Process workflows

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Introduction

Service Desk workflows are structured, automated sequences of tasks, approvals, and actions created for ITSM processes. They standardize and streamline the delivery of IT services, from incident management to change requests to the implementation of runbook processes, as well as approval processes. Workflows define how a request or task progresses through various stages. They help ensure consistency, reduce manual effort, and enforce business rules.

You can create workflows for:

• Service Catalog Items, which are customer requests for help or a service.
• Change Catalog Items, which are requests for change-related actions.
• Runbooks, which document and automate incident resolution steps.

In each of these, you can create a workflow that assures approvals are requested, the order of tasks is properly outlined, and guidance for task completion is provided. You can create an unlimited number of workflow steps and define the actions that should occur, the conditions under which they occur, assign responsibility, and document the activities required to perform the actions.

For example, you can create workflows that:

• Assign specific tasks to individuals or teams.
• Require specific users to approve/authorize something before an action can be performed.
• Identify conditions that direct the path of the workflow.
• Send notification alerts to stakeholders.
• Integrate/connect Service Desk with external systems via API calls.
• Automatically update records based on changes to ticket fields.

Navigation

• Setup > Service Desk > Runbooks
• Service Desk > Service Catalog
• Service Desk > Change Catalog

Create a new workflow

1. Navigate to the appropriate index page (service catalog, change catalog, or runbook).

   1. ITSM customers:

      1. See Navigation.

      2. Click Add to create a new object (service catalog item, change catalog item, or runbook) or open an existing one.
      3. Click Add to insert workflow steps.

   2. ESM customers:

      1. Navigate to Service Desk > Service Catalog.
      2. Select the appropriate service catalog item.
      3. Select the Process tab.
      4. Select Process Integration from the drop-down menu.

         You can choose from a list of pre-existing process integrations under the Integration field.

         

         If an ESM administrator also has permission to create a new process integration through the IT service provider, the user can click Manage Integrations. If create permissions are not granted, a No Access message displays; you can contact the IT administrator for assistance.

         Service Desk then redirects the user to the Process Integration index page where a new integration can be created. See Process integrations.

2. Under the Process tab, you can add these actions:

   • Task: Assign a task to a user or group.
   • Approval: Require approval from individuals or dynamic approvers.
   • Condition Set: Apply logic to branch the workflow.
   • Update Record: Automatically change ticket fields.
   • Send Notification: Email stakeholders.
   • Process Integration: Use existing process integrations or trigger external API calls.
     
   • Stop Process: End the workflow under certain conditions.

   1. Use Conditions. Conditions allow workflows to adapt based on:

      • Field values (for example, priority, department).
      • Custom logic (for example, “if A and (B or C)”).
      • Dynamic Approvers. Instead of assigning approvals to specific people, you can use roles (e.g., “Manager of Requester”) to make workflows scalable and adaptable.
   2. Add additional workflow steps as needed, and then save.

3. Test and Modify.

   • Use Process-workflow test mode to simulate execution of service catalog items.
   • Modify workflows by stopping or restarting the process, or by editing the process.
   • Use Just-in-time processing to evaluate conditions at runtime.

Change a process workflow step type to another one

Create an approval process workflow

You can identify individual approvers or choose to use Service Desk's dynamic approvers feature.

Step 1: Navigate to the appropriate service catalog item or change catalog item

1. Scroll down, and under the grey Process bar, click.

2. From the dropdown menu select Approval.

3. In the New Approval dialog, provide a meaningful name (required) and optional description.

4. Under approval conditions, select one of the following conditions:

   • Only one approver required
   • All approvers required
   • 50% or more approvers required

5. Optionally, provide a due date by identifying how many days to allot for approval.

6. Return to the Approvers field, which is required, and click in the field.

7. You can assign specific approvers by name or based on their relationship to the assignee or requester. You can also use the relationship chart to identify approvers by their role.

8. When finished, click Add Approval.

Step 2: Assign approvers

See also: Dynamic approvers.

1. Click in the Approvers field. A dropdown list displays.

   

   At the top you can see selection options. You can manually select one or all of these people and/or groups.

   • Incident Assignee
   • Incident Requester
   • Incident Assignee's Manager
   • Incident Requester's Manager
   • Incident Requester's Site Manager
   • Incident Assignee's Manager's Manager
   • Incident Requester's Manager's Manager
   • Me (which is yourself)
   • A list of people and groups in the organization

   At the bottom you can see Show Relationship Chart.

2. Click Show Relationship Chart. In the Select Approvers dialog click in the Select Approval field.

   

3. Select either Incident Assignee or Incident Requester. Your selection identifies the starting point of the relationship chart. If you select Incident Assignee you will see relationships related to the assignee. If you select requester you will see relationships related to the requester.

   The relationship chart then displays and you can select the appropriate role(s) for the approval. To select an approver, click the circle in the approver role box. The circle turns blue when an approver is selected. You can select multiple approvers.

   You can also expand and contract the chart by clicking the arrow next to an approver's role. For example, in the image above, the Incident Assignee has four approvers that can be selected (R&D Manager, HR Manager, Dept Manager, and Site Manager). If you click the arrow to the right of Dept Manager, another level of roles related to the Dept Manager displays. You can always tell which approver's additional level has been expanded by looking at where the expansion starts. A line connects the original role to the expanded roles.

   You can also zoom in and out using the - and + buttons in the upper right.

   Keep in mind the approval conditions identified in Step 4 above.

4. After selecting the approvers, click Add Approvals in the bottom right to save the approvers you selected.

5. Click Add Approval in the Catalog Item dialog to save all of your work.

Stop or restart a process workflow

From the Process tab, click Stop Process or Restart Process.

Message: Process is running. Be aware that modifying the fields without stopping the process may result in some conditions being applied to the original value of the field(s).

Related topics

• Process-workflow test mode
• Change catalog items
• Runbooks
• Service catalog introduction