BCM – Difference between Legacy Assessments and Smart Assessments

[Mathursan]

Hi everyone,

We are currently working with the BCM module and looking into the different Assessment Types. I noticed that there are both Legacy Assessments and Smart Assessments.

My questions are:

• Do Smart Assessments provide all the functionalities that are available in Legacy Assessments?

• Or do we need to rebuild some of the functionalities manually in Smart Assessments?

• Is there any official documentation or comparison that outlines which features are available in both types?

Thanks in advance!

[M Iftikhar]

Hi @Mathursan  ,

That's a great question, and it's a common one. You've correctly identified that there are two different assessment engines.

The short answer is: Yes, Smart Assessments provide all the functionalities of Legacy Assessments and more. However, you will need to configure those functionalities within the new framework, as the two systems are built differently. You won't have to "rebuild" things in a manual way.

The core difference is that Legacy Assessments are older and often required scripting, whereas Smart Assessments are based on the Smart Assessment Engine (SAE), which is a modern, no-code/low-code platform.

Key Differences & Why Smart is Better

• Functionality: Smart Assessments have all the same core features (like conditional logic and scoring) but with a more powerful and flexible engine.
• Ease of Use: You don't need to write code. The SAE lets you build complex assessments using an intuitive drag-and-drop-style UI.
• Migration: ServiceNow provides official documentation and a migration path to help you move some of your existing legacy metric types to the new format, so you don't have to start from scratch.

In short, you are not losing any features. You are gaining a much more modern, easier-to-manage, and powerful way to handle your assessments.

Official Documentation and Resources

Here are some official links that provide a clear comparison and guidance on the new assessment engine:

• Smart Assessment Engine release notes: This explains the capabilities of the engine itself.
• Create Smart Assessment templates: This guide shows you how to build a new assessment.
• Migrate a legacy metric type to an assessment template: An essential link for transitioning existing assessments.
• Solved: What is Smart Assessment Engine, how it is differe... - ServiceNow Community

Thanks & Regards,
Muhammad Iftikhar
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