Configuring Applications for Collaboration

The Task table (task) is the parent table for all work-tracking applications in ServiceNow. Incident, Problem, Change, and many other tables extend Task and inherit its fields and behaviors.

Key Task Table Concepts

• Task [task] is the base table — never create records directly on it.
• Child tables inherit ALL fields from Task: Number, State, Priority, Assignment Group, Assigned To, Short Description, etc.
• State field controls the lifecycle of any task record.
• Assignment rules route tasks to the correct group/individual.
• SLAs can attach to any task-based record.
• Activity stream tracks all updates, comments, and work notes on task records.

Incident Management restores normal service operation as quickly as possible while minimizing business impact. It is the most commonly used ITSM process.

Incident Lifecycle

1. New — Incident is created (via portal, email, phone, or auto-generation).
2. In Progress — Assigned and being worked on.
3. On Hold — Waiting for external input or a third party.
4. Resolved — Fix applied, awaiting confirmation from the caller.
5. Closed — Confirmed resolved. No further action.
6. Canceled — Incident was not valid or was a duplicate.

Key Incident Fields

• Caller — The person reporting the issue.
• Category / Subcategory — Classification of the issue type.
• Priority — Calculated from Impact × Urgency using a priority lookup matrix.
• Assignment Group / Assigned To — Who is responsible for resolution.
• Configuration Item (CI) — The affected service or asset.
• Short Description / Description — What happened.
• Resolution Code / Resolution Notes — How it was resolved.

Problem Management identifies and manages the root causes of incidents. Problems may be created from incidents or proactively through trend analysis.

Problem Lifecycle

1. New — Problem identified (from incident pattern or proactive investigation).
2. Assess — Evaluate the scope and impact of the problem.
3. Root Cause Analysis — Investigate to identify the underlying cause.
4. Fix in Progress — Developing a permanent fix.
5. Resolved / Closed — Root cause addressed; associated incidents can be resolved.

Key Concepts

• Known Error — A problem with a documented root cause and a workaround. Stored in the Known Error database.
• Workaround — A temporary fix that reduces incident impact until a permanent resolution is available.
• Related Incidents — Problems link to one or more incidents that share the same root cause.
• Problem Task — Sub-tasks created from a problem to track investigation activities.

Change Management controls the lifecycle of all changes to minimize disruption. ServiceNow supports three change types with different risk and approval requirements.

Change Types

Change Lifecycle (Normal Change)

1. New — Change request created with description, risk, and plan.
2. Assess — Review impact and assign to the correct team.
3. Authorize — Submit for CAB approval.
4. Scheduled — Approved and waiting for the implementation window.
5. Implement — Execute the change during the scheduled window.
6. Review — Post-implementation review. Was it successful?
7. Closed — Change completed and documented.

• Change Advisory Board (CAB) — Reviews and approves normal changes.
• Conflict Detection — Checks for scheduling conflicts with other changes or blackout windows.
• Change Schedule — Calendar view showing all planned changes.
• Blackout Windows — Periods where changes are restricted (e.g., end-of-quarter freeze).

Knowledge Management stores and shares information to help users resolve issues without contacting the service desk. Articles are organized in Knowledge Bases with a publish workflow.

Knowledge Article Lifecycle

1. Draft — Author creates the article.
2. Review — Submitted for peer/manager review and approval.
3. Published — Available to end users (based on 'Can Read' user criteria).
4. Retired — No longer relevant; hidden from search but preserved for reference.

Knowledge Base Configuration

• Knowledge Bases — Top-level containers (e.g., IT KB, HR KB).
• Categories — Organize articles within a knowledge base.
• User Criteria — 'Can Read' and 'Can Contribute' control who can view and author articles.
• Article Templates — Standardize article format and structure.
• Knowledge Blocks — Reusable content blocks that can be shared across multiple articles.
• Feedback — End users can rate articles and flag them for improvement.

Notifications are automated emails triggered by record events. They are essential for keeping users informed about tasks, approvals, and status changes.

Notification Components

• When to send — Conditions that trigger the notification (record inserted, updated, or on a schedule).
• Who will receive — Recipients defined by field values (Assigned To, Caller), groups, roles, or email addresses.
• What it will contain — Email body with HTML template and variable substitution (${field_name}).

Inbound Email Actions

• Inbound emails can create or update records automatically.
• Match on subject line watermark (e.g., INC0012345) to update existing records.
• If no match, create a new record (typically an incident).
• Inbound Action configuration: Target table, conditions, and field mappings.