BIA states and UI actions

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
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    Summary of BIA states and UI actions

    This document describes the various states of a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) in ServiceNow and the associated user interface (UI) actions available at each state. Understanding these states and actions helps customers effectively manage the lifecycle of their BIA records, from creation through approval, archiving, and potential reversion.

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    States and Associated UI Actions

    • Draft: The initial state when creating a BIA. You can add details and complete assessments such as Recovery Point Objective, Recovery Time Objective, and Dependency assessments. Accessible via the "New" button in the Business Impact Analysis list or "Create BIA" on the Home page.
    • In review: After selecting "Submit for review," the BIA moves to this state for evaluation.
    • Pending approval: Set by selecting "Submit for approval." The BIA becomes read-only, disabling dependency additions until it returns to an editable state.
    • Approved: Marked by selecting "Approve." The BIA is read-only and displays progression on the Overview tab. You can view assessments but not edit them.
    • Archived: When "Archive" is selected, the BIA is archived. From BCM release 9.0.x onward, archived BIAs can be reverted to Draft by clicking "Edit."
    • Returned: If rejected, the BIA enters this state where it is editable again and can be updated and resubmitted for review.

    Additional UI Actions

    • Generate PDF: Download a PDF version of the BIA for reference. The PDF is accessible from the Activity panel on the Details tab.
    • Copy: Save a copy of the PDF as a template for future use.
    • 360º view: Visualize comprehensive details of the BIA, including its name, template, dependencies, and results.
    • Delete: Permanently remove the BIA record if no longer needed.
    • Edit: Make changes to the BIA when it is in an editable state.
    • Save: Save updates made to the BIA record.

    Additional Considerations

    A scheduled job runs weekly to automatically archive expired BIAs, ensuring your BIA data remains current and manageable.

    When you create a business impact analysis (BIA), certain UI actions are associated with each state.

    States and associated UI actions in BIA

    The states and their UI associated actions in a business impact analysis are described in the table.

    Table 1. States and their associated UI actions in a business impact analysis
    State of the business impact analysis UI action Description of the action
    Draft

    In the Business Impact Analysis record Lists view, select New.

    Note:
    You can also navigate to the Business Impact Analysis section of the Home page and select Create BIA.

    When you select New in the Create New Impact analysis form or Create BIA in the Home page, a record is created in the Draft state by default.

    On the Details tab, you can add details of the business impact analysis (BIA). On the Assessments tab, you can respond to the Recovery point objective assessment, Recovery time objective assessment, and Dependency assessment.
    In review Select Submit for review.

    When you select Submit for review in the Create New Impact analysis form, the state of the business impact analysis is updated to In review.
    Pending approval Select Submit for approval.

    When you select Submit for approval in the Create New Impact analysis form, the state of the business impact analysis is updated to Pending approval.
    Approved Select Approve.

    When you select Approve in the Create New Impact analysis form, the state of the business impact analysis is updated to Approved. The Overview tab displays the progression of the states as shown in the example.

    BIA in the Approved state.

    When the business impact analysis is in the Approved state, it is in the read-only format. You can only view the Recovery point objective assessment, Recovery time objective assessment, and Dependency assessment in the Approved state.
    Archived In the Create New Impact analysis form, select Archive.

    When you select Archive in the Create New Impact analysis form, the state of the business impact analysis is updated to Archived as shown in the example.

    Archived BIA.

    Starting with BCM release 9.0.x, you can revert an archived business impact analysis (BIA) to the Draft state by selecting the Edit button on the form.

    You can perform additional UI actions in the Create New Impact analysis form:
    Generate PDF

    Download the PDF of the business impact analysis for reference. The PDF attachment is available in the Activity panel on the Details tab.

    For information on generating the PDF of a business impact analysis, see Generate BIA reports in PDF or Microsoft Word formats.

    Copy
    Save a copy of the PDF of the business impact analysis for future reference as a template.
    360º view

    Visualize 360º representation of the business impact analysis such as its name, template used, dependencies, and BIA result.

    For information on how to view 360º relationships of a business impact analysis, see Visualize 360° relationships for BIAs.

    Delete
    Delete the business impact analysis if you don't need to refer to it anymore.
    Edit
    Edit the business impact analysis in the application.
    Save
    Save the business impact analysis in the application.
    Returned Select Reject.

    If you select Reject in the Create New Impact analysis form, the state of the business impact analysis is set to Returned. You can edit the business impact analysis in the Returned state. You can update and submit it for review again.
    Note:
    A scheduled job runs weekly to move the expired business impact analyses to the Archived state.