As we know, Microsoft is investing more to Power Automate in terms of workflow orchestration and it is undeniable, and obvious that they will push the end of legacy SharePoint workflows. However, many were shocked last Monday, July 6, with the announcement of Microsoft. It turned out that the timetable is unrealistic for many organizations and SharePoint experts.
Based on the announcement, SharePoint 2010 workflow will retire starting August 1, 2020. Microsoft recommends migrating workflows to Power Automate or other supported solutions.
TimeLine:
- August 1, 2020 – SharePoint 2010 workflows will be turned off for any newly created tenants.
- November 1, 2020
- SharePoint 2010 workflow services will be removed from existing tenants.
- SharePoint 2013 workflows will be turned off for any newly created tenants.
What will be impacted:
All SharePoint 2010 workflows in SharePoint Online including built-in workflows:
- Approvals
- Collect Feedback
- Collect Signatures
- Classic pages publishing approval
- Three-states
What will not be impacted:
On-premises SharePoint (both 2010 & 2013 based workflows) will be supported for SharePoint 2016 & 2019 platforms until 2026.
Expectations setting:
1. You will not be able to create SharePoint 2010 workflow-based in your SharePoint Online starting August 2020. You will encounter this error message:
“User-defined workflows have been disabled by the SharePoint Administrator. User-defined workflows will be unable to run”.
2. You will not be able to run SharePoint 2010 workflows starting November It is less than 4 months to rewrite/redevelop all workflows in your clients or organization manually.
3. In an organization with hundreds or thousands of legacy-based SharePoint workflows, certainly, it will be a nightmare confronting this absurd timetable of Microsoft. Some legacy workflows may not be migrated in time, so it is most likely to hamper the business processes or activities relying on SharePoint legacy workflows.
What can you do:
- Have an inventory of all legacy SharePoint workflows using The SharePoint Modernization Scanner tool – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/transform/modernize-scanner
- If you have citizen developers who create their workflows translate to them the output of the report (specific to their workflow) from the SharePoint Modernization Scanner tool to help them decide on how they are going to migrate their workflows.
- Plan your migration strategy to reduce business disruption.
- Read the Guidance of Migrating from classic to Power Automate flows and understand the limits – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/business-apps/power-automate/guidance/migrate-from-classic-workflows-to-power-automate-flows
- Vote to move the retirement schedule to a more realistic deadline – https://sharepoint.uservoice.com/forums/330318-sharepoint-administration/suggestions/40856713-postope-designer-2010-workflow-engine-retirement
Based on several articles from Microsoft and other IT experts, I know for a fact since 2018 that it is not a good time investment to spend in migrating from SharePoint on-premises to SharePoint Online if you will have to migrate legacy workflows and use the same SharePoint legacy workflows engine.
Yes, it is possible even today, but that will require multiple jumps of recreating business processes workflows from SharePoint on-premise to SharePoint Online. Some will say since SharePoint 2013 workflows are still supported, they will move their 2010 workflows first to 2013 versions. For me, it will consume more time and will create more technical debt.
If you have dedicated technical resources and SharePoint experts in your organization, I believe it is better to migrate directly to newer workflow solutions like Power Automate, or if not possible you may opt to use other workflow tools approved by your clients or organizations like K2, Nintex, Boomi.
