--- sourceDocument: Xanadu Build workflows sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/xanadu/build-workflows Release : - xanadu ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Xanadu Build workflows ft:clusterId : - crworkflow bundleId : - crworkflow workflow : - Creator --- # Exploring playbooks # Exploring playbooks {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Xanadu * * Updated August 1, 2024 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Workflow Studio playbooks enable process owners to author cross-enterprise workflows and create a single, unified process. Build the underlying processes for playbooks that Playbook Experience agents and fulfillers use. Note: Starting in the Xanadu release, the following updates have been made: * Playbooks is now part of [Workflow Studio](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5~Bz3QfGNBl0AqyffTSPdw "Consolidate workflow authoring, configuring, and monitoring into a single page experience. Create and manage playbooks, flows, actions, decision tables, and integrations from one design environment."). Workflow Studio gives you a streamlined way to author, configure, and monitor playbooks, flows, subflows, actions, and decision tables in one place. * Processes are now called Playbooks, though Playbook Experience remains a separate application that is not accessible from within Workflow Studio yet. * The core Playbooks builder in Workflow Studio is available with the ServiceNow AI Platform® by default, but the latest updates are available for download through the application in the ServiceNow® Store. {#process-automation-designer__ul_xjq_bgd_xhc} ## Playbooks benefits {#process-automation-designer__section_ors_tk3_pkb} Workflow Studio Playbooks enables you, as a business playbook owner, to organize Workflow Studio content into unified and digitized cross-enterprise processes. With Playbooks, you gain these benefits: * Connect multiple flows and actions into an end-to-end business workflow. * Reuse existing Workflow Studio flows, subflows, or actions to automate playbook activities. * Organize playbook activities in a digitized task board or diagram interface. * Guide agents and fulfillers through complicated playbooks from start to finish, improving customer experience and task resolution. Build your playbooks in Workflow Studio, and then design and embed your Playbook Experience in legacy workspace, UI Builder, ServiceNow Mobile Platform, Service Portal, and more. * Consolidate separate business processes across the organization. * Define a consistent record life cycle from creation to completion. * Pass data between the activities and stages of a business process. * Specify the conditions and the order in which activities and stages run. * Visualize and manage the activities and stages of your process. {#process-automation-designer__ul_tnx_lq3_pkb} ## Creating a well-designed playbook {#process-automation-designer__section_omb_qm3_pkb} The automated business processes that you design guide your end users and help them focus on the tasks and information that matter to them. A well-designed playbook can do these things: * Start up, or trigger, automatically for the types of records that your end users care about * Reuse activities from existing [Workflow Studio](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5~Bz3QfGNBl0AqyffTSPdw "Consolidate workflow authoring, configuring, and monitoring into a single page experience. Create and manage playbooks, flows, actions, decision tables, and integrations from one design environment.") content * Has well-defined stages that end users can follow for a record * Clearly show the next steps that end users must take to move through a record's life cycle {#process-automation-designer__ul_bnr_wm3_pkb} ## Playbooks content {#process-automation-designer__section_eth_lnb_blb} Playbooks has these components: Playbooks : A playbook is a ServiceNow AI Platform® representation of a cross-enterprise business process for your organization. A playbook owner is responsible for creating and maintaining a playbook. Triggers : A trigger specifies when to start running your playbook. Stages : A stage is a grouped sequence of activities in a playbook. A playbook owner creates a stage to specify a logical grouping of activities. A stage in your overall business process. Activities : An activity defines the [Workflow Studio](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5~Bz3QfGNBl0AqyffTSPdw "Consolidate workflow authoring, configuring, and monitoring into a single page experience. Create and manage playbooks, flows, actions, decision tables, and integrations from one design environment.") content that powers the playbook's automation. An activity can also specify the user-facing experience that the playbook produces when it runs. For more information about how to use and navigate the Playbooks user interface, see [Playbooks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/pEpKldHPNSfJ5fXV8sBJtA "Playbooks are a component in Workflow Studio. Workflow Studio gives you a streamlined way to author, configure, and monitor playbooks, flows, subflows, actions, and decision tables in one place."). ## Getting started {#process-automation-designer__section_ds5_3v3_pkb} Before you get started with Playbooks, familiarize yourself with any features that your business uses to automate operations on the ServiceNow AI Platform, such as [flows](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/nUx4RdkDFdH46zabSTcLQw "Flows automate a repeatable multi-step process. When the flow trigger conditions are met, the flow runs a sequence of reusable actions and flow logic to complete the process."), [subflows](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/nar73FZurbi1ietgzYMxLw "Subflows automate a repeatable multi-step process that also produces an output needed by another process. When a playbook, flow, or script calls a subflow, the subflow runs a sequence of reusable actions and flow logic to complete the process and produce output values."), and [actions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KgFVWSJQDxrdKjeruG4lIg "Actions automate a repeatable task or operation within a flow. Flows run actions by passing them data as inputs. Actions run a sequence of steps to complete the task, and pass data to the flow as outputs."). If you're a playbook owner who wants to learn the basics of digitizing your business process, check out the following resources: * [Get started with ServiceNow® Process Automation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KrUCBAqq0yjbrWaYPWvqrw "Learn how Process Automation applications can help you use the ServiceNow AI Platform to transform your manual business processes into digitized, automated workflows.") * [Get started with processes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/nnhtfB1xfYhiF3i53GJp~Q "Learn the basics of designing an automated process for your organization. Get an overview of how Workflow Studio Playbooks work in the ServiceNow AI Platform.") * [Design your first automated process](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/OYIpG~u5ZGYDHucY5Xce5A "Transform an example manual business process into a well-designed, automated process that runs on the ServiceNow AI Platform.") * [View your process executions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/oPATozfsNzHwl8tSvD22eQ "A process execution is a single, runtime instance of a playbook. Process execution records provide runtime information about playbooks, such as the current state and input record.") {#process-automation-designer__ul_dh4_mlm_tlb} If you're a ServiceNow Process Automation administrator who wants to set up and customize Playbooks, check out the following resources: * [Triggers](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/7aYEaLVS5C6b0zyYq8bKAw "Triggers specify when to start running your playbook.") * [Process definitions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/J7OwDI8Rv7j8dyGV~eb2pA "Playbooks are ServiceNow AI Platform representations of cross-enterprise processes for your organization. Create and activate a playbook to run your digitized business process on the ServiceNow AI Platform.") * [Activity definitions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ZEvMP~ZkiZxSfU8OD2JTPw "Activity definitions describe how the activities in your playbook get the data that they need when your playbook runs.") {#process-automation-designer__ul_oyv_wlm_tlb} * **[Playbooks User Experience](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KcV9Hi8NUU879bk9UashBA)** Understand how Workflow Studio Playbooks work in the ServiceNow AI Platform® to automate cross-functional processes and consolidate them into task-oriented views for your end users. * **[Playbooks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/pEpKldHPNSfJ5fXV8sBJtA)** Playbooks are a component in Workflow Studio. Workflow Studio gives you a streamlined way to author, configure, and monitor playbooks, flows, subflows, actions, and decision tables in one place. * **[When to use flows and playbooks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/75hDZ0JjHPM9X0nB9Ar0Bw)** Use these general guidelines to determine when to create a flow or a playbook. * **[Playbook Assist](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/iTE0BHYWxk52x9QHLDxoQw)** * **[Getting started with Process Automation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KrUCBAqq0yjbrWaYPWvqrw)** Learn how Process Automation applications can help you use the ServiceNow AI Platform® to transform your manual business processes into digitized, automated workflows. * **[Playbooks across ServiceNow AI Platform](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/jewucIAICjGTi1VmLbZogQ)** Playbooks capabilities are available in other ServiceNow® products and for specific industries. * **[Domain separation and Playbooks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/N4b6F5fFPbSZ4_D4tJXA6A)** Data separation is supported for Playbooks. The domain value of the triggering input record determines the domain context. Domain separation enables you to separate data, processes, and administrative tasks into logical groupings called domains. You can control several aspects of this separation, including which users can see and access data.