Parent child relation between issues in GRC

[Arun_Manoj]

Hi,

how to define the parent child relationship between issues in GRC with an example

thanks

Arun

[Ankur Bawiskar]

@Arun_Manoj 

Did you check the docs for this?

If my response helped please mark it correct and close the thread so that it benefits future readers.

[tejas1111]

1. Go to: GRC > Issue Management > Issues.

2. Open or create an issue that will serve as the child.

3. In the form, look for the field named Parent Issue.

4. Select an existing issue that should be the parent.

5. Save the record.

Once this is done, the selected parent issue will now have this issue listed in its Related Lists under Child Issues (if the related list is configured to show).

[AJ-TechTrek · Accepted solution]

Hi @Arun_Manoj ,

Lets discuss Why parent–child issues?

In GRC, you often find:
* A high-level issue or master issue (e.g., “Data Privacy Gaps in EU region”).
* And several child issues that relate to specific areas, systems, or controls (e.g., “Missing DPA for Vendor X”, “Lack of encryption on backup”).
Defining parent–child relationships helps:
* Track the roll-up and progress of remediation.
* Manage complex issues in a structured way.

Solution Steps:-

Step 1: Understand the tables
GRC issues are stored in the table:
sn_grc_issue [sn_grc_issue]

Step 2: Use the “Parent Issue” field
Out of the box, ServiceNow has:
* A field on the Issue table: Parent Issue (field name: parent_issue).
* Type: Reference → references another record in the same table.
This field lets you create a parent–child hierarchy.

Step 3: Configure form / list (if needed)
If the field isn’t visible:
* Go to Issue form → Configure → Form Layout → move Parent Issue field to the form.
* You can also add Child Issues (related list) → Configure → Related Lists → add “Child Issues”.

Step 4: Create example records
Example:
Issue Number             Short Description                                 Parent Issue
ISS0010001           Data Privacy Gaps in EU region             null (this is the parent)
ISS0010002         Missing DPA for Vendor X                         ISS0010001
ISS0010003         Lack of encryption on backup data       ISS0010001

 
• Here, ISS0010001 is the master/parent issue.
* ISS0010002 and ISS0010003 are child issues.

Step 5: Use in reporting & dashboards
Once linked:
* You can create reports to show parent issue progress vs. child issues.
* Use GRC Workbench or dashboards to visualize the hierarchy.

Please appreciate the efforts of community contributors by marking appropriate response as Mark my Answer Helpful or Accept Solution this may help other community users to follow correct solution in future.
 
Thank You
AJ - TechTrek with AJ
LinkedIn:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajay-kumar-66a91385/
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ServiceNow Community MVP 2025