How to Create a Conditional Quick Step in SharePoint

I recently blogged about a game-changing addition to the document library called Quick Steps. It allows you to create a repeatable action in a library that performs a certain function. For example, send a Teams message, move or copy files, send an item for approval, etc.

Recently, the Quick Steps feature was updated to include a condition statement, allowing a Quick Step to appear only when a condition is met. This is actually more closely aligned with the business processes in your organization. For example, you might want to move or copy a policy to another location only if it has been approved or has an appropriate status.

So, in this post, I would like to explain this new functionality using the above example. Below is a sample Policy Document Library containing multiple policies from different departments. I want Quick Step to appear only for policies belonging to the Finance Department, as those need to be reviewed by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Create a Conditional Quick Step

1. To create a Quick Step, click Automate drop-down > Automate > Create a quick step
2. Next, choose the action/step you would like to execute. In my case, I want to send an email to a user (CFO) to review the policy. So I will choose Draft an email.
3. Next, fill out the information about the Quick Step
4. Next, at the bottom of the form, instead of Always show this quick step, choose Only show this quick step if and then choose the condition for this Quick Step to appear. Click Create.
5. The Quick Step is created
6. At this point, the Quick Step will only appear for selected files tagged with Finance
7. And this is an email that is drafted as a result

Nuances about Conditional Quick Step

• Just 1 condition is allowed per Step
• Quick Step will not appear in the menu when a condition is not met
• Conditions are available on Quick Steps for both lists and libraries

Use Cases for a conditional Quick Step in a list or library

I am sure you will come up with millions of use cases within your organization for this new capability, but below are just a few I can think of:

• Archive (move) a document when it has reached a certain status
• Move or copy a policy to another site if it has been approved
• Escalate an item (send Teams Message) if the item’s status has changed
• Mark a Checklist Item Completed on a List if it says “In Progress.”