---
sourceDocument: Australia Enterprise Architecture
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/application-portfolio-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Enterprise Architecture

ft:clusterId :

    - appportman

bundleId :

    - appportman

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# TRM technical debt states and transitions

# TRM technical debt states and transitions {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated August 24, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read  
A TRM technical debt record persists across scheduled job runs and moves between Active, Resolved, and Archived states instead of being deleted and re-created.
This functionality requires Enterprise Architecture Workspace version 10.0.0 or later and TPM plugin (sn_apm_tpm) version 1.12.0 or later.

## Technical debt states {#eaw-trm-technical-debt-states__section_states}

Each TRM technical debt record has a State field that shows one of the following states.{#eaw-trm-technical-debt-states__eaw-trm-technical-debt-states-para-1}  
{#eaw-trm-technical-debt-states__table_states__entry__2}

| State | Description |
|-|-|
| Active | Technical debt that is active and needs attention. This is the default state when a technical debt record is first created. |
| Resolved | Active technical debt that no longer applies because the underlying discovered technology is still in use but no longer violates a TRM standard. |
| Archived | Technical debt for which the underlying discovered technology no longer exists in the TPM Discovered Technology \[sn_apm_tpm_discovered_technology\] table (typically because the server association was removed). Alternatively, the reason associated with the active debt is turned off in the technical debt configuration. |
[Table 1. Technical debt states]

{#eaw-trm-technical-debt-states__table_states}

## State transitions {#eaw-trm-technical-debt-states__section_transitions}

The Populate TRM technical debts in the EA Workspace scheduled job evaluates every technical debt record on each run and moves it to a new state based on the following
rules. The record is never deleted; only its state, reason, and Updated timestamp change.{#eaw-trm-technical-debt-states__eaw-trm-technical-debt-states-para-2}  
{#eaw-trm-technical-debt-states__table_transitions__entry__3}

| From state | To state | Trigger |
|-|-|-|
| Active | Resolved | The debt is resolved: the discovered technology still exists, but it no longer violates a TRM standard. |
| Active | Archived | The underlying discovered technology is removed, or the reason associated with the active debt is turned off in the technical debt configuration. |
| Archived | Active | The discovered technology is created again, or the reason associated with the archived debt is re-enabled in the technical debt configuration. |
| Resolved | No transition | A resolved technical debt record never moves to Active or Archived. If the same debt condition occurs again, the system creates a new technical debt record in the Active state instead of reopening the resolved one. |
[Table 2. Technical debt state transitions]

{#eaw-trm-technical-debt-states__table_transitions}  
Note:  
A Resolved record is terminal. The Created timestamp on a new record reflects when that new record was created, not the original detection date of the resolved record it replaced.
**Related concepts**   

* [TRM technical debt](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/9HeJ7gsI3hwIrMTcfucN0g "Manage the TRM technical debts that are created for the products that aren’t approved for the usage.")
* [Technical debt calculation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Skb7mRO_KpV4sTh5WSk_VQ "Technical debt records identify products used in business applications that aren't approved in the TRM or that use unapproved versions. View technical debt records to understand conformance gaps and plan remediation.")
* [Technology Reference Model in Enterprise Architecture Workspace](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/EpGJsgmWOkxXRh97WB6j2A "The Technology Reference Model (TRM) feature in Enterprise Architecture Workspace helps define the standards for your software and hardware products and manage unapproved products in your organization.")  
**Related tasks**   

* [Update TRM technical debt data using scheduled job](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/46bBW0f8U8Y0fUG0J44znQ "Run the scheduled job to update technical debt data based on Technology Reference Model (TRM) phases. This job identifies products not approved for use in your enterprise and can be scheduled to run periodically.")  
**Related reference**   

* [TRM technical debt form](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/SUWWaEJTvFfVGvlq9XF_8w "Create Technology Reference Model (TRM) technical debts for products that aren't aligned with TRM phases and standards.")