow

One of the most common requests I get from users is the ability to create a weekly reminder notification that will remind users to complete an action. Using the SharePoint 2013 workflows this is a pretty easy requirement to meet since we now have access to looping.

To get started you will need to create a site workflow. For my example I am creating an initiation variable that allows the user to set an end date when they start the workflow. The workflow will send an email, pause for 7 days and then loop again. The first check in the loop is to determine if the date is less than the end date. By doing this we are able to set a reoccurring workflow that will repeatedly remind users of items.

Here are some screenshots to get you started.

Create a Site Workflow in SharePoint Designer

  Create an Initiation Variable so the person who starts the workflow can select an end date.

Add the Workflow Actions (including the loop)

 

Our workflow first sets a variable (type date) to the current date. It then enters the loop and tests to see if the variable Today is less than the End Date (variable entered by workflow starter). If the condition is true it will send an email and then add 7 days to the variable and wait until the 7 days are up and then start the loop again.

 The email is a pretty basic email and a screenshot of the design of it is included below.

 

 Start the Workflow (from Site Contents)

 

 

Enter in the date that you would like the reminders to stop being sent.

 

 Once this has been started, the users you selected in your workflow will get an email notification (as you configured in your workflow). 

Additional Ideas

This post has an example of how you could send out a weekly reminder via email to a team, but there are multiple uses for this concept. Another common example would be if you wanted to create new tasks every week. So an example would be "we have a weekly set of tasks that need to be completed" – your workflow could create and assign those new tasks every week. Reminders are a huge part of our daily tasks and using these simple workflow techniques will help you really make the most of your business solutions!