Operations & Finance

Your clone watches your SharePoint queues for stuck work

Every day it reports what's overdue, stuck, unassigned or piling up, plus a weekly throughput report.

Your clone reads the SharePoint lists your teams use as job trackers and queues, then sends a daily digest of overdue, stuck, unowned and aging items and the stages that are backing up, plus a weekly throughput report. It starts read-only, and updates can be added later once you trust it.

What your clone does

Why it matters

Work queues grow quietly until a customer or manager asks where something is. Your clone shows you every morning.

Many teams run their work from SharePoint lists: a job tracker, a department inbox, an intake queue. Lists do not nag. Items slip past their due date, sit in one stage for weeks, or never get an owner.

The SharePoint Work Queue Monitor works in three phases:

PhaseWhat happensDefault?
Phase 1: READ & ANALYZEClone reads lists and views, sends the daily digest and the weekly reportYes
Phase 2: DRAFTED UPDATESClone also writes a "suggested updates" list for a person to apply by handOptional, after at least a week of Phase 1
Phase 3: APPROVED UPDATESClone applies changes to list items, each one approved by youOptional, only after you confirm your SharePoint operator can update list items in your org

Daily digest flags:

FlagMeaning
OverdueDue date passed and the item is not in a done value
StuckNo status change (or modified date) for more than {STUCK_DAYS} days
UnassignedNo owner
BottlenecksItem count per stage compared with normal
AgingDays in the current stage
Cross-list mismatchesDone in one list but still open in a related list, matched on {MATCH_FIELD}

Weekly report: items completed per week by stage or department, trend vs last week, average cycle time and the top aging items.

Out of scope: SharePoint admin work (list settings, Power Apps/JSON formatting). The clone does not change list design.


Who it helps

OpsLeadershipSupport
  • Ops leads who run intake or job queues in SharePoint lists.
  • Leadership who want a daily and weekly view of flow without opening lists.
  • Support teams using a SharePoint list as a request or case queue.

How it runs

code
   Trigger: {SCHEDULE}  (daily digest + weekly throughput report)
   or on demand: "Check my work queues"
                         │
                         ▼
 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │  "SharePoint Queue Monitor" skill                                 │
 │                                                                   │
 │  1. Read {LISTS} / {VIEWS} on {SITE} (page through large lists)   │
 │  2. Map columns: {STATUS_FIELD} {DUE_FIELD} {OWNER_FIELD}         │
 │     {STAGE_FIELD}  ({DONE_VALUES} = finished)                     │
 │  3. Flag: overdue · stuck ({STUCK_DAYS}) · unassigned ·           │
 │     bottlenecks · aging · cross-list mismatches ({MATCH_FIELD})   │
 │  4. Daily digest  → {RECIPIENTS} or {TEAM_CHANNEL}                │
 │     Weekly report → throughput, trend, cycle time, top aging      │
 └───────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                                 │
        Phase 1: stop here (read only)
                                 │
        Phase 2: + "suggested updates" list for a person to apply
                                 │
        Phase 3: + clone applies each change you approve
                 (Microsoft Share Point Actions; only after you confirm
                  the operator can update items in your org)

Set it up, step by step

  1. Check requirements (10 min)Open REQUIREMENTS.md. You need a Microsoft 365 connection with Sites.Read.All and access to the site and lists.
  2. Hand the instructions to your clone (2 min)Say: "Please set up this use case for me. Show me a plan before changing anything."
  3. Review the discovery table (5 min)Confirm the exact SharePoint operator names in your catalog.
  4. Answer the placeholder questions (10 min)See section 6.
  5. Confirm the columns (10 min)The clone lists every column with its internal name and display name. You confirm which is status, due date, owner and stage.
  6. Do your part (10–20 min)Connect Microsoft 365 with Sites.Read.All; make sure the connected account can open the site and lists (a dedicated clone account works well).
  7. Save the skill and schedule (5–10 min)
  8. Test on ONE list (15–30 min)Compare the clone's overdue and stuck counts with the list filtered by hand. Then add more lists.
  9. Stay in Phase 1 for at least a week before turning on Phase 2.

The README has the full walkthrough. The Clone Instructions tell your clone exactly what to do.

Before you start

Your clone matches these to the exact skill names in your workspace. Confirm exact operator names and capabilities in your catalog before saving the skill. Your clone will report the exact names it finds.

Skill names can differ slightly between orgs. Confirm the exact names in your skill catalog before saving the skill.

#Skill / operator (exact name)What it's used forNotes
1Microsoft Share Point QueriesRead lists, views, items and columnsRequired. Phase 1
2Microsoft Share Point ActionsWrite list itemsPhase 3 only, optional, each change approved
3Microsoft Share Point AdminNot usedAdmin work is out of scope
4Outlook email operator or Google Gmail OperatorEmail the daily digest and weekly reportOne delivery method needed (or Teams/Slack)
5SharePoint Queue Monitor (custom skill)The workflow itselfSaved from CLONE-INSTRUCTIONS.md section 7
6Scheduled task (via the platform tool)Daily digest and weekly report on {SCHEDULE}Not needed for on-demand use
7Microsoft ExcelExport weekly numbersOptional
8Teams or SlackPost the digest to a channelOptional (post only)

Good to know

  • "Access denied" usually means missing SharePoint permission. Delete the Microsoft connection and re-create it so it picks up Sites.Read.All. Also check the connected account can open the site and lists.
  • Internal column names differ from display names. "Due Date" may be Due_x0020_Date. The clone lists both at setup so you can confirm.
  • Large lists need paging. Lists with thousands of items are read in pages; the first run may take longer.
  • A view can hide items. A filtered view such as a department inbox shows only some items. Choose {VIEWS} on purpose, and the digest states which view it used.
  • Dates and time zones. Date-only values and UTC times can shift by a day. Tell the clone your time zone; verify near-boundary items.
  • Keep Phase 1 for at least a week before drafting updates. You need time to trust the counts.
  • Never bulk-change items without approval. Phase 3 is one approved change at a time.
  • Phase 2 and 3 are not yet proven in every org. Reading lists is confirmed working; drafted/approved updates need testing in your org.
  • Admin work is out of scope. List settings and Power Apps/JSON formatting are not handled by the clone.

Questions, answered

Will it change my lists?

Not in Phase 1 or 2. Phase 3 only changes items you approve one by one.

Does it need SharePoint admin?

No. Read needs Sites.Read.All on the connection and access to the site and lists.

Can I use a dedicated account?

Yes, a dedicated clone account with access to the site works well.

Why do my counts differ from the clone's?

Usually a view filter, a done-value missing from {DONEVALUES}, or a time zone edge. Compare on one list first.

Can it watch several lists?

Yes. Test one first, then add more.

Can it post to Teams or Slack?

Yes (post only).

Does it work with Google instead of Microsoft?

SharePoint is Microsoft 365. You can still deliver the digest by Gmail or Slack.

Ready when you are. So is your clone.

Build your clone, paste in the SharePoint Work Queue Monitor instructions, and approve the plan it shows you.

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