Request Management States and Stages Best Practice?

David3344
Tera Contributor

yesterday

Hello,

 

I'm looking for some guidance on working with States/Stages within flow designer, particularly in terms of Requested Items. I'm open to any guidance of how/why stages/states used for Request Management.

 

Background:

First, below is my understanding of closure States/Stages within Flow Designer & Request Management. Please let me know if I'm misunderstanding the purpose of any of these. (For reference, I'm referring to this article, but I'm using Flow Designer, not Workflow Editor.)

 

Request Item States

  • Closed Complete = Request Item has been fulfilled
  • Closed Incomplete = Request Item was not/could not be fulfilled

Request Item Stages

  • Completed = Stage was completed successfully
  • Request Canceled = Stage was not completed, and the request item should be closed incomplete

The Issue:

What I'm hoping for:

  1. Catalog Task within RITM is marked "Closed Incomplete"
  2. The RITM is marked "Closed Incomplete" and the RITM stage is "Request Canceled"
  3. If there are no other RITMs on the REQ, then the REQ should be closed incomplete.

What I'm actually observing:

  1. Catalog Task within RITM is marked "Closed Incomplete"
  2. The RITM is marked "Closed Complete" and the RITM stage is "Request Canceled"
  3. The REQ is marked "Closed Incomplete"

 

My real question is, if the RITM is being canceled/not completed, shouldn't it be set to "Closed Incomplete" rather than "Closed Complete"?

 

Below images for context (added as attachments as well). I'm open to any input/constructive criticism. 

 

David3344_0-1761593505590.png

David3344_1-1761593732396.png

 

 

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Connectmustaq
Mega Guru

yesterday

Hi @David3344 ,

 

You are correct: if a Catalog Task within a Requested Item (RITM) is marked "Closed Incomplete," then the RITM itself should also be marked "Closed Incomplete," and not "Closed Complete"—especially if its stage is "Request Canceled." This ensures that the lifecycle and audit trail accurately reflect the outcome of the process.​

Requested Item States

  • Closed Complete: Request Item (RITM) was fulfilled successfully.​

  • Closed Incomplete: Request Item failed to complete due to cancellation, error, or other issue (not fulfilled).​

  • Request Canceled: This is not an RITM state, but often used as a stage name to indicate the cancellation flow.​

Requested Item Stages

  • Completed: Workflow stage was completed successfully.

  • Request Canceled: Represents that the stage was stopped/canceled, usually leading to "Closed Incomplete" as the final state.​

Why States/Stages Matter for Request Management

  • States (like Closed Complete, Closed Incomplete) are what drive reporting, SLAs, and downstream process triggers.

  • Stages (like Completed, Request Canceled) are used for showing progress and user experience, as well as intermediate workflow logic.

  • Accurate mapping between catalog task outcomes, RITM state/stage, and REQ final status is critical for lifecycle transparency and automation.​

Correct State/Stage Logic (Best Practice)

Expected Workflow:

  • If any Catalog Task is "Closed Incomplete," the RITM should be marked "Closed Incomplete" and the stage named "Request Canceled" or similar.​

  • Only if all tasks are fulfilled should the RITM be set as "Closed Complete."

  • If all RITMs under a REQ are incomplete or canceled, the REQ should also be set as "Closed Incomplete."​

What To Check and Adjust

  • Flow Designer Flow: Review the flow logic for RITM closure—ensure that incomplete or canceled catalog tasks trigger the correct RITM state.

  • State Mapping: Explicitly set RITM state to "Closed Incomplete" if related tasks/stages are canceled or incomplete, not just rely on completed/canceled status.

  • Stage Update Logic: Use “Set Stage” actions to align the visual indicator ("Request Canceled") with the actual state logic.

  • Business Rules: Examine business rules/scripts that may override state after stage completion, causing mismatches.

  • REQ Closure: Confirm the REQ flow checks all RITMs before setting its own state to "Closed Incomplete."​

In summary, RITM should be "Closed Incomplete" if any underlying Catalog Task fails/cancels, and the stage "Request Canceled" supports user visibility of the reason. Make sure your flow and state transition logic reflect this relationship for reliable request management and reporting.

 

Reference Articles

If it is helpful, please hit the thumbs button and accept the correct solution by referring to this solution in the future it will be helpful to them.

 

Thanks & Regards,

Mohammed Mustaq Shaik - ServiceNow Consultant - Lets connect on Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaik-mohammed-mustaq-43ab63238/

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