Plan Automations in OnePlan - Overview

What Are Plan Automations in OnePlan?

Plan Automations in OnePlan allow you to define automated rules that respond to plan-level events and perform actions automatically — without manual intervention. Instead of relying on people to manually update plans as they move through lifecycle stages or governance processes, Plan Automations ensure those changes happen consistently and reliably, regardless of who manages the plan.

What you will understand
After reading this article, you will understand what Plan Automations are in OnePlan, how they are structured, how automation scope works, and when to use them.

Who This Article Is For: Plan Automations in OnePlan

This article is intended for:

Power users and advanced plan owners who need to automate plan-level behavior
Portfolio, program, or PMO leaders responsible for standardizing plan behavior across teams
OnePlan administrators governing automation usage at scale
Teams preparing to scale plan management across portfolios

Before working with Plan Automations, you should be familiar with core plan concepts including plan types and hierarchies, plan ownership and permissions, and plan lifecycle and governance. Plan Automations are most effective once standard plan structures are already in place.

This article is conceptual. For step-by-step configuration instructions, see the linked articles in What to Do Next below.

How Plan Automations Work in OnePlan

Plan Automations in OnePlan define rules that automatically perform actions when specific plan-level events occur. At a high level, they help answer questions such as: How can we enforce consistent plan behavior across teams? How can we reduce repetitive manual plan updates? How can plan governance scale as the number of plans grows?

Every Plan Automation is built from the same four components — a Trigger, optional Filters, one or more Actions, and a Scope — that together control when, where, and how automated behavior occurs.

Context: Automation Scope

Automation scope in OnePlan determines which plans an automation applies to. Scope is not something you manually choose — it is automatically determined by where the automation is created.

There are two possible scopes for Plan Automations:

All Plans — Automations created from a Portfolio Area apply to all plans of one or more selected plan types. Use this scope for portfolio-wide governance, standardized lifecycle behavior, and cross-plan consistency.
This Plan — Automations created from within an individual plan apply only to that plan. Plan type selection is not required. Use this scope for plan-specific automation needs where broader portfolio rules are not required.

Key concept: Automation scope is determined by where you start the automation, not by configuration choices made later in the process.

Context: Plan Automations vs. Work Plan Automations

Plan Automations operate at the plan level — they respond to plan-level events and their actions affect the plan as a whole. This is different from Work Plan Automations, which operate at the task or work item level inside a plan. Choosing the correct automation type depends on whether you are automating plan behavior or work execution. See Plan Automations vs. Work Plan Automations in OnePlan - Overview for guidance.

Key Components of Plan Automations in OnePlan

Every Plan Automation in OnePlan is built from the following components:

Trigger
The event that starts the automation. Examples include when a plan is created, a plan field changes, a process step changes, or a date passes. Each automation can have only one trigger.
Filters
Optional conditions that further refine when the automation should run. Filters narrow which plans the automation applies to within the selected scope without changing the scope itself.
Actions
The automated operations performed on the plan when the trigger conditions are met. An automation can include one or more actions, which execute in sequence.
Scope
Defines which plans the automation applies to — either all plans of selected plan types (All Plans) or only the current plan (This Plan). Scope is set automatically based on where the automation is created.

How Plan Automations Fit Into OnePlan

Plan Automations in OnePlan operate at the plan level, meaning they apply across the plan and its associated modules. They are commonly used alongside plan types and hierarchies, governance and standardization efforts, and portfolio-level planning and reporting.

Plan Automations connect with other OnePlan capabilities:

Portfolio Management — Automations created from a Portfolio Area apply rules across multiple plans, supporting governance at scale.
Work Plan Automations — Share the same interface and trigger-filter-action structure, but operate at the task level rather than the plan level.
Plan Lifecycle and Process Steps — Automations can respond to process step changes, making them a natural fit for stage-gate workflows and governance enforcement.

Plan Automations are typically introduced after plan structures, permissions, and workflows are established, as organizations move toward greater scale and consistency.

Common Scenarios: When to Use Plan Automations in OnePlan

You might use Plan Automations in OnePlan to:

Automatically update plan fields as plans move through lifecycle stages or process steps
Enforce standard behaviors consistently across plans and plan types
Trigger approvals or send notifications at key governance points
Reorganize or create plans automatically based on defined conditions
Reduce repetitive manual plan maintenance across a large portfolio

Frequently Asked Questions: Plan Automations in OnePlan

Q: What are Plan Automations in OnePlan?
A: Plan Automations in OnePlan are rules that respond to plan-level events — such as a field change, a process step transition, or a date being reached — and automatically perform actions on the plan. They help enforce consistent behavior, reduce manual effort, and support governance as plans move through their lifecycle.

Q: How is automation scope determined in OnePlan?
A: In OnePlan, automation scope is determined automatically by where you open the Automations editor. Opening it from a Portfolio Area creates an automation with All Plans scope, which applies to all plans of selected plan types. Opening it from within an individual plan creates an automation with This Plan scope, which applies only to that plan.

Q: What is the difference between Plan Automations and Work Plan Automations in OnePlan?
A: Plan Automations in OnePlan operate on the plan itself, responding to plan-level events and performing plan-level actions. Work Plan Automations operate on tasks and work items inside a plan. Use Plan Automations when automating how a plan behaves, and Work Plan Automations when automating how work is executed.

Q: Can I use Plan Automations without being an administrator in OnePlan?
A: Yes. In OnePlan, users with Licensed permissions and Contributor or Owner access to a plan can create Plan Automations scoped to that plan. Automations that apply across a Portfolio Area typically require Portfolio Admin or higher permissions.

What to Do Next: Plan Automations in OnePlan

Get started with step-by-step instructions:

Configure triggers:

Configure actions:

Learn about related topics:

Related to