What is Smart Assessment Engine, how it is different from Classic Assessment ?

[Vinod54]

Overview

The Smart Assessment Engine (SAE) is ServiceNow’s next-gen framework for conducting intelligent, scalable, and automated assessments across modules like GRC, IRM, TPRM, and more. It replaces the classic assessment model with a more flexible, template-driven, and workflow-integrated approach 

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Functional Comparison: Smart vs Classic Assessment

Template Design	Basic, limited logic	Rich UI with drag-and-drop, conditional visibility
Scoring	Manual or basic	Multi-level, normalized, automated scoring
Triggering	Manual or scripted	Flow Designer, API, UI Actions
Reusability	Low	High (template copy, modular design)
Integration	Limited	Seamless with workflows, sub flows and automation

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Technical & Architectural Comparison

• Smart Assessment Engine uses:

  • sn_smart_asmt_template for templates
  • sn_smart_asmt_instance for assessment instances

  • sn_vdr_risk_asmt_m2m_tiering_sae_template for mapping template and assessment

  • Flow Designer actions for triggering
  • Domain separation and ACLs for secure multi-tenancy 

• Classic Assessment relies on:

  • asmt_metric_type, asmt_question, and asmt_instance
  • sn_vdr_risk_asmt_m2m_tiering_asmt_questionnaire for mapping 
  • Limited automation and integration capabilities

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Smart Assessment for Controls & TPRM

• Controls: Used in Control Attestation workflows to validate control effectiveness.
• TPRM: Enables automated third-party risk assessments with scoring, issue generation, and event-driven rules

Once SAE is enabled for TPRM, it replaces the legacy engine and cannot be reverted 

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Modules Utilizing Smart Assessment

• Integrated Risk Management (IRM)
• Policy and Compliance
• Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM)
• Field Service Management (FSM)
• Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
• Cyber Risk Institute (CRI) Assessments

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Roadmap Highlights

• SAE is evolving into a core capability across all risk modules.
• Future releases will expand support for ESG, BCM, and AI-powered assessments 

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Prerequisites

• ServiceNow version: Washington DC or later
• Install Smart Assessment Core from the ServiceNow Store 
• Assign roles: sn_smart_asmt.admin, vendor_risk_admin, etc.
• For TPRM, instance should be Yokohama Patch 6 or above
• Enable SAE via system properties (e.g., sn_vdr_risk_asmt.sae_enabled for TPRM) 

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Implementation Steps

1. Install Smart Assessment Engine Core application from the Application Manager.
2. Configure templates using the Template Builder.
3. Define scoring models and visibility rules.
4. Integrate with workflows using Flow Designer.
5. Set up roles and access controls.
6. Test and publish templates.

Note: There are numerous plugins related to Smart Assessment engine for every feature. 

Example for Automation Enablement there is specific plugins to be installed. You can start with SAE core and as per your requirement you can install the other plugins. The full list is provided in the ServiceNow SAE implementation page. 

For TPRM, instance should be Yokohama Patch 6 or above. Also you should enable the system property to true for SAE TPRM enablement. 

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Triggering Smart Assessments

• Use Flow Designer → Action: Trigger Smart Assessment
• Inputs include:
  • Template ID
  • Assessor(s)
  • Scope (record/table)
  • Due date, duration, etc.
• Can be triggered via:
  • Script
  • UI Action (custom)
  • Workflow Studio 

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FAQs

Q: Can I migrate classic templates to SAE?
Yes, migration tools are available for metric types and templates.

Q: Is scripting required?
No, SAE is designed to be low-code, but scripting is optional for advanced use cases.

Q: Can I use SAE outside GRC?
Yes, SAE is modular and can be embedded in any workflow or app.

Q: What happens after enabling SAE in TPRM?
It becomes the default engine and cannot be reverted 

[LucL]

This a Bug !

I open a case in august, and I have a call with 4 Servicenow engineer this week. As soon I have the solution from servicenow I post it here.

They miss a reference table between Smart Assessment and BCM, so do not work to hard on this, it should never work as I understand.

Regard.

[aphaugat]

hi @Vinod54 , When migrating from Classic to Smart attestations, will previously completed attestation instances also be migrated? If not, does ServiceNow provide any option for reporting on historical assessment instance data, and how can old assessment instances be moved into Smart?

[LucL]

Hello

We made a Smart Assessment with 10 questions.

Each question have 5 possible answer.

we add scoring for the entire assessment so each answer receive a value.

if we use option in automation with IF Then for each answer for each question we need to have 5x5x5x5x5x5x5x5x5x5 = 9 765 625 option to manage, this is a bit to munch to mange for us.

I would like to know if we can manage scoring for the entire assessment.

I did not found in the Smart assessment how we could manage the entire scoring.

If the entire assessment give me a scoring of 25, yes we could construct all the IF Then to classify the result in the right RTO, RPO or Tiering.

I made 3 assessment, one for each section of the BIA RTO, RPO & Tiering.

but I did not found how to use the scoring for the entire RTO assessment to assign the right RTO in the BIA.

If you have any idea on how to use the scoring for entire assessment like sum of all the question in 1 assessment we would like to know how we could configure this setting.

Regard.