Termination flow in HAM

Rakesh18081
Tera Expert

3 weeks ago - last edited 3 weeks ago

 

Scenario:
When a user is terminated, their account is immediately deactivated in the system. However, in some cases the user has not yet returned the assigned hardware asset (e.g., a laptop). This creates a challenge in determining the appropriate state and substate for the asset in ServiceNow HAM.

  • If the asset is moved to In Stock → Pending Return, the system requires a stockroom to be specified. At this stage, the stockroom is not yet known, and the Assigned To field is cleared, making it difficult to track which user still holds the asset.
  • If the asset remains in In Use → Assigned, the record does not distinguish between assets actively used by current employees versus those held by terminated users pending retrieval. This complicates reporting and tracking for recovery purposes.

Has anyone encountered a similar scenario, and how was it addressed in practice?

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Matthew_13
Mega Sage

3 weeks ago

Hi Buddy,

 Yes, this is a very common challenge I have encountered, and what your running into is exactly why we avoided changing the asset to In Stock too early.

Most organizations keep the asset out of “In Stock” until it is physically returned. Even though the user is terminated, the device is still with them, so treating it as stock creates more problems than it solves.

What works well is:

  • Keep the asset in In Use, but introduce a clear substate such as Pending Return, Offboarding, or Recovery Required.

  • Leave Assigned To populated until the deviice is actually recovered, so there is still clear accountability for who had it.

  • Use the HR offboarding process or a dedicated recovery task to track the followup, rather than relying only on the asset state.

Once the device is physically returned and a stockroom is known, thats when it makes sense to:

  • Move the asset to In Stock

  • Assign the correct stockroom

  • Clear the Assigned To field

This approach keeps reporting clean you can easily see assets pending recovery, avoids fake stockroom values, and maintains a clear audit trail.

 

@Rakesh18081 - Please mark Accepted Solution and Thumbs Up if you found Helpful!

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