Automating Project Management with Make.com: Email to Trello and Google Sheets

In today’s fast-paced world, productivity tools are essential in helping us stay organized. Let's set up an automated workflow using Make.com, integrating Gmail, Trello, and Google Sheets. This automation will monitor for new project emails, create Trello cards, and log details into Google Sheets effortlessly.

The Scenario

We need to achieve the following:

1. Check our Gmail inbox every 15 minutes for new emails with "New Project" in the subject.
2. For each of these emails, create a new card in Trello with relevant details.
3. Add a new row in a Google Sheet with the email's details.

Now, let’s walk through how we can set up this automation in Make.com.

Setting Up the Scheduled Trigger

Our first task is to schedule the scenario to run at 15-minute intervals:

1. Creating the Scenario: Begin by creating a new scenario in Make.com. This starts by selecting a blank canvas where we can drag and drop our modules.
2. Setting the Schedule: We'll add a schedule module to run our scenario every 15 minutes. This way, it continuously checks for new emails and processes them.

Watching for Specific Emails in Gmail

Next, we need to configure Make.com to monitor our Gmail inbox:

1. Adding the Gmail Module: Select the Watch Emails module. In the configuration:
   • Choose your Google account and allow permissions.
   • Set the Search Type to Gmail Filter.
   • Specify the Folder as INBOX.
   • Use the query subject:New Project to filter out the relevant emails.
   • Ensure that the emails are marked as read after being fetched.

Aggregating the Emails

To handle multiple emails, we need to aggregate them:

1. Adding the Basic Aggregator: We use the Basic Aggregator here because Gmail may return multiple emails which are all in their individual bundle. This module "aggregates" all the bundles into an array.
2. Using a Iterator for Array Conversion: Now that we have all the emails in an array we use the Iterator module to loop over all the emails.

Splitting the Path with a Router

We want to perform two separate actions for each email: create a Trello card and log information in Google Sheets.

1. Adding the Router: The router module enables us to create multiple paths for our scenario. It is not necessarily needed here but shows how they are used.

Creating Trello Cards

For the first route of the router, we will configure the Trello module:

1. Adding the Trello Module: Select the Create a Card action in Trello:
   • Connect your Trello account.
   • Choose your desired Board and List.
   • Set the card's Name as New Project: {{subject}}.
   • Map the Description to {{text}}.
   • Optionally, you can assign Labels and Members to the card.

Logging Email Details in Google Sheets

For the second route of the router, we will add an entry to Google Sheets:

1. Adding the Google Sheets Module: Select the Add a Row action:
   • Connect your Google account.
   • Choose the Spreadsheet and Sheet Name.
   • Map the values such as Subject, Date, From, and Text to their respective columns.

Finalizing and Activating the Scenario

1. Review and Save: Double-check the configurations, ensuring all fields are mapped correctly and connections are valid.
2. Testing the Scenario: Run the scenario once manually to ensure it behaves as expected. Validate by checking if the new Trello card and Google Sheets entry are created.
3. Activating the Scenario: Turn the scenario on to start the automated 15-minute interval checks.

Conclusion

By following this walkthrough, we have set up a seamless integration between Gmail, Trello, and Google Sheets using Make.com. Now, whenever a "New Project" email lands in your inbox, it will automatically create a new Trello card and update your Google Sheets with the details, all without any manual intervention. This not only saves time but also ensures that your project management system is always up-to-date.

Embrace the power of automation to boost your productivity and streamline your workflows. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out!

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Happy automating!