Using Automation to streamline your processing

In our final forum of the 2025 programme, we turned our attention to practical automation and how Trusts can make smarter use of the existing tools embedded within Microsoft and Google ecosystems. These platforms (Google Apps Script within Workspace and Power Automate within Microsoft 365) offer powerful, often underutilised capabilities that can meaningfully reduce the administrative burden tied to information governance and data protection responsibilities.

When it comes to statutory requests such as Subject Access and Freedom of Information, many Trusts still rely on spreadsheet-based logs. By introducing some light-touch automation, you can significantly streamline these processes. A simple form can collect request details directly from staff, parents, or pupils, feeding data straight into your log. From there, automated workflows can assign unique reference numbers, alert the appropriate academy or Trust stakeholders, calculate response deadlines, generate folder structures for evidence collation, and send periodic reminders based on the date of submission. They can even issue the initial acknowledgment email to the requester without manual intervention. To support this, you may wish to configure lookup tabs within your log that direct automation to the correct recipients and folder pathways based on the academy or department involved.

A similar approach applies to data breach management. Beginning with a form ensures consistent data capture, and automation can then assign references, pre-populate core sections of your investigation template, grant editor access to the investigation lead and notify those responsible for oversight. Scheduled reminders help ensure incidents continue to progress and aren’t inadvertently left unresolved.

The examples we explored during the AI & Data Protection forum represent only a fraction of what’s possible. Once you begin applying automation to routine governance tasks, it quickly becomes clear how much time and effort can be reclaimed, both for information governance teams and for colleagues across your wider organisation.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the AI & Data Protection forum throughout 2025. It has been a pleasure to learn from your experiences and to see the thoughtful, practical work happening across Trusts. The forum will be taking a hiatus during 2026, but we anticipate returning in some form in the future. Until then, keep up the excellent work, and do reach out to TransforMATive if you need support, whether for a small, immediate objective or a long-term strategic project.