---
sourceDocument: Zurich Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/service-management-for-the-enterprise

 Release :

    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - sm4e

bundleId :

    - sm4e

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Work notes in state flows

# Work notes in state flows {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Zurich
* 
* Updated July 31, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Work notes are an important part of the state flow process and are used to communicate
information about state transitions.

The state flow adds work notes into the Work notes field of any task
making this transition. For example, you might include the note, "Task rejected by agent" in the
Reject state flow, which occurs when the task moves from
Assigned to Pending Dispatch. If an agent rejects
the task and fails to enter a work note, this note tells the dispatcher why the task reappeared
in the dispatch queue. Work notes added by an agent rejecting the task are appended to the work
notes that are inherited from the state flow.  
These rules apply to state flow work notes:

* For a state flow with no Starting state, the work note is added every time the task transitions to the Ending state.
* For a state flow with a Starting state and an Ending state, the work note is added only when the task transitions from that starting state to that ending state.
* If two state flows with work notes have the same Ending state, but only one has a Starting state, the system adds the work notes from the state flow with the starting state. This better matches the state flow work note to the more important transition between specific starting and ending states. In the example here, the work note information is more pertinent to a task moving from Assigned to Pending Dispatch than to a task that reaches the Pending Dispatch state from an undetermined beginning state.
{#c_WorkNotesInStateFlows__ul_ycg_zxv_1r}
**Related concepts**   

* [State flow customization](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/iPk7C1l9rmFOjOO3srzsmg "State flows control the sequence in which records transition between states in Service Management applications.")  
**Related reference**   

* [Request states](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bKYL7pjiAQDtBW27KSCKYg "Service Management requests follow a specific life cycle and move through a series of states, which are displayed in the State field on the request record.")
* [Request task states](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/XaBPs2FBxVpkZK6STK2HPg "Like requests, the associated request tasks follow a specific life cycle and move through a series of states, which are displayed in the State field on the task record.")