Plan Automation Trigger - When a Process Step Changes

This article explains how to configure the When a Process Step Changes trigger for Plan Automations in OnePlan.

This trigger allows you to automatically run plan‑level actions when a plan moves to a different process step. It is commonly used to respond to key lifecycle milestones, enforce governance rules, or initiate workflows as plans progress.

What you will accomplish
By the end of this article, you will be able to:

• Configure a When a Process Step Changes trigger
• Understand how scope and plan type selection affect this trigger
• Choose whether the automation runs for a specific process step or for any step change

Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A OnePlan account with Licensed permissions
  (Basic, Professional, or Enterprise)

If creating automations from a Portfolio Area

• Enterprise-level permissions
• Manager or Owner role (OOTB Permission Groups)
• Access to the Portfolio Area
• At least one Plan Type with defined process steps

If creating automations from within an individual plan

• Contributor or Owner permissions for the plan

See OnePlan Plan Permission Hierarchy for more details.

Background

The When a Process Step Changes trigger runs when a plan moves from one process step to another, such as from Initiation to Execution or from Execution to Close.

Process steps are defined by Plan Type, which means:

• The available process steps depend on the selected plan type
• Selecting the correct plan type is required before configuring this trigger

This trigger can be used in both Portfolio Area and plan‑level automations, with some differences in how scope and plan type selection work.

Important

• Each automation can have only one trigger.
• If you need to respond to multiple events, create separate automations, each with its own trigger.

Trigger Scope and Configuration Behavior

How the When a Process Step Changes trigger behaves depends on where the automation is created.

Automations Created from a Portfolio Area

When the automation is created from a Portfolio Area:

• Scope
  Automatically locked to All Plans
  The scope cannot be changed.
• Plan Types
  You must select one Plan Type before configuring the trigger.
  Available process steps are determined by the selected plan type.
• Trigger Behavior
  The automation runs when any plan of the selected plan type changes process steps.

Note
You can select only one Plan Type per When a Process Step Changes automation.

Automations Created from Within a Plan

When creating automations from within an individual plan:

• Scope
  Automatically locked to This Plan
• Plan Types
  Plan types are not required.
  The trigger uses the process steps already defined for the current plan.
• Trigger Behavior
  The automation runs when the current plan changes process steps.

Instructions

Open the Trigger Editor

1. Open the Plan Automations editor:
   • From a Portfolio Area (for All Plans automations), or
   • From within an individual plan (for This Plan automations)
2. In the automation flow, select Trigger.

The Edit Trigger panel opens on the right side of the screen.

Confirm Scope and Plan Type

1. Review the Scope field.
   • Portfolio Area automations display All Plans
   • Plan‑level automations display This Plan
2. If configuring from a Portfolio Area, select a Plan Type.
   • Available process steps are based on the selected plan type.

Select the Trigger Type

1. In the Trigger field, select When a Process Step Changes.

Configure the Process Step Condition

1. In the Process Step field, choose one of the following options:
   • Select a specific process step to run the automation when a plan moves to that step
   • Select Any Process Step to run the automation whenever the process step changes

Important

• If a specific process step is selected, the automation runs only when the plan transitions to that step.
• If Any Process Step is selected, the automation runs whenever the process step changes, regardless of the destination step.

Save the Trigger

1. Review the trigger configuration.
2. Select Update to apply the trigger to the automation.