# Automating Repetitive Work with Workflows in "Edara CRM" > Source: https://help.getedara.com/en/articles/90000044-automating-repetitive-work-with-workflows-in-edara-crm · Category: Edara CRM › Automation and assistant · العربية: https://help.getedara.com/ar/articles/90000044-%D8%A3%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A1 The same tasks come up every day in a sales team: reminding an owner about a deal close to its date, telling them about a new lead, sending a welcome email to every customer won, and creating a follow-up task after it. All of them depend on someone remembering at the right time, so some slip through on a busy day. Workflow rules do these tasks on their own: you set when the rule runs (when a record is created, a field changes, or on a fixed schedule), on which records, and what it does (a notification, an email, a field update, or a new task). So it runs the same way every time, and the people following it get an alert if it doesn't go through. ## Follow the Steps You start from a template or a new rule, set when it runs, on which records and what it does, and test it before it goes live. ### Starting from a Template From the side menu, click "**Workflows**". Your rules show in a table with the module, trigger, number of steps and "**Runs this month**", and above them "**Start from a template**" with common rules like "**Celebrate deals won**" and "**Deal due-date reminder**": 1. Open " **Workflows** " from the side menu. 2. Click " **Use this template** " on the template you need. The rule is added disabled and opens for you to review. 3. Change what you need, then turn on " **Enabled** " and click " **Save** ". > **Note:** Each template creates a disabled rule, so it doesn't run on your records until you review it and turn it on yourself. ### Creating a Rule and Choosing the Trigger To create a rule from scratch: 1. Click " **New rule** " and type the " **Rule name** ", and add a " **Description** " if you like. 2. Pick the " **Module** " the rule works on, like " **Deals** " or " **Leads** ", then choose from " **When** " when it runs. 3. Complete the trigger details, like the field to watch for changes. The "**When**" options are: - **When a record is created or edited** : choose " **Created** ", " **Edited** " or both. - **When a specific field changes** : like a change in " **Status** " or " **Stage** ". - **When a record matches conditions** : runs when the record comes to match the conditions you set. - **Relative to a date field** : before or after a date on the record, like " **Expected close date** ". - **On a schedule (cron)** : " **Daily** ", " **Weekly** " or " **Monthly** " at the " **Time** " you set. - **When run from a record** : doesn't run on its own, but when someone runs it from the record itself. - **When a lead form is submitted** : with every lead that comes from a form on your website. ### Choosing Records with Conditions Conditions decide which records the rule runs on. In a rule that reminds about deals before their close date, for example: 1. With " **Relative to a date field** ", pick the date field. 2. Type the " **Days offset** ": a negative number means before the date, and a positive one after it. 3. Click " **+ Add condition** " and pick the field, comparison and value, then choose " **Match all conditions** " or " **Match any condition** ". To group conditions into one, click "**+ Add group**". Below the conditions, the number of records that match now shows, like "**3 Deals records currently match**", so you can make sure the rule will run on the records you mean. ### Adding Steps Steps are what the rule does, and they run in order: 1. Click " **Add step** " and choose the action, like " **In-app notification** " or " **Send email** ". 2. Pick the " **Recipient** ", like " **Record owner** ", and type the " **Body** ". Type # to insert a field from the record, like the deal name. 3. Choose " **Instant** " for the step to run right away, or " **Delayed** " and type the number of days. The available actions: - **In-app notification** , **Send email** and **Send WhatsApp message** : to the record owner, its creator, a specific user, an email on the record or an address you type. In an email, click " **Preview** " or " **Send test to me** ". - **Update field** , **Add tag** and **Create record** : like creating a follow-up task in " **Activities** ". - **Convert lead** , **Delete record** , **Call webhook** and **Write with AI** . - And to control the flow: **Find records** , **If / otherwise** and **For each record found** . From ⋮ on the step, you can "**Move up**", "**Move down**", "**Duplicate**" or "**Delete**". ### Testing a Step on a Real Record Before turning the rule on, try each step on one of your records: 1. Under " **Test on a real record** ", pick a record, then click " **Test this step** ". 2. The result shows with the record's values, like " **Would notify…** " and the text after the fields are inserted. 3. To add a backup step, click ⋮, then " **Add a step for when it doesn't go through** ", then click " **Save** ". > **Note:** A test changes nothing and sends nothing, and "**This was a test. Nothing was changed or sent.**" shows below it. ### Reviewing the Run History and Rerunning Failures To see when the rule ran, on which record, and what happened: 1. Open the " **Run history** " tab. 2. Click " **Failed** " to see the runs that failed, and the " **Detail** " column has the reason for each. 3. After fixing the cause, click " **Rerun** ", and the failed steps run again. The run statuses are "**Done**", "**Failed**", "**Skipped**" when no condition matched, and "**Running**". The history keeps the last 30 days of runs. ### Followers and the Change Log Followers are the people who get an alert if the rule fails, starting with its owner: 1. Click " **Manage followers** ". 2. Pick who follows the rule, then click " **Done** ". 3. Open the " **Changes** " tab to see who changed the rule, what they changed and when. > **Note:** A rule needs at least one follower, so add someone else before you remove the last one. ### Running a Rule from a Record Rules triggered "**When run from a record**" don't run on their own; you run them when you need them, like sending the welcome pack after a deal is won: 1. Open the deal, click ⋮, then " **Run a workflow** ". 2. Pick the rule. Rules whose conditions the record doesn't match show disabled, with " **This record doesn't match its conditions.** " 3. Click " **Run** ". A message shows that the rule is running, and the run is added to its history. ## Important Things to Know - A rule only runs while it is " **Enabled** ", and you can turn it off from the table without deleting it. - A run where no condition matched shows " **Skipped** ", and nothing runs in it. - To create tasks and activities by hand, see [Logging Activities and Following Up on Tasks in "Edara CRM"](https://help.getedara.com/en/articles/90000036-logging-activities-and-following-up-on-tasks-in-edara-crm) . ## Try It Yourself Sample data — it doesn't affect any real data. Open a rule and change the trigger, or add a condition or a step, then test the step on a record, or try "Run history". ## You May Be Wondering **Why doesn't the rule I added from a template run?** Because templates are added disabled. Open the rule and review it, then turn on "Enabled" and click "Save". **Does testing a step really send the email or notification?** No, it only shows the result with the record's values, and nothing is changed or sent. **What happens if a step fails?** The run shows "Failed" in "Run history" with its reason, the followers get an alert, and the backup step runs if you added one. After fixing the cause, click "Rerun". **Why is a rule disabled under "Run a workflow"?** Because the record doesn't match its conditions, like a rule for won deals while you are on an open deal.