Before
An administrator likely had to confirm the requester, identify the target user's device, search the installed-apps spreadsheet for the application's device-specific path, and manually update the device-management script and policy. They then had to remove the app from the tracking sheet and send progress or completion updates in the request channel.
How it works
- Validate the requester, collect the app and target user, retrieve the user's profile, and update the request with an in-progress status.
- Find the target application in the installed-apps records, obtain the device-specific application detail, authenticate with the device-management service, and configure the uninstall script and short policy window.
- Activate the policy for the target device, remove the processed app entry from the tracking sheet, and update the original request with the removal initiation status.
Workflow details
- Authorization and request capture: The flow begins from an incoming request and checks the initiator before asking for the app name and target user. It retrieves the selected user's profile so the workflow can identify the corresponding device record.
- Status communication: The request message is updated to show that the uninstall process has started for the selected user's device, giving the requester a visible progress state while the operational steps run.
- Application lookup: The workflow searches the installed-apps tracking spreadsheet for the selected user's records, extracts the target application's installation path or bundle-related value, and determines the matching row to remove after processing.
- Managed-device enforcement: The workflow authenticates with the device-management service, updates the uninstall script with the identified application path, and applies the script through a policy scoped to the target device. The policy is configured to become active shortly after the request and remain available for approximately five minutes, allowing the device to receive it during check-in.
- Record cleanup and completion notice: After initiating the removal policy, the workflow deletes the targeted application entry from the tracking spreadsheet and updates the original request with a confirmation that the app is scheduled to be uninstalled. The final message indicates initiation rather than independently verifying that the app has already been removed.
What changed
The request now drives the authorization check, user lookup, spreadsheet search, device-management configuration, policy activation, record cleanup, and Slack status updates in one run. Human involvement is limited to initiating the request with the app and target user; the workflow reports that removal was initiated but does not require a separate manual handoff for each operational step.
Work removed
Manually confirming the requester, looking up the target user's email and device record, searching the installed-apps spreadsheet, finding the application's installation detail, editing the uninstall script and policy, activating the policy, deleting the spreadsheet row, and posting status updates.
Expected outcome
Each request replaces a sequence of at least five recurring manual actions and tool handoffs with one coordinated run, while providing a clear status update and scheduling the uninstall policy for the target device.
