How to adjust the Run workflow setting to change notification frequency in Smartsheet

How to Tweak Notification Cadence in Smartsheet Workflows

If you’ve ever punched yourself with a flurry of alerts only to discover you’ve still missed something important, you know the feeling. Notifications are a double-edged sword: they keep the team aligned, but they can overwhelm if they’re too chatty. In Smartsheet, the key to getting this balance right is adjusting the Run workflow setting. Yes, that little control is the dial that tunes how often alerts go out and under what circumstances. Let me explain how it works and why it matters.

Let’s start with the big idea: frequency isn’t just “how often.” It’s also “when” and “why.” You want updates when they matter, not every minute or every tiny change. The Run workflow setting is where you shape that logic. Think of it as the cadence switch for your automation. If you get this right, your team gets timely updates; if you don’t, you’ll zap them with noise. So, what exactly do you do to adjust it?

What the Run workflow setting controls

In Smartsheet automations, you’ll find that notifications aren’t just triggered by a single event. They’re part of a broader workflow that can be configured to run under certain conditions and on specific schedules. The Run workflow setting is the piece that pinpoints when the automation should fire. You can tailor it so alerts go out immediately when a change happens, or you can schedule them to run at a set interval—say, once a day or twice a week—so your team isn’t being pinged every time someone updates a row.

To picture it, imagine you’re running a project where changes happen constantly in the background. If you push every little update to everyone, the inbox becomes a battlefield. But if you group notifications—say, a daily digest of changes or only updates that meet certain thresholds—the team stays informed without feeling overwhelmed. The Run workflow setting makes that possible.

A quick walkthrough: how to adjust it

Here’s a practical, walk-through style way to think about it. You don’t need to be a Smartsheet guru to do this; it’s a matter of locating the right switch and choosing the timing that fits your team.

1. Open the automation you want to tweak

• In Smartsheet, head to Automations or the appropriate area where your workflows are listed.

• Find the workflow that handles the notifications you want to adjust, and open it for editing.

2. Locate the Run workflow section

• Inside the automation editor, look for settings that control the execution of the workflow. This is the heart of how often the automation runs and under what triggers.

• You’ll see options that describe when the workflow should execute—these are the controls you’ll adjust.

3. Choose your cadence

• Immediate run: If an event happens, the automation fires right away and the recipients are notified as soon as the condition is met.

• Scheduled run: Pick a cadence like daily or weekly. The automation collects relevant changes and sends notifications at the chosen times.

4. Refine conditions and recipients

• Beyond timing, you can often refine the “why” and the “who.” Set conditions like “only when a row is updated in status = ‘Done’” or “only notify if the assignee has not responded within 24 hours.”

• Confirm who gets the alerts. It’s easy to overload a manager with updates that others could handle. Use groups or just-in-time recipients to keep the signal clean.

5. Save and test

• After you’ve set the cadence and conditions, save the automation.

• If possible, run a quick test to verify that the notifications land where they should and at the right moment. A small test can save you big headaches later.

What about the other options? Why they don’t change the frequency

If someone from your team suggests changing the automation type, editing task details, or tweaking user permissions to alter notification frequency, you can save them the detour. Here’s why those paths don’t hit the mark directly:

• Change the automation type: Switching to a different automation type might alter the nature of the workflow, or what triggers it, but it doesn’t automatically adjust how often notifications are sent. It’s like changing the vehicle—great choice—but it doesn’t guarantee a different speed unless you also recalibrate the engine (the Run setting) and timing logic.

• Edit the task details: Tasks carry information—due dates, assignees, statuses—but changing a task’s content isn’t the same as altering when or how often the team gets alerted. It’s more about what’s in the task rather than when the alerts spark.

• Change user permissions: Permissions control who can create or modify automations, not the cadence of notifications. You could restrict access, but that won’t automatically solve notification fatigue. Cadence is a scheduling issue, not an access issue.

The bottom line: to influence frequency, you go to Run workflow settings. Other tweaks may shape the automation in broader ways, but if you want to tune the heartbeat of alerts, this is where the change belongs.

Practical tips for smarter notifications

If you’re going to fine-tune cadence, a few practical guidelines help keep things clear and effective:

• Start with the team’s routine. If your team reviews updates every morning, a daily digest often lands nicely. If something urgent happens, an immediate alert can still bypass the digest for time-sensitive items.

• Group related updates. Notifications that bundle several changes into one message are easier to skim. You’ll reduce fatigue and ensure critical items aren’t buried in a flood of chatter.

• Use conditional logic. It’s tempting to send a blanket alert, but the smart move is to tailor who gets what. A manager might need a different cadence than a frontline assignee.

• Build in a fail-safe. If someone doesn’t see a notification, set a secondary reminder for a critical item. It’s a quiet safeguard, not a nag.

• Document your cadence. A short note in the team wiki or in the automation description helps everyone understand why you chose a certain schedule. Clarity reduces back-and-forth questions.

Real-world analogies to keep it relatable

Think of your notification cadence like the way a newsroom handles breaking news. If a story is genuinely urgent, you blast it out immediately to all editors. For routine updates, you publish a morning briefing that condenses the day’s highlights. Your Smartsheet Run workflow setting does the same job for your project team—deciding when to ring the bell and who should hear it.

Another helpful analogy: consider a doctor’s office appointment reminders. Some patients get a text the moment a slot opens, others receive one a week ahead. That mix of immediacy and cadence is what many teams aim for in Smartsheet. It’s not about cranking up the alerts; it’s about delivering the right alerts at the right time.

Common pitfalls to watch for

• Over-scheduling notifications. If every minor update triggers a ping, your team will experience alert fatigue. Scale back to the essentials.

• Under-scheduling critical items. Conversely, if you only notify once a week, urgent changes might slip through the cracks. Find a balance that fits the project’s pace.

• Inconsistent rules across projects. If one project uses immediate alerts and another uses daily digests, confusion can creep in. Strive for a single, clear policy that you apply consistently.

• Ignoring the audience. Always tailor who gets what. A team lead doesn’t need the same level of detail as a frontline contributor.

A quick recap you can carry into your next workflow tune-up

• The right move to adjust notification frequency is the Run workflow setting. It’s the dial that controls timing and conditions for when alerts go out.

• To modify it, open the automation, locate the Run workflow section, pick your cadence (immediate vs. scheduled), and refine the conditions and recipients.

• The other options—changing automation type, editing task details, or changing user permissions—don’t directly set how often notifications are sent. They can influence the broader automation, but they don’t replace the cadence control.

• A calm, well-balanced notification strategy helps teams stay informed without burning out. Start with what your team actually needs to know, when they need to know it, and who needs to see it.

Closing thought: your workflow, your rhythm

Smartsheet gives you a toolbox to tune not just what happens, but how often people hear about it. The Run workflow setting is a small control with big impact. When you take a couple of minutes to set the cadence thoughtfully, you’ll likely notice fewer frantic inbox raids and more focused, productive days.

If you haven’t given the Run workflow setting a rethink lately, maybe now’s a good moment. Take a look at the automations that touch your team. Is the notification cadence doing its job, or is it tugging the team in too many directions at once? A few deliberate tweaks can restore balance, keep everyone in the loop, and help your projects glide forward with a steady, reliable tempo.