Automated task tracking & notifications with Motion and Airtable

Automated project status tracking with Airtable and Motion

Who's it for

Project managers, team leads, and agencies who need to automatically monitor project completion status across multiple clients and send notifications when specific milestones are reached.

What it does

This workflow automatically tracks project progress by connecting Airtable project databases with Motion task management. It monitors specific tasks within active projects and triggers email notifications when key milestones are completed. The system is designed to handle multiple projects simultaneously and can be customized for various notification triggers.

How it works

The workflow follows a structured monitoring process:

Data Retrieval: Fetches project information from Airtable (project names and Motion workspace IDs) Motion Integration: Connects to Motion API using HTTP requests to retrieve project details Project Filtering: Identifies only active projects with "Todo" status containing "SEO" in the name Task Monitoring: Checks for specific completed tasks (e.g., "Intégrer les articles de blog") Conditional Notifications: Sends email alerts only when target tasks are marked as "Completed" Database Updates: Updates Airtable with last notification timestamps

Requirements

Airtable account with project database Motion account with API access Gmail account for email notifications HTTP request authentication for Motion API

How to set up

Step 1: Configure your Airtable database

Ensure your Airtable contains the following fields:

Project names: Names of projects to monitor Motion Workspace ID: Workspace identifiers for Motion API calls Status - Calendrier éditorial: Project status field (set to "Actif" for active projects) Last sent - Calendrier éditorial: Timestamp tracking for notification frequency Email addresses: Client and team member contact information

Step 2: Set up API credentials

Configure the following authentication in n8n:

Airtable Personal Access Token: For database access Motion API: HTTP header authentication for Motion integration Gmail OAuth2: For email notification sending

Step 3: Configure Motion API integration

Base URL: Uses Motion API v1 endpoints Project retrieval: Fetches projects using workspace ID parameter Task monitoring: Searches for specific task names and completion status Custom filtering: Targets projects with "SEO" in name and "Todo" status

Step 4: Customize scheduling

Default schedule: Runs daily between 10th-31st of each month at 8 AM Cron expression: 0 8 10-31 * * (modify as needed) Frequency options: Can be adjusted for weekly, daily, or custom intervals

Step 5: Set up email notifications

Configure Gmail settings:

Recipients: Project managers, clients, and collaborators Subject line: Dynamic formatting with project name and month Message template: HTML-formatted email with professional signature Sender name: Customizable organization name

How to customize the workflow

Single project, multiple tasks monitoring

To adapt for monitoring one project with several different tasks:

Modify the filter conditions to target your specific project Add multiple HTTP requests for different task names Create conditional branches for each task type Set up different notification templates per task

Multi-project customization

Database fields: Add custom fields in Airtable for different project types Filtering logic: Modify conditions to match your project categorization Motion workspace: Support multiple workspaces per client Notification rules: Set different notification frequencies per project

Alternative notification methods

Replace or complement Gmail with:

Slack notifications: Send updates to team channels Discord integration: Alert development teams SMS notifications: Urgent milestone alerts Webhook integrations: Connect to custom internal systems Teams notifications: Enterprise communication

Task monitoring variations

Multiple task types: Monitor different milestones (design, development, testing) Task dependencies: Check completion of prerequisite tasks Progress tracking: Monitor task progress percentages Deadline monitoring: Alert on approaching deadlines

Conditional logic features

Smart filtering system

Active project detection: Only processes projects marked as "Actif" Date-based filtering: Prevents duplicate notifications using timestamp comparison Status verification: Confirms task completion before sending notifications Project type filtering: Targets specific project categories (SEO projects in this example)

Notification frequency control

Monthly notifications: Prevents spam by tracking last sent dates Conditional execution: Only sends emails when tasks are actually completed Database updates: Automatically records notification timestamps Loop management: Processes multiple projects sequentially

Results interpretation

Automated monitoring outcomes

Project status tracking: Real-time monitoring of active projects Milestone notifications: Immediate alerts when key tasks complete Database synchronization: Automatic updates of notification records Team coordination: Ensures all stakeholders are informed of progress

Email notification content

Each notification includes:

Project identification: Clear project name and context Completion confirmation: Specific task that was completed Calendar reference: Links to editorial calendars or project resources Professional formatting: Branded email template with company signature Action items: Clear next steps for recipients

Use cases

Agency project management

Client deliverable tracking: Monitor when content is ready for client review Milestone notifications: Alert teams when phases complete Quality assurance: Ensure all deliverables meet completion criteria Client communication: Automated updates on project progress

Editorial workflow management

Content publication: Track when articles are integrated into websites Editorial calendar: Monitor content creation and publication schedules Team coordination: Notify writers, editors, and publishers of status changes Client approval: Alert clients when content is ready for review

Development project tracking

Feature completion: Monitor when development milestones are reached Testing phases: Track QA completion and deployment readiness Client delivery: Automate notifications for UAT and launch phases Team synchronization: Keep all stakeholders informed of progress

Workflow limitations

Motion API dependency: Requires stable Motion API access and proper authentication Single task monitoring: Currently tracks one specific task type per execution Email-only notifications: Default setup uses Gmail (easily expandable) Monthly frequency: Designed for monthly notifications (customizable) Project naming dependency: Filters based on specific naming conventions Manual configuration: Requires setup for each new project type or workspace