---
title: "Automations"
description: "An automation enrols employees when its trigger fires, filters them with an audience and runs a published sequence of steps relative to a reference date."
sidebar:
  label: Overview
  order: 0
area: flows
feature: automations
appPath: /flows/home
audience: admin
related:
  - flows
  - flows/steps
  - activity/enrollments
  - journey
intercom:
  - id: "11612966"
    title: How to create an Automation Flow (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/11612966-how-to-create-an-automation-flow-pyn-2
  - id: "6024016"
    title: Configure Automations (Pyn 1)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024016-configure-automations-pyn-1
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "11987518"
    title: Select the Right Trigger for your Flow (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/11987518-select-the-right-trigger-for-your-flow-pyn-2
  - id: "12651319"
    title: Using Triggers in Pyn (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/12651319-using-triggers-in-pyn-pyn-2
  - id: "6024165"
    title: Enable the Birthday Moment Automation
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024165-enable-the-birthday-moment-automation
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "16304943"
    title: Set up a buddy automation (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16304943-set-up-a-buddy-automation-pyn-2
  - id: "11987525"
    title: Choose the Audience for your Flow (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/11987525-choose-the-audience-for-your-flow-pyn-2
  - id: "7856462"
    title: Add Filters to Your Automation
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/7856462-add-filters-to-your-automation
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "6005739"
    title: Create and save recipient filters
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6005739-create-and-save-recipient-filters
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "6023999"
    title: How to schedule Automations
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023999-how-to-schedule-automations
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "6024094"
    title: "If I turn on or add a Pyn in an enabled Automation, will employees already enrolled in the Automation receive that Pyn?"
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024094-if-i-turn-on-or-add-a-pyn-in-an-enabled-automation-will-employees-already-enrolled-in-the-automation-receive-that-pyn
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "11506664"
    title: Manually Enroll Employees in a Flow (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/11506664-manually-enroll-employees-in-a-flow-pyn-2
  - id: "6023214"
    title: How to manually enroll an employee in an Automation (Pyn 1)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023214-how-to-manually-enroll-an-employee-in-an-automation-pyn-1
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "16996083"
    title: Setting Per-Employee Reference Dates in a Mail Merge Spreadsheet (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16996083-setting-per-employee-reference-dates-in-a-mail-merge-spreadsheet-pyn-2
  - id: "16729160"
    title: Handling late enrollments (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16729160-handling-late-enrollments-pyn-2
  - id: "6024091"
    title: "Does an employee still receive an automated Pyn if they're added to the HRIS after the messages were scheduled to go out?"
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024091-does-an-employee-still-receive-an-automated-pyn-if-they-re-added-to-the-hris-after-the-messages-were-scheduled-to-go-out
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "16729197"
    title: When a start date changes after someone is enrolled (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16729197-when-a-start-date-changes-after-someone-is-enrolled-pyn-2
  - id: "12691830"
    title: How to Set up the First Day (Onboarding) Flow (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/12691830-how-to-set-up-the-first-day-onboarding-flow-pyn-2
  - id: "8563275"
    title: Send to Personal Email Address
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/8563275-send-to-personal-email-address
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "12159628"
    title: Gather Quick Feedback with a Poll (Pyn 2)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/12159628-gather-quick-feedback-with-a-poll-pyn-2
  - id: "6023188"
    title: Automating Buddy Pyns (Pyn 1)
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023188-automating-buddy-pyns-pyn-1
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "6023205"
    title: Getting Started with Buddy
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023205-getting-started-with-buddy
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "6023197"
    title: Personalize your Buddy Pyns with Tokens
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023197-personalize-your-buddy-pyns-with-tokens
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "6024074"
    title: How to customize the new manager packet
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024074-how-to-customize-the-new-manager-packet
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
  - id: "8279902"
    title: "Editing Enrollment Rule: Timing"
    url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/8279902-editing-enrollment-rule-timing
    note: "Pyn 1 article, kept for reference"
---

An automation is a trigger, an audience and an ordered list of steps. When the trigger fires for an employee who is in the audience, Pyn creates an enrollment for that employee and schedules every step against the enrollment's reference date. The employee the enrollment is about is the principal; each step can go to the principal, their manager, their buddy, their HRBP, a group, a channel or a named address.

![Flows > Automations lists every automation in the workspace.](https://support.pynhq.com/media/flows/automations/flows-automations-table.png)

## How the pieces fit together

1. **Trigger.** Decides *when* and *for whom* the automation runs, and what the reference date is. A start-date trigger fires on (or around) each employee's start date; a Buddy Assigned trigger fires the moment a buddy relation appears; a recurring trigger fires on a timetable. The [Trigger catalogue](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/trigger-catalogue/) lists every option.
2. **Audience.** Narrows the trigger to lifecycle stages plus included and excluded groups. An employee outside the audience is never enrolled. See [Set the audience for an automation](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/set-the-audience/).
3. **Steps.** Messages, calendar invites, channel invites, tickets and acknowledgements, each with its own recipient, sender and schedule relative to the reference date. Steps are documented under [Steps and messages](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/steps/).
4. **Version.** Publishing takes a snapshot of the trigger, audience and steps. Enrollments run against the version they were created on until you update them. See [Publish an automation](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/publish-an-automation/).
5. **Enrollment.** One employee's run through one version. Open [Enrollments](https://support.pynhq.com/activity/enrollments/) to see each person's steps, their status and their reference date.

![Open an automation to edit its trigger and steps.](https://support.pynhq.com/media/flows/automations/flows-automations-editor.png)

## Modes

The button next to **Publish** shows the automation's mode. **Draft** means it has never been published. The other four modes come from **Change Mode**:

| Mode | What Pyn does |
| --- | --- |
| **Automated** | Enrols every eligible employee when the trigger fires and sends each step at its scheduled time. |
| **Verification** | Enrols eligible employees but creates each enrollment paused. Nothing sends until someone reviews it in **Activity** > **Needs Review** and selects **Unpause**. |
| **Manual** | Never enrols anyone on its own. People join only through **Manual Enroll**. |
| **Inactive** | Enrols nobody. Enrollments that already exist run to completion. |

**Archive** is on the same menu. An archived automation is also inactive and leaves the Automations list. The reference page [Automation and enrollment states](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/automation-and-enrollment-states/) has every state and transition.

## Where it is in the app

Open `/flows/home` in Pyn and select **Automations**. The table lists every automation with its journey moment, enrollment count, **Required** in the **Publish** column when it has unpublished changes, and its mode in the **Status** column. **Create New** opens the trigger picker; the arrow beside it offers **Add from Template**. Selecting a row opens the editor at `/flows/automation/` followed by its id, with the trigger card at the top, the steps below it in schedule order and a drawer on the right for whatever you select.

## Guides

- [Create an automation](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/create-an-automation/): Start from a trigger or from the template catalogue.
- [Choose a trigger](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/choose-a-trigger/): Pick the family that matches the moment.
- [Set the audience](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/set-the-audience/): Lifecycle stages, included and excluded groups.
- [Change the mode](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/change-the-mode/): Verification, Automated, Manual or Inactive.
- [Publish an automation](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/publish-an-automation/): Versions and updating existing enrollments.
- [Manually enroll employees](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/manually-enroll-employees/): Search, paste or upload a list with a reference date.
- [Enroll from a spreadsheet](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/enroll-from-a-spreadsheet/): Per-row reference dates and custom tokens.
- [Handle late enrollments](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/handle-late-enrollments/): What happens when a step is already overdue.
- [Move an enrollment to a new start date](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/move-an-enrollment-to-a-new-start-date/): Stop, re-enrol, and skip what was already sent.

## Tutorials

- [Pre-boarding to a personal email](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/tutorial-pre-boarding-to-a-personal-email/): Reach new starters before they have a work inbox.
- [Birthdays and anniversaries](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/tutorial-birthdays-and-anniversaries/): Yearly celebrations with a manager nudge a week ahead.
- [Buddy programme](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/tutorial-buddy-programme/): A form nominates the buddy; Pyn messages them.
- [New-manager flow](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/tutorial-new-manager-flow/): Four weeks of support from the first direct report.
- [Offboarding](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/tutorial-offboarding-flow/): A respectful exit for the leaver, their manager and their team.

## Reference

- [Trigger catalogue](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/trigger-catalogue/): every trigger, its description, offsets, recurrence and window.
- [Automation and enrollment states](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/automation-and-enrollment-states/): modes, versions, enrollment and step states.
- [Scheduling internals](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/scheduling-internals/): reference date adjustment, trigger windows, cadence and minimums.

## Related

- [Flows](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/) for the other things Flows contains.
- [Steps and messages](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/steps/) for recipients, senders, schedules, reminders and escalations on a step.
- [Enrollments](https://support.pynhq.com/activity/enrollments/) to review, unpause or stop what an automation produced.
- [Journey](https://support.pynhq.com/journey/) to attach automations to the moments on your map.

## Related Intercom articles

- [How to create an Automation Flow (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/11612966-how-to-create-an-automation-flow-pyn-2)
- [Configure Automations (Pyn 1)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024016-configure-automations-pyn-1) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Select the Right Trigger for your Flow (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/11987518-select-the-right-trigger-for-your-flow-pyn-2)
- [Using Triggers in Pyn (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/12651319-using-triggers-in-pyn-pyn-2)
- [Enable the Birthday Moment Automation](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024165-enable-the-birthday-moment-automation) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Set up a buddy automation (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16304943-set-up-a-buddy-automation-pyn-2)
- [Choose the Audience for your Flow (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/11987525-choose-the-audience-for-your-flow-pyn-2)
- [Add Filters to Your Automation](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/7856462-add-filters-to-your-automation) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Create and save recipient filters](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6005739-create-and-save-recipient-filters) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [How to schedule Automations](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023999-how-to-schedule-automations) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [If I turn on or add a Pyn in an enabled Automation, will employees already enrolled in the Automation receive that Pyn?](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024094-if-i-turn-on-or-add-a-pyn-in-an-enabled-automation-will-employees-already-enrolled-in-the-automation-receive-that-pyn) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Manually Enroll Employees in a Flow (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/11506664-manually-enroll-employees-in-a-flow-pyn-2)
- [How to manually enroll an employee in an Automation (Pyn 1)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023214-how-to-manually-enroll-an-employee-in-an-automation-pyn-1) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Setting Per-Employee Reference Dates in a Mail Merge Spreadsheet (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16996083-setting-per-employee-reference-dates-in-a-mail-merge-spreadsheet-pyn-2)
- [Handling late enrollments (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16729160-handling-late-enrollments-pyn-2)
- [Does an employee still receive an automated Pyn if they're added to the HRIS after the messages were scheduled to go out?](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024091-does-an-employee-still-receive-an-automated-pyn-if-they-re-added-to-the-hris-after-the-messages-were-scheduled-to-go-out) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [When a start date changes after someone is enrolled (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16729197-when-a-start-date-changes-after-someone-is-enrolled-pyn-2)
- [How to Set up the First Day (Onboarding) Flow (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/12691830-how-to-set-up-the-first-day-onboarding-flow-pyn-2)
- [Send to Personal Email Address](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/8563275-send-to-personal-email-address) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Gather Quick Feedback with a Poll (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/12159628-gather-quick-feedback-with-a-poll-pyn-2)
- [Automating Buddy Pyns (Pyn 1)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023188-automating-buddy-pyns-pyn-1) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Getting Started with Buddy](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023205-getting-started-with-buddy) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Personalize your Buddy Pyns with Tokens](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6023197-personalize-your-buddy-pyns-with-tokens) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [How to customize the new manager packet](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/6024074-how-to-customize-the-new-manager-packet) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference
- [Editing Enrollment Rule: Timing](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/8279902-editing-enrollment-rule-timing) — Pyn 1 article, kept for reference