Automated changelog template for process tracking
If teams juggle multiple systems, they might not notice small adjustments to properties in HubSpot, Zendesk, or other platforms. And while changelogs help avoid potentially significant problems down the line, making manual changes is inefficient.
That’s why we built an automated changelog template. It helps teams maintain a clear record of all relevant changes in one central location. That way, no one needs to worry about adding tasks to their workload—or overlooking critical updates.
Key benefits of an automated changelog
• Gain a comprehensive view of all changes made across your systems
• Eliminate manual documentation and time-consuming searches through chat logs
• Keep all team members informed of recent updates, reducing misunderstandings
Key features of the automated changelog template
• Smart change recording — Ensures that changes made only by your team are included in the changelog, maintaining relevance and reducing noise
• Centralized change repository — Automatically logs all relevant changes in a single, easily accessible location
• AI-powered summarization — Uses AI by Zapier (powered by OpenAI) to generate concise summaries and titles for each change
• Customizable integration — Configured to use Zapier Tables by default, but easily adaptable to work with other platforms
• Slack-triggered updates — Team members can effortlessly initiate change logging by reacting to a Slack message with a designated emoji
How this template works
This template lets you easily track process modifications. Here's how:
- Someone on your team shares a process change in Slack that you'd like to record.
- To kick off the system, you react to the message with whatever you set as your changelog emoji.
- The system checks whether the emoji was used by you or someone on your team.
- The entry gets summarized using AI.
- To avoid duplicates, the system checks whether the entry already exists in the changelog.
- If it doesn't, the item gets added, and your team receives a notification in a Slack thread.
Screenshot of the Slack message that's posted informing teams that their update has been recorded.
Screenshot of the Slack message that's posted informing teams of a duplicate.
You'll find detailed setup instructions inside the template. Scroll down for a preview.
Who should use this template
This automated changelog template is ideal for:
• Marketing teams → Track changes in customer relationship manager (CRM) properties and automation workflows.
• RevOps teams → Keep tabs on updates to your CRM and customer data platform.
• IT departments → Monitor infrastructure and software changes.
• Project managers → Coordinate cross-functional changes and updates.
Preview this template
View setup instructions and get a sense for how this template works using the embedded Canvas below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I customize the trigger for logging changes?
Yes. Instead of using a Slack reaction, you can modify the template to initiate logging based on other events, like incoming emails or form submissions.
How detailed are the change summaries?
The AI-generated summaries are concise by default. But you can customize the AI prompt to generate more detailed or structured summaries based on your team's preferences.
Can I integrate this with my project management tools?
Absolutely. You can modify the template to connect the changelog with your project management platform, automatically creating tasks or updating project timelines based on logged changes.
Is this template suitable for teams with strict compliance requirements?
Yes, the automated changelog helps maintain accurate records of system modifications, which can be valuable for industries with strict regulatory requirements. Still, we recommend you check that your use of the template aligns with your specific compliance needs.
