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How to Create a Planner Flow That Emails a Task Creator's Manager

WPS Content Manager Oct 1, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to configure a Power Automate flow for Microsoft Planner that automatically sends an email to the task creator's manager when a new task is created.

Create a Planner Flow That Emails a Task Creator's Manager

Product: Microsoft Power Automate and Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Automating email notifications in Microsoft Planner so that management is alerted whenever their team members create new tasks.
Observed behavior: The current rule sends the notification email to the person who created the flow (the rule owner) rather than the manager of the person who created the task.

Before you start

Ensure you have access to Microsoft Power Automate and the necessary permissions to read user profiles and organizational hierarchies in your Microsoft 365 environment.

Solution 1Recommended

Configure Power Automate to Dynamically Email the Manager

Build a flow in Power Automate that triggers upon task creation, retrieves the specific task creator's profile, identifies their manager, and sends the email appropriately.

To achieve this, you cannot rely on a basic static rule. You must use Power Automate to dynamically fetch the 'Created By User Id' and map it to your organization's directory to find the manager.

Add the Planner Trigger

Open Power Automate, create an automated cloud flow, and select the 'When a new task is created' trigger for Microsoft Planner. Select the relevant Group and Plan ID.

Retrieve the Task Creator's Profile

Add a new step and search for the 'Get user profile (V2)' action. Click into the required 'User (UPN)' field, and from the dynamic content menu, select 'Created By User Id' from the Planner trigger.

Obtain the Manager's Details

Add another step using the 'Get manager (V2)' action. Again, use the 'Created By User Id' dynamic content in the required field to pull the manager's email address.

Configure the Email Action

Add the 'Send an email (V2)' action. In the 'To' field, select the 'Mail' dynamic content from the 'Get manager (V2)' step. Ensure that if you modify the 'From' field, you use a valid email address or supported sender connection rather than just a display name.

Configure Power Automate to Dynamically Email the Manager

Test Your Flow: Create a test task in your Planner board using a different account (if possible) to verify that the email routes to the correct manager instead of your own inbox.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Planner flow send emails to me instead of the manager?

If you do not dynamically fetch the task creator's user ID, the email action defaults to using the credentials of the flow owner. You must use the 'Get manager (V2)' action mapped to the 'Created By User Id' dynamic content.

What value should be entered in the Get User Profile action?

In the 'Get user profile (V2)' action, you should insert the dynamic content tag 'Created By User Id', which is automatically generated by the initial 'When a new task is created' Planner trigger.

Can I send the notification email securely from the task creator's address?

Yes, but you must configure the 'From' field properly. You need to use a supported email connection and an actual email address (or have 'Send As' permissions). Using only a display name in the From field will cause the flow to fail.

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