Additional task-related features and issues within Microsoft Teams for business
Use Power Automate with Microsoft Teams and Outlook to build an end-to-end asset onboarding/offboarding approval process that runs inside Teams and sends approval results by email.
A high-level implementation pattern is:
- Decide where requests are stored
Use a data source such as SharePoint, Dataverse, or a form to capture onboarding/offboarding asset requests (including laptop details and image URL/file reference). - Create an automated cloud flow in Teams
In Teams:- Open the Power Apps app.
- Go to Build → select the team → See all.
- Select New → Flow → choose Automated to create a cloud flow that starts when a new request is submitted.
The designer opens where a trigger can be selected and the flow can be built and saved.
- Add the trigger for onboarding/offboarding
Configure the trigger based on the data source, for example:- “When a SharePoint item is created” (for a new asset onboarding/offboarding request), or
- “When a row is added, modified, or deleted” in Dataverse.
Include fields such as employee, asset type, request type (onboarding/offboarding), and a link to the laptop image.
- Add a Teams approval step
In the same flow, add a Start and wait for an approval action that uses Microsoft Teams Approvals:- Set Approval type (e.g., Approve/Reject – First to respond).
- Set Title and Details to include request information and a link or attachment for the laptop image.
- Configure Assigned to with the approver(s) (for example, asset manager or IT).
Approvals created in Power Automate will appear in the Approvals app in Teams, where approvers can review details and approve or reject.
- Branch logic based on approval outcome
After the approval action, add a condition on the outcome:- If Approved → perform onboarding/offboarding actions (for example, update status in the data source, trigger downstream flows, etc.).
- If Rejected → update status accordingly.
- Send Outlook email when approved (or rejected)
In each branch, add an Outlook connector action such as Send an email:- To: requester and/or manager.
- Subject/body: include approval result, asset details, and any next steps.
- Optionally include a link or attachment for the laptop image.
This satisfies the requirement that an “accepted” (approved) result triggers an Outlook email.
- Use Teams as the working surface
- Approvers use the Approvals app in Teams to see and act on onboarding/offboarding requests.
- Requesters can work in a Teams-based app (for example, a Power Apps app in Teams) that submits the data to the underlying list/table, which then triggers the flow.
- Customize and extend
- For onboarding, additional steps can be added (for example, provisioning tasks, notifications to IT).
- For offboarding, add steps for asset return, disabling access, etc.
- The same pattern (Teams approval + Outlook notification) is used in invoice and hardware request scenarios and can be adapted to asset management.
References:
- Use the Teams connector in Power Automate
- Create flows using the Power Apps app in Microsoft Teams
- Create an approval
- Customizing approvals in Teams
- From SharePoint Add-in model Workflow Apps to Microsoft Power Automate
- Use the Hardware Request and Hardware Management apps
- Epiq streamlines employee onboarding with Power Automate, Microsoft Dataverse, and AI Builder
- Create a workflow in Microsoft Teams