SLA Percentage Timer action

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of SLA Percentage Timer action

    The SLA Percentage Timer action in ServiceNow's Workflow Studio allows you to monitor when a task's Service Level Agreement (SLA) reaches a specific percentage of its total duration and to trigger actions or flow logic based on that percentage. This is useful for sending notifications or executing other automated processes as the SLA progresses.

    Show full answer Show less

    This action is available to users with the flowdesigner or admin roles and can only be added to flows triggered by SLA Task events.

    Key Features

    • Percentage Field: Defines the SLA progress percentage (e.g., 50%) at which the action triggers, calculating the corresponding end time based on the total SLA duration.
    • Scheduled End Date/Time: Outputs the calculated date/time when the SLA percentage timer is expected to complete. If this time is in the future, the flow pauses until that time; if in the past, the status updates immediately.
    • Status Values: Indicates the state of the SLA timer with statuses including Completed, Paused, Repair, Skipped, and Waiting. Each status allows you to create conditional flow logic tailored to SLA progress.
    • Total Duration: Measures the total seconds the action ran, available only when the status is Completed.
    • Action Status and SLA State Synchronization: The action status updates automatically based on SLA state changes such as attach, cancel, pause, resume, and stop, enabling precise flow control.

    Practical Guidelines for ServiceNow Customers

    • Use Only in SLA Task Triggered Flows: The SLA Percentage Timer action must be part of flows initiated by an SLA Task trigger and cannot be used in subflows.
    • Build Conditional Logic Based on Status: Leverage the Status field to handle different SLA timer outcomes, such as sending notifications when the timer completes or managing paused or skipped states.
    • Assign Unique Percentage Values for Multiple Timers: When using multiple SLA Percentage Timer actions in a flow, assign each a distinct cumulative percentage value to avoid simultaneous triggering.
    • Customize by Copying Default SLA Flows: To save development time, copy default SLA flows and modify them with your specific logic. Link customized flows to SLA definitions for deployment.

    What Customers Can Expect

    By implementing the SLA Percentage Timer action, customers can automate timely responses as SLAs progress toward completion, improving SLA compliance management and proactive communication. The timer's integration with flow status and SLA states ensures precise control over workflow execution based on SLA milestones.

    Identify when a task SLA record reaches a specific percentage value and perform other actions or flow logic that is based on the SLA percentage. For example, send a notification when an SLA percentage timer completes.

    Roles and availability

    Available as a Workflow Studio ServiceNow core action. Users with the flow_designer or admin role can add an action to a flow and define configuration details.

    Fields

    Field Description
    Percentage The positive integer percentage of the total SLA duration used to compute an end time. For example, a 50% percentage results in the system computing an end date-time value that is 50% of the total SLA duration. If an SLA requires tasks to be completed within 24-hours, then 50% of that SLA would be 12 hours.

    Scheduled End Date/Time

    The Scheduled End Date/Time output data pill lists the computed time that the SLA percentage timer action is expected to end. The computed end date is determined by the input Task SLA record and the input Percentage. This date/time value is independent of any elapsed time field values in the Task SLA record.
    • If the end date is in the future, the system creates a system event to continue running the action at that future date. While the system waits for the scheduled end date, it pauses the flow and action.
    • If the end date is in the past, the system immediately sets the Status of the SLA Percentage Timer action.

    Status

    The Status data pill contains the result of the SLA percentage timer.

    Table 1. SLA Percentage Timer status descriptions
    Status Description
    Completed The timer action reached its scheduled end date/time. Flow designers can build specific flow logic for this action status.
    Paused The timer was paused before its scheduled end date/time. If the timer resumes running, Workflow Studio generates a new scheduled end date/time value. Flow designers can build specific flow logic for this action status.
    Repair The flow is running in repair mode, and the scheduled end date/time is in the past. Flow designers can build specific flow logic for this action status.
    Skipped The timer did not run because the scheduled end date/time is in the past. Flow designers can build specific flow logic for this action status.
    Waiting The timer is running and has yet to reach the scheduled end date/time.

    Workflow Studio sets the action status when the SLA state matches an SLA condition or when certain UI actions are selected.

    Table 2. Action status set for SLA state
    SLA state Action status set Flow run state
    SLA attaches and the scheduled end date/time is in the future. Set action status to Waiting. The flow waits until the SLA timer completes, is cancelled, or is paused.
    SLA attaches and the scheduled end date/time is in the past.
    • If the flow was started in Repair mode, set action status to Repair.
    • Otherwise, set action status to Skipped.
    		 The flow runs the next action or flow logic in the flow sequence.
    SLA Cancels. Set action status to a null value. The flow stops with a state of Cancelled.
    SLA Pauses. Set action status to Paused. The flow waits until the SLA Task flow is cancelled or is resumed.
    SLA reaches Scheduled End Date/Time. Set action status to Completed. The flow runs the next action or flow logic in the flow sequence.
    SLA Resumes. Set action status to Waiting. The flow waits until the SLA timer completes, is cancelled, or is paused.
    SLA Stops. Set action status to a null value. The flow stops with a state of Cancelled.

    Total Duration

    The Total Duration data pill lists the total number of seconds that the action ran. The total duration is computed from the action start time and the time when the action reached the Completed status. Status values other than Completed produce a null value Total Duration.

    General guidelines

    Follow these general guidelines when creating flows that contain Service Level Agreement (SLA) Percentage Timer actions.

    Add SLA Percentage Timer actions only to flows with an SLA Task trigger
    An SLA Percentage Timer action can only run when the flow starts from an SLA Task trigger. You cannot activate a subflow containing an SLA Percentage Timer action.
    Create conditional flow logic for expected Status values
    Use the value of the Status field as a condition for flow logic. Build flow logic for expected Status values such as Completed, Repair, and Skipped. For example, add an If flow logic block to send a notification when the SLA Percentage Timer has a status of Completed.
    Assign each SLA Percentage Timer action a unique cumulative Wait for percentage value
    Each SLA Percentage Timer action computes its own Scheduled End Date/Time using its Wait for percentage value. If you create multiple SLA Percentage Timer actions, give each action its own unique cumulative Wait for percentage value. For example, create three separate actions with different percentage complete values such as 25%, 50%, and 75% complete. Setting all three actions to the same percentage complete value such as 25% causes the timers to complete at the same time.
    Copy existing flows to make customizations
    Reduce development time by copying the default SLA flows and customizing the copies with your own logic. Select a customized flow to run from the SLA definition. See Create an SLA definition .