Implications not using Life cycle stage and status fields in BA form?

dvass0107 · ‎08-13-2025

Hi,

Our org is in initial stage of setting up CMDB (manual data loads).

They found lifecycle stage and status fields are not 100% matching to their needs and they want to settle with status field only.

In future if they need they want to use those fields.

Some questions below I need to answer my customer, if you can help me.

1. Is it a best practice to ignore those two lifecycle stage and status fields?

2. What are the implications if we ignore them now and re-visit them when situation demands.?

3. Also can they implement CMDB data manager without these fields? I found in docs that to implement CMDB data manager these fields to be in sync with CSDM standards.

4. If using these fields are mandatory , can we add/remove option of these two dropdowns?

Regards,
Srinivas

Dr Atul G- LNG · ‎08-14-2025

Hi @dvass0107

The Life Cycle Stage represents the stage or phase of an overall life cycle process. A Life Cycle Stage

Status represents the status or step within a Life Cycle Stage. Together, these data elements provide an

overall place within a life cycle process.

• A life cycle stage is one of the broad phases that an object moves through, from inception or

procurement to operation and then to end of life.

• life cycle stage status is the particular status of an object within its current life cycle stage.

For example, a hardware CI in the Operational stage might change stage status over time from In Use to

In Maintenance to End of Support. A different hardware CI might go from In Use to End of Support

without ever having been in In Maintenance status.

NOTE: Life Cycle Stages and Stage Statuses are not editable. They are provided by ServiceNow in a

manner that allows for data integrity, accountability, and consistency across the different entities.

Unlike legacy state/status values, the new Life Cycle capability will display only those choice values that

align to the object you are managing. For example, tangible Assets and CIs will not display any choices

that do not align to tangible objects.

NOTE: There is no rush to use/migrate the new Life Cycle functionality. A mapping capability from/to

the legacy state/status attributes is available to populate the Life Cycle fields from legacy values but

no ongoing synchronization will occur after the Xanadu family release. It is recommended to evaluate

your dependencies on the legacy state/status attributes prior to enabling and migrating into the new

CSDM Life Cycle capability. These dependencies may include but are not limited to reporting, scripts,

business rules, and third-party integrations. Some product features such as CMDB Data Manager do

require the mapping to be enabled, v. Verify requirements with the features and / products you

intend to use.

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View solution in original post

AJ-TechTrek · ‎08-14-2025

Hi @dvass0107 ,

1. Is it a best practice to ignore Lifecycle Stage & Lifecycle Stage Status fields?
* Best practice: No — these fields are part of CSDM (Common Service Data Model), specifically for tracking application and service lifecycles. They support governance, retirement planning, impact analysis, and CMDB health metrics.
* However, in the early CMDB setup phase (manual loads, limited governance), some orgs temporarily keep them blank while focusing on core CI attributes (Name, Status, Owner, etc.).

* Recommendation: Don’t remove or hide them — leave them in the form but mark them optional until governance matures.

2. Implications if we ignore them now and re-visit later

If you skip them now:
* Short term – No immediate CMDB functionality breaks (except where lifecycle-based reporting is needed).
* Long term – You may face: Extra cleanup effort later to populate historical lifecycle data.
* Missed alignment with CSDM & CMDB Data Manager policies.
* Limited ability to automate decommissioning workflows or impact analysis based on lifecycle stages.
* Best practice – Keep the fields in the model from day one, even if you default them (e.g., Lifecycle Stage = “Live”, Lifecycle Stage Status = “Operational”).

3. Can they implement CMDB Data Manager without these fields?
* Officially: CMDB Data Manager policies are designed to work best when CSDM lifecycle attributes are populated, because:
* Retirement definitions and cleanup rules often filter by lifecycle_stage / lifecycle_stage_status.
* Completeness metrics in CMDB Health may flag them as missing.
* Reality: You can technically run CMDB Data Manager without them, but you’ll need to adjust your policy definitions to use status instead. This means deviating from OOTB CSDM-aligned configurations.
* Recommendation: If possible, populate them with default values that map to your Status field.

4. If mandatory, can we add/remove dropdown options for these fields?
* Yes – Both lifecycle_stage and lifecycle_stage_status are choice fields, and you can:
* Add options that reflect your business terminology.
* Hide/remove unused OOTB values (mark inactive rather than delete).
* Map your existing status values to lifecycle stage/status for consistency.

* Caution: If you change the meaning of these fields too far from CSDM definitions, you might break future OOTB integrations and reports.

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Thank You
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