Trello acquires Butler for additional automation of certain tasks

Trello, Atlassian’s organizational tool, announced today that it has taken over Butler. It is mainly specialized in automation and linking different commands to make something complex happen automatically. This is reminiscent of IFTTT functionality and brings something similar to Trello.

In a blog post, Trellos Michael Pryor writes about the takeover that will bring these functions of tools such as IFTTT, Zapier and Apple Shortcuts to Trello. In recent years, teams have discovered that by automating processes on the Trello boards with the Butler Power-Up, they can spend more time on important tasks and also be more active, says Pryor.

Automate processes

According to Pryor, Butler’s processes help teams to codify and then automate certain processes and rules. Something that would normally require ten steps to complete can be reduced to one click, he continues. This means that Trello can be more than just a static organisational tool.

Instead, the platform can be used to automate processes. If you move an item from the To Do-board to the Doing board, you don’t have to do it manually. After all, this can be done automatically on the basis of, for example, the date or previously completed tasks. In this way, the life cycle of a project can be set up partly automatically.

More automation

Trello says that it will be working in the coming months to bring Butler’s possibilities to its own platform. These will then be available to all users, including those who only use the free version of the platform. For businesses and business customers, additional functionality will be available as soon as the integration is completed.

Pryor also implies in the blog that there will be more automation in Trello. Butler is Trello’s first step on this path, where every user will be able to automate parts of their Trello workflow to save time, stay organized and get more done.