--- sourceDocument: Australia Governance, Risk, and Compliance sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/governance-risk-compliance Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Governance, Risk, and Compliance ft:clusterId : - grc bundleId : - grc workflow : - Technology --- # Structured workflows for BCPs # Structured workflows for BCPs {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) 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 Structured workflows for BCPs This content describes the structured workflows for creating and managing Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) within the ServiceNow Business Continuity Workspace (BCM Configurable Workspace). It guides users through key activities such as creating plans, adding assets and scope, defining documentation, assigning recovery teams, setting loss scenarios and recovery strategies, and generating reports. Show full answer Show less The workflows promote an organized approach to business continuity planning, ensuring that recovery tasks and dependencies are logically structured and efficiently executed. ## Key Features * **Hierarchical Plan Structure:** Introduced in BCM version 9.x.x, this feature organizes parent-child plans to ensure recovery tasks execute sequentially and logically, avoiding unrelated plan execution and circular dependencies. It supports parallel task execution within the same plan to optimize recovery time. * **Nested Related Plans:** Enhanced since the Xanadu release to detect and manage cyclic dependencies, improving the accuracy of recovery timelines across assets, tasks, and plans. * **Reusable Templates:** Recovery strategy and task templates allow planners to reuse standard recovery structures, reducing repetitive data entry and speeding up plan creation. * **Asset and Scope Management:** Enables addition of assets and scope to plans, synchronizing assets between plans, loss scenarios, and strategies for consistent recovery planning. * **Recovery Task Management:** Features include mapping tasks to phases for logical sequencing, quick task creation with dependency management, task template groups for reuse, Gantt chart visualization for timelines, and import/export capabilities for bulk task updates. * **Automation:** Manual recovery tasks can be converted into automated tasks by attaching automated flows, accelerating recovery processes. * **Issue Tracking:** Allows addition or creation of issues directly from a BCP to track continuity planning problems. * **Plan Approval and Reporting:** Plans can be submitted for approval and exported as PDF or Microsoft Word documents for record-keeping and sharing. * **360° Relationship Visualization:** Provides comprehensive visualization of a BCP and its related entities to enhance situational awareness during planning. * **Auto-Update of Related Assets:** Assets in plans can be auto-updated based on CMDB data and dependencies, with email notifications regarding updates. ## Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers ServiceNow customers can leverage these structured workflows to efficiently develop and maintain comprehensive business continuity plans that are logically organized and systematically executed. The hierarchical and nested plan structures help maintain clarity and prevent dependency conflicts. Reusable templates and task automation reduce manual effort, enhance consistency, and speed recovery readiness. Integration with CMDB and automated asset syncing ensures plans remain current with organizational changes. Visualization tools such as Gantt charts and 360° relationship views provide valuable insights into timelines and dependencies, aiding in effective plan management and execution. Finally, the ability to generate formal reports and submit plans for approval supports governance and compliance requirements. Perform the structured workflows that are outlined in this section to create a business continuity plan in Business Continuity Workspace (also known as BCM Configurable Workspace). The business continuity plan owner creates plans using templates, adds assets and scope, creates documentation sections, adds recovery teams, defines loss scenarios with recovery strategies, and generates PDFs. * For information on creating a business continuity plan, see [Create a business continuity plan](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/qRV4al4E3N_eQgBsLREE8Q "Create a business continuity plan in ServiceNow Business Continuity Management."). For information on adding an asset and scope to the plan, see [Add asset and scope to the BCP](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/m2jQdUrs04Nkh0dkA9_2iw "Add an asset and the scope to the business continuity plan (BCP). You can then view the primary elements in the BCM Configurable Workspace."). * For information on creating a documentation section, see [Create documentation sections](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/lLhyW2aC_LO5mme3dAy6FQ "Create a documentation section in the business continuity plan. You can then document the recovery capabilities of your business continuity plan in BCM UIB Workspace."). For information on adding the related plan and recovery team, see [Add associated plans and recovery teams](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/GANEngRwPwcARPp3LvmMMg "Add your business continuity associated plans and recovery teams to your business continuity plan. You can then view the details in BCM UIB Workspace."). * For information on adding a loss scenario, recovery strategy, and recovery task, see [Add loss scenarios](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/6Y72KJ9GFbqldwWjQAXlMw "Add a loss scenario and define the related asset dependencies in your business continuity plan. You can then view the details of the assets in BCM UIB Workspace and then plan a recovery strategy for an identified loss scenario."), [Add recovery strategies for dependencies](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Ct43bZLVvZiX9Y0nELnVOw "Add a recovery strategy for the related asset dependencies and estimate the time to implement the strategy. You can then get the assets up and running quickly in an identified loss scenario."), and [Add recovery tasks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/CvSDnrh2xXv9gsIDBIz41Q "Add a recovery task as part of the planned recovery strategy. You can add one or more recovery tasks for a loss scenario and those recovery tasks are displayed in the loss scenario itself. Automate the recovery tasks in a plan for a faster recovery."). * For information on generating and saving the PDF, see [Generate BCP reports in PDF or Microsoft Word format](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/4R9uKzR6rpqdrdYcVh1sxw "Generate a PDF or Microsoft Word copy of a business continuity plan in the BCM Configurable Workspace and save it for a future reference."). {#bcp-tasks-performed-by-bcp-owner__ul_acv_sy5_pxb} ## Hierarchical plan structure enhancement {#bcp-tasks-performed-by-bcp-owner__section_tty_kdl_ygc} Starting with BCM, version 9.x.x, the hierarchical structure of parent-child plans verifies logical organization and execution of recovery tasks. When an event is triggered, only relevant child plans are included, allowing plan execution and dependencies to cascade downward in a controlled manner. Parent plans are excluded to prevent the inclusion of unrelated scenarios that may require subsequent cancellation. This approach confirms that only relevant plans are considered, maintaining a focused and efficient recovery process. The system also performs cyclic dependency checks automatically, ensuring that the hierarchy flows uni directionally---from parent plans to child plans. Implementing the hierarchical plan structure offers these key benefits: * Logical task execution: Only after the necessary tasks in the parent plans have been completed, tasks in the child plans are executed, ensuring a controlled and sequential recovery process. * Avoidance of circular dependencies: The system is designed to prevent circular dependencies, maintaining a unidirectional flow from parent to child plans and avoiding potential conflicts. * Parallel execution: Tasks within the same plan can be executed in parallel when possible, optimizing recovery time and efficiency. {#bcp-tasks-performed-by-bcp-owner__ul_e45_pdl_ygc} By introducing this hierarchical structure, the system provides an organized and manageable approach to plan management, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in disaster recovery planning and execution. ## Nested related plans {#bcp-tasks-performed-by-bcp-owner__section_mng_n4b_2cc} Beginning with the Xanadu release, the handling of nested related plans has improved. This enhancement helps in managing potential cyclic dependencies by detecting and highlighting any problems that could cause cyclic dependencies during the execution of tasks. Additionally, the refined recovery timelines enable you to monitor the planned and actual timeframes. A task can be applied to all assets within a plan or to none, facilitating accurate aggregation of recovery timeframes across assets, tasks, and plans. ## Additional information on Business Continuity Planning {#bcp-tasks-performed-by-bcp-owner__section_apl_ryy_cyb} * For information on the Planning tab in the Home page, see [Home page view](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/VQfVgABDPPsy2gy3KdTvow "The Home page in Business Continuity Workspace serves as the landing page of the BCM application."). * For information on business continuity planning, see [Business continuity planning](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WP1SubaBGwqVAfwp7HLZ8w "Business continuity planning helps you enact and mitigate risk at the time of an event. You can address and plan on the primary scope of the activities, documentation, loss scenarios, recovery teams, approvals, and so on. You can then configure a structured workflow of your business continuity planning tasks in BCM UIB Workspace."). * For information on the administrative tasks in business continuity planning, see [Setup for a business continuity plan](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KRFhews~hGqkBeY2UgG11g "The business continuity plan (BCP) administrator can perform certain administrative tasks that are listed in the General Administration section of the Business Continuity Management application."). {#bcp-tasks-performed-by-bcp-owner__ul_lbv_4xy_cyb} * **[States and UI actions for a BCP](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yLvAivBnfsdZ1r3x9pLc8A)** When you create a business continuity plan (BCP), certain UI actions are associated with each state. * **[Recovery strategy and task templates](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WNI3KiQv~MZZ_AOlYStL4g)** Business continuity planners often rebuild the same recovery structures each time they author a plan. Reusable templates remove that repetition by capturing standard strategies, tasks, and task groupings once and applying them wherever they are needed. * **[Create a business continuity plan](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/qRV4al4E3N_eQgBsLREE8Q)** Create a business continuity plan in ServiceNow Business Continuity Management. * **[Create a business continuity plan from a plan template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/BrF5r8iJSd3andQWK3KQBw)** Create a business continuity plan from a plan template in BCM UIB Workspace so that the loss scenarios, recovery strategies, and recovery tasks defined on the template are generated automatically. * **[Scheduling auto-update of related assets](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/SlmF_Fvtpz1eubVdc29Krw)** You can schedule an auto-update of the related assets in the plans based on the source data and relationships in the CMDB. You can receive an email notification with details of the plan dependency updates from the BCM application. Dependencies are fetched from different sources such as BIA upstream dependency, BIA downstream dependencies, and CMDB. * **[Add asset and scope to the BCP](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/m2jQdUrs04Nkh0dkA9_2iw)** Add an asset and the scope to the business continuity plan (BCP). You can then view the primary elements in the BCM Configurable Workspace. * **[Create documentation sections](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/lLhyW2aC_LO5mme3dAy6FQ)** Create a documentation section in the business continuity plan. You can then document the recovery capabilities of your business continuity plan in BCM UIB Workspace. * **[Add associated plans and recovery teams](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/GANEngRwPwcARPp3LvmMMg)** Add your business continuity associated plans and recovery teams to your business continuity plan. You can then view the details in BCM UIB Workspace. * **[Add loss scenarios](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/6Y72KJ9GFbqldwWjQAXlMw)** Add a loss scenario and define the related asset dependencies in your business continuity plan. You can then view the details of the assets in BCM UIB Workspace and then plan a recovery strategy for an identified loss scenario. * **[Add recovery strategies for dependencies](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Ct43bZLVvZiX9Y0nELnVOw)** Add a recovery strategy for the related asset dependencies and estimate the time to implement the strategy. You can then get the assets up and running quickly in an identified loss scenario. * **[Configure a recovery strategy template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/YLEnm5qlNrfZV_Xcj_lWaw)** Configure a reusable recovery strategy template so business continuity planners can apply a pre-defined strategy to loss scenarios without re-entering the implementation details each time. * **[Mapping recovery tasks to phases](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/aLbQb7ovANbm0KXmXej~TQ)** Starting with BCM, version 9.x.x, BCM administrators set up active phases for plans and events, enhancing recovery and event task management. BCM managers then map these phases to recovery and event tasks, executing them in a desired, logical sequence. * **[Add recovery tasks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/CvSDnrh2xXv9gsIDBIz41Q)** Add a recovery task as part of the planned recovery strategy. You can add one or more recovery tasks for a loss scenario and those recovery tasks are displayed in the loss scenario itself. Automate the recovery tasks in a plan for a faster recovery. * **[Apply Task templates and Task template groups](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ef~WK6ydcEAkT6sXsl5yiw)** Save individual tasks or groups of tasks for reuse across plans. You can add templates to new plans or insert them into existing plans. You can also generate templates directly from tasks and plans that already exist in the system. * **[Create a quick recovery task](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/6mvxvLNar5GzMfPMAoXi_A)** Create a quick recovery task from Recovery tasks or as part of the planned recovery strategy for a business continuity plan. Using the quick insert feature, you can create tasks without navigating to a separate form. Tasks can be ordered, inserted in sequence (before, after, or in parallel with existing tasks), and dependencies are updated automatically. * **[Import and export recovery tasks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/22NkzXQvqnxm5RAax7PvUg)** Export recovery tasks to a Microsoft Excel file, edit offline, and import the file to create, or update multiple tasks at once. * **[Visualize recovery tasks on Gantt chart](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/p_OMZqnRQ7bERWcnTo2cjg)** Use the Gantt chart component on recovery task pages to provide a visual timeline view of tasks associated with the current plan. Customize the view by adding, removing, or reordering columns as needed. The chart is implemented as a UI page to enable customizations and to support multiple versions without requiring changes to existing page behavior. * **[Synchronize assets between loss scenarios and strategies](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/JUb_ssVKdUtCJTS3YWYIJw)** Use the asset syncing fields in the plan template to configure whether assets synchronize to loss scenarios, to recovery strategies, or both. Syncing is a two-step process: assets flow from the plan to loss scenarios first, and then from loss scenarios to recovery strategies. * **[Automate recovery tasks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/6yxaI8zN_hVZssy0AtfJ3A)** Automate the manual recovery task within the business continuity plan. You can classify the manual recovery task as an automated task first and then attach an automated flow to it. * **[Add or create an issue from a plan](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/O79oDZA83JLqHnNnMU3ASA)** Add an existing issue or create an issue from a business continuity plan to track problems identified during continuity planning. * **[Submit the BCP for approval](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/dhnDoWd5iqROxgo7X3V4Ng)** Submit the business continuity plan (BCP) for an approval. You can then view the details in BCM UIB Workspace. * **[Visualize 360° relationships for the BCP](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~8~BIfW25Gyf9t16Dl37Ng)** Visualize the 360° relationships for a business continuity plan (BCP) and its associated entities in BCM UIB Workspace. You can access the 360° view at any time while working on the business continuity plan. * **[Generate BCP reports in PDF or Microsoft Word format](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/4R9uKzR6rpqdrdYcVh1sxw)** Generate a PDF or Microsoft Word copy of a business continuity plan in the BCM Configurable Workspace and save it for a future reference.