Change schedules view
Summarize
Summary of Change schedules view
The Change Schedules module in ServiceNow provides a Gantt or timeline view of change requests based on criteria defined in a Change Schedule Definition. This view offers detailed insights into change requests, including timing, duration, related tasks, blackout periods, and maintenance windows over selectable time frames like days, weeks, or months.
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To access this functionality, the Change Management - Change Schedule plugin (com.snc.changemanagement.soc) must be activated. Change requests are displayed as spans whose duration corresponds to the start and end dates specified in the schedule definition.
The module uses a condition builder to filter and sort which change requests appear in the schedule. For blackout and maintenance windows to be visible, the Configuration Item (CI) field on each change request must be populated, as the view only shows windows related to the primary CI.
Key Features
- Context Menu: Enables creating, editing, copying, viewing definitions, and deleting change schedules. Ownership rules apply: creators become owners, and ITIL role users without ownership have limited permissions.
- Span Styles: Change request spans are color-coded by conditions, defaulting to Risk levels (High = Red, Moderate = Orange, Low = Green). Users can add or modify span styles and apply filters.
- Sharing: Change schedules can be shared with other users, groups, or roles. Sharing options include notifying users by email. Without sharing, only owners, owner groups, and administrators can see the schedules.
- Configuration: Users can control the visibility of schedule components such as configuration items, durations, or related tasks.
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Accessibility is improved with navigation shortcuts for quick movement through schedules.
- Zoom and Navigation: Zoom levels range from hourly to yearly views, and arrow keys enable moving forward or backward in time. A Today button returns the view to the current date and time.
- Change Record Summary: Clicking on a span shows a summary of the change request with an option to open the full record form. Displayed fields can be customized in the Change Schedule Definition form.
Operational Details
Change schedules load up to 20 records per batch on the client side, with a maximum of 1000 records by default. These limits can be adjusted by a system administrator through properties installed with the Change Management - Change Schedule plugin.
Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
- Gain clear visibility into change timing and related activities in a consolidated timeline.
- Improve change planning by identifying conflicts with blackout periods and maintenance windows tied to configuration items.
- Customize views and share schedules with relevant stakeholders to enhance collaboration and communication.
- Navigate and manage change schedules efficiently using keyboard shortcuts and zoom features.
- Control access and ownership for managing schedules securely within your teams.
The Change Schedules module provides a Gantt or timeline view of change requests based on criteria defined within a Change Schedule Definition.
The change schedule provides detailed insight to change requests that are included based on the change schedule definition. The change requests can include change timing, duration, related change tasks, blackout periods, and maintenance windows for any given date, week or month.
To view the Change Schedules page, you must activate Change Management - Change Schedule plugin (com.snc.change_management.soc).
| SI # | UI Component | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Context Menu | Option to do the following:
Note:
|
| 2 | Span styles | Defined span color based on conditions you specify. You can add new span styles by
clicking Add Span Styles. You can also edit an existing style rule,
apply filters to a style rule, or remove a style rule. Note: By default, span styles are based
on the Risk value of a change.
|
| 3 | Share | Schedules to be shared to other users by user name, group, or role. The share pane also provides a check box to share a change schedule with everybody. If change schedules are not shared with anyone, then only the owner, owner group, and administrator can see them. If a change schedule is shared with other users, an option is available to send an email notification to inform them of their access. |
| 4 | Configuration | Components of the change schedule including the configuration item, duration, or any related tasks can be hidden or exposed. |
| 5 | Keyboard shortcuts | List of available keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate quickly and to provide
accessibility to users. The list of navigation shortcuts appears when you click |
| 6 | Zoom | Zoom levels to control change schedule zoom resolution. The range can vary from hours to a yearly view of change schedules. |
| 7 | Arrow keys | Option to navigate forward or back in time in the change schedule based on the current zoom level. Click Today to navigate back to the current day and time in a single click. |
| 8 | Change record | Summary of the change record when you click any span. Use Open
Record in the header of the summary to open the change request in the form view.
In the form, you can view the entire change request record. Note: You can specify the fields
that are displayed in this window. On the Change Schedule Definition form, under the
Record Summary tab, specify required fields on Left
column fields and Right column fields. |