Continuing the trend of retiring its traditional database and process tools, Microsoft just announced the end-of-life of Sharepoint workflows in Sharepoint online. A couple of years ago, Microsoft had similarly retired the online version of Microsoft Access available through SharePoint online.
Going by Google search volumes for “Sharepoint workflows”, it seems like a lot of people continue to use the feature, and are going to be left high and dry.
What is immediately being retired - Sharepoint Online 2010 workflows
Microsoft is completely retiring workflows in Sharepoint 2010 online in short order.
- Starting August 1st, 2020, SharePoint 2010 workflows will be turned off for newly created tenants.
- Starting November 1st, 2020, Microsoft will begin to remove the ability to run or create SharePoint 2010 workflows from existing tenants.
What is not being retired, but deprecated - Sharepoint Online 2013 workflows
According to Microsoft, users of Sharepoint Online 2013 can continue using workflows, but it will be deprecated - meaning, there will be no new development of that feature. No definite timeline has been given. However, it is clear that workflows don’t have a future in Sharepoint Online 2013 either.
A credible alternative - Workmap.ai
Sharepoint 2010 users are probably already scrambling for an alternative given the impending deadline. Even for Sharepoint 2013 users, now might be a good time to look, before Microsoft springs a surprise.
We have been developing Sharepoint alternative solutions for the last 10 years. Our philosophy - easy to use, web based alternatives that deliver excellence of user experience.
(HyperOffice is) a Sharepoint Antidote” – Huffington Post
Our WorkMap.ai allows you to do exactly the things you did with Sharepoint workflows, but offers a drastically simpler and more modern experience. Some things you can do:
- Create multi step processes
- Assign tasks to different people responsible at different stages
- Simple When-this/Then-this rules engine for automating notifications and behavior of data
- Capture data through do-it-yourself web forms
We would be super happy to help if you have been left scrambling by Microsoft. You can also sign up for a free trial and give it a spin on your own!