what is playbook in flow designer , why do we use playbook give a simple example

kumkumr · 3 weeks ago

UmesH77 · 3 weeks ago

In ServiceNow Flow Designer, a Playbook is used to guide users step by step while they are working on a record.

Unlike a normal flow (which runs automatically in the background), a playbook shows tasks or steps to the user and helps them understand what to do next.

Why we use a Playbook

To guide agents or users through a process
To show progress clearly (what’s done, what’s next)
To make complex processes easier to follow

Simple example

Consider an Incident management process.

When a high-priority incident is created, the agent needs to:

Acknowledge the incident
Check impacted services
Communicate with stakeholders
Resolve and close the incident

A Playbook can show these as steps on the incident record.
As the agent completes each step, the playbook updates and shows the next action.

This helps the agent follow the correct process instead of guessing what to do next.

In short

Flow → automates actions in the background
Playbook → guides users visually step by step

also refer this vedio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-SeteN1HZE

if my response is helpfull , please mark it as helpfull🙏 and accept it as solution👍

Regards,

Umesh

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UmesH77 · 3 weeks ago

Hello @kumkumr ,

In ServiceNow Flow Designer, a Playbook is used to guide users step by step while they are working on a record.

Unlike a normal flow (which runs automatically in the background), a playbook shows tasks or steps to the user and helps them understand what to do next.

Why we use a Playbook

To guide agents or users through a process
To show progress clearly (what’s done, what’s next)
To make complex processes easier to follow

Simple example

Consider an Incident management process.

When a high-priority incident is created, the agent needs to:

Acknowledge the incident
Check impacted services
Communicate with stakeholders
Resolve and close the incident

A Playbook can show these as steps on the incident record.
As the agent completes each step, the playbook updates and shows the next action.

This helps the agent follow the correct process instead of guessing what to do next.

In short

Flow → automates actions in the background
Playbook → guides users visually step by step

also refer this vedio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-SeteN1HZE

if my response is helpfull , please mark it as helpfull🙏 and accept it as solution👍

Regards,

Umesh

Abhishek_W · 3 weeks ago

HI @kumkumr

⭐ Playbook in Flow Designer

A Playbook is a visual, guided workflow built on top of Flow Designer that helps agents follow a step-by-step business process using stages and activities. It is used when users need guidance through a procedure (like onboarding, case handling, or incident response), not just background automation.

⭐ Why Do We Use Playbooks

Playbooks are used to:

Guide users step-by-step like an interactive checklist
Standardize processes so the same steps are followed every time
Provide visibility into progress across stages
Combine automation with human actions, using Flows where needed.

Simple Example – New Employee Onboarding

A Playbook can guide IT and HR through:

Collect employee details
Provision accounts (automated via Flows)
Assign hardware
Final review and confirmation

The agent sees what to do at each stage while automation runs in the background.

Helpful Official Links You Can Share

🔹 What are Playbooks? (ServiceNow Community) – explanation & comparisons with Flow Designer.
https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-forum/flow-designer-vs-playbooks-in-servicenow-what-s...
🔹 Getting Started with Playbooks – how playbooks work (official community documentation).
https://www.servicenow.com/community/workflow-automation-articles/getting-started-with-playbooks-wor...

💡💡if you find this any helpful , mark it as thumbs up👍

Regards,Abhishek WangateTechnical Consultant