--- 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 --- # Creating action items in events # Creating action items in events {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 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 Creating action items in events Starting with BCM release 9.0.x, ServiceNow allows crisis managers to create ad-hoc action tasks during open crisis events or exercises without the need to map them to event assets or recovery plans. These tasks, called action items, enable real-time assignment and management of critical activities during crisis scenarios and exercises, providing flexibility and responsiveness in managing recovery efforts. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Real-time task creation:** Crisis managers can assign tasks on the fly, such as verifying safety or reviewing business continuity plans during exercises or actual events. * **Action item fields:** Include actual start/end dates, total time taken, event reference, descriptions, due date, task numbers, type, and assessment details. * **Task states:** Action items progress through states Open, Work in progress, Skipped, and Closed (complete or incomplete), with automatic time capture on start and completion. * **Assignment flexibility:** Tasks can be assigned to groups, individual users, or additional assignees. * **Distinct from event tasks:** Unlike event tasks, action items have no dependencies, no automated workflow ordering, and their time tracking is not aggregated into event recovery timelines. * **Role-based access and management:** Plan owners and program managers can create, update, and delete action items; recovery members can read and update assigned items; viewers have read-only access. * **Integration with Smart Assessment:** Assigned users to action items are automatically synced as collaborators in the related Smart Assessment for coordinated assessment activities. ## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers * Enable crisis managers to quickly assign tasks that arise spontaneously during events without pre-planning or asset mapping. * Improve agility in incident response by allowing ongoing assessments and verification actions to be managed efficiently within the BCM application. * Maintain clear visibility and tracking of ad-hoc actions with state management and time logging, aiding in post-event reviews and accountability. * Utilize role permissions to control who can manage or update action items, ensuring appropriate governance and collaboration. * Leverage automatic synchronization with Smart Assessment to streamline assessment collaboration and data collection during crisis management. Starting with BCM release 9.0.x, crisis managers can create action tasks for recovery members or teams anytime for open crisis events or exercises. Crisis managers can create these tasks on the fly without mapping them to event assets or recovery plans. These action tasks are also not included in the event recovery timeline. ## Action items in real-time {#creating-action-items-in-events__section_an3_1md_zfc} Action items can be used to assign tasks in real-time. For example, a crisis manager can assign an action item to verify that there are no injuries at a specific office location after an exercise. They can also request someone to review the business continuity plan before proceeding to the next steps. You can also use action items to conduct assessments during a crisis event. For example, in the event of a fire, you can assign an action item to assess the situation, determining the severity, and identify affected employees and buildings. You can perform an assessment and assign an action item. ## Fields and states associated with Action items {#creating-action-items-in-events__section_x1t_jdc_zfc} The Action items tab contains these details related to the ad-hoc tasks: * Actual start date * Actual end date * Total time taken * Event (Reference) * Short description * Description * Due date * Task numbers * Type * Task * Assessment {#creating-action-items-in-events__ul_hhj_rdc_zfc} The states associated with action items are listed in the table.{#creating-action-items-in-events__table_c3r_g2c_zfc__entry__2} | State | Description | |-|-| | Open | First state of the action item. | | Work in progress | State of the action item when its work begins. When an action item moves to the Work in progress state, the system auto-captures its start time. | | Skipped | Assigned state of the action item when it is not relevant. When an action item is skipped and considered not relevant, its time fields are removed, resulting in a total time of 0. | | Closed (complete, incomplete) | Final state of the action item task. When an action item has been completed, the system auto-captures its end time. | [Table 1. States associated with action items] {#creating-action-items-in-events__table_c3r_g2c_zfc} BCM managers or planners can update the action items and can re-open the ad-hoc tasks associated with them. You can assign the action item tasks to the groups or team members by using these fields: * Assignment group * Assigned to * Additional assignee list {#creating-action-items-in-events__ul_lbs_x2c_zfc} ## Comparison between event tasks and action items {#creating-action-items-in-events__section_pnw_2fc_zfc} The action items are distinct from the event tasks in crises and events. The table outlines the differences between event tasks and action items. {#creating-action-items-in-events__table_gtp_vfc_zfc__entry__3} | Fields/Criteria | Event task | Action items | |-|-|-| | Details | * Short description * Description * Task numbers * Dependencies * Activated plan * Impacted assets * Task ID {#creating-action-items-in-events__ul_u4h_bgc_zfc} | * Short description * Description * Task numbers * Type {#creating-action-items-in-events__ul_b35_3gc_zfc} | | Assignment | * Assignment group * Assigned to * Recovery team * Additional assignee list {#creating-action-items-in-events__ul_zyx_jgc_zfc} | * Assignment group * Assigned to * Additional assignee list {#creating-action-items-in-events__ul_rbb_ngc_zfc} | | Access | * Plan owner, Program manager can create/update/delete action items. * Event recovery members can read/update action items that they are assigned to. {#creating-action-items-in-events__ul_r4n_4gc_zfc} | * Plan owner, Program manager can create/update/delete action items. * Event recovery members can read/update action items that they are assigned to. {#creating-action-items-in-events__ul_o1l_rgc_zfc} | | Workflow | Pending -\> Open -\> Work in progress -\> Skipped -\> Closed (complete, incomplete, failed) | Open -\> Work in progress -\> Skipped -\> Closed (complete, incomplete) | | Dependencies | Yes | No | | Automation | Yes | No | | Orders | Yes, auto calculated based on dependencies. | No. Order is not calculated for the action item tasks. | | Time calculation | Event tasks time is rolled up to activated plans, and impacted assets | No. Time is not rolled up for the action item tasks. | [Table 2. Comparison between event tasks and action item tasks] {#creating-action-items-in-events__table_gtp_vfc_zfc} ## Roles associated with action items {#creating-action-items-in-events__section_pn5_2hc_zfc} The roles associated with action items are listed in the table. {#creating-action-items-in-events__table_afb_fvj_zfc__entry__2} | Role | Description | |-|-| | Plan owner | Can create, read, update, and delete action items when the plan owner is the event owner. | | Program managers | Can create, read, update, and delete action items for all events. | | Viewers | Can read all action items. | | Recovery event/Plan owner | Can read and update all action items that they are assigned to. | [Table 3. Roles associated with action item tasks] {#creating-action-items-in-events__table_afb_fvj_zfc} * **[Action item collaborator synchronization with Smart Assessment](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/0ABJLztQ9CSuuajlULT7fw)** When users are assigned to a recovery action item, they are automatically synced as collaborators on the linked Smart Assessment instance. * **[Create task and assessment-type action items in events](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vSct9b8SLfjw_19YkWdqVA)** Use integration of events and Smart Assessment for creating necessary action items related to an event.