How to configure execution plans?

[robbika]

I would like to use execution plans for change requests.

To create the execution plan is simple, but how to fill in the fields of the change task from the change request in the execution plan tasks?

The is a scripting field, but I don't know how to use it and there is no information anywhere about it.

For example, how do I set the priority of the task to the same as the request? That would be a start.

[eican]

Execution plans are actually replaced by the graphical workflow engine.

Unless you have something that really can only be addressed using execution plans I recommend using workflows:

http://wiki.servicenow.com/index.php?title=Using_Execution_Plans

[robbika]

My issue is twofold:

  - handling ad hoc tasks, it seems that execution plans handle it better

  - an issue with 'generate' on workflows - it seems to generate all the tasks in 'Open' state and not in 'Pending' whereas tasks created by execution plans seem to work properly

If you know how I can get generate to work on workflows so that I can use ad hoc tasks, then I would be happy to just use workflows.

My question still stands, if I want to use execution plans, then how can I copy info from the change_request to the change_task. I find no documentation on how to do it.

[eican]

I never used execution plans but I will be happy to look for a solution with you why workflows are not working as they should.

How do you plan to create ad hoc tasks?

Are those created manually by the user or by the workflow?

If they are created manually by the user you could add a wait for activity with a script to the workflow and don't continue the workflow until all ad hoc tasks are closed.

[robbika]

What we have is a workflow on change request.

It is staged in phases.

So first there is ticket creation (submit phase), then an approval phase (CAB), then we have an task phase (Implementation). So pretty simple. Going from one phase to the next is by an Action UI.

So the workflow does something, then waits for the next phase.

Now, after the approvals are in and the change is approved, the users want to see the potential tasks on the change, so we have a generate activity which goes through the workflow and adds 3 generic tasks to the change, then it wait for the Implementation button to be pressed.

This is the first problem. Tasks created from generate activity should be in Pending state since they are not live yet. This doesn't happen. The 3 tasks are created and they are all in Open/New (1) state, which means they are live before they have been reached in the workflow. This is not good.

The ad hoc-ness comes in here. Once the tasks are created on the change, then the user can add their own tasks with a task order. The idea is that the workflow should wait until all the tasks are complete and then complete the change. I found an article on how to do this with execution plans plus a wait task on the workflow plus a business rule to wake up the workflow when each task completes.

I can imagine a similar way to do it with workflows, but I have a problem with this Pending state, and the starting of ad hoc tasks at the right time.