G'day,

Most SharePoint problems aren't SharePoint problems. They're thinking problems.

You see a business process and immediately reach for custom solutions. Power Automate flows. Third-party tools. Complex workflows that take weeks to build and months to maintain.

It might surprise you, but SharePoint already handles A LOT of what you're trying to build. The problem is...

Knowing what's already there.

The Power Automate trap

Many see a business process and immediately think "workflow."

• Document needs approval? Build a flow.
• File needs to move? Create an automation.
• Status changes? Write some code.

When you build a Power Automate flow for something SharePoint handles natively, you're not just overcomplicating—you're fighting the platform's design. I see this pattern constantly.

Teams spending weeks building custom solutions when a five-minute configuration would do the job.

Metadata Is Your Silent Workflow Engine

Think of metadata as SharePoint's nervous system. Every column you create isn't just a label—it's potential business logic.

That "Status" column in your document library? It's not just tracking information. It can trigger actions. That "Department" field? It can route documents. That "Approval Date" column? It can publish content.

Most people see columns as storage. But metadata is really about outcomes.

Draft to Published in 5 Minutes

Here's how the magic works in practice. Let's say you've got policies in development that need to move to your live intranet once approved.

Traditional approach: Build a Power Automate flow, set up triggers, handle errors, test edge cases, maintain the workflow.

SharePoint approach: Create a rule.

The Setup:

• Status column: "Draft", "In Review", "Ready to Publish"
• Rule trigger: When Status = "Ready to Publish"
• Action: Copy file to Published Policies library
• Bonus: Use autofill to populate Target Audience automatically

The Result?

• Your working library stays clean.
• Approved docs appear on your live site instantly.
• Metadata does the heavy lifting.

No coding. No IT tickets. No maintenance overhead.

The Native-First Mindset

This is bigger than just rules. It's about understanding SharePoint's philosophy.

SharePoint assumes your content has structure. It assumes that structure drives behaviour. It assumes metadata matters more than folders.

When you embrace this—when you think "metadata first, workflows second"—SharePoint stops fighting you and starts working with you.

The Rule: Before you build anything custom, ask: "Does SharePoint already handle this natively?"

Usually, it does. You just need to think in columns, not code.

Your turn...

Pick one business process you're currently automating (or thinking about automating) with Power Automate.

Ask yourself: Could metadata and rules handle this instead?

If you're not sure, try the rules feature. It's under Library Settings → Manage Rules. Set up one simple trigger and see what happens.

You might be surprised how much SharePoint already knows how to do.

Talk soon,

Daniel