Work set sub-activity form

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated May 25, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Work set sub-activity form

    The Work set sub-activity form in ServiceNow Australia release defines the configuration and behavior of sub-activities within a work set standard. This form enables customers to specify the type and details of tasks or actions created when a work set runs, ensuring precise control over task creation and execution within industrial guided workflows.

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    Key Features

    • Type Field: Determines the kind of record generated by the sub-activity:
      • Standard: Runs a referenced Industrial Guided Task standard as a child task (excludes work sets).
      • Action: Creates an industrial action with a specified short description.
    • Short Description: Required when Type is Action, defines the description for the generated action.
    • Functional Location: Specifies the work area where the sub-activity executes; filtered based on the parent standard’s scope (local or global).
    • Equipment: Associated equipment for the sub-activity; shown only if a functional location is selected and filtered accordingly.
    • Values to Copy from Work Set Task: Allows fields to inherit values from the parent work set task at runtime, enabling dynamic value assignment during execution.
    • Schedule-based Exception: Controls whether the planned start and end times for the child task follow the parent work set task’s schedule.

    Runtime Behavior and Rules

    • The sub-activity’s short description is used for the child task when Type is Action.
    • If functional location and equipment are not defined in the sub-activity, these inherit from the parent work set standard.
    • When conflicting values exist for a field, the system prioritizes in this order:
      1. Functional location
      2. Equipment field
      3. Short description
      4. Values to copy from work set task
    • A sub-activity must have a functional location defined either directly or via the values copied from the parent task; otherwise, the system prevents saving and prompts for correction.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    Understanding and configuring the sub-activity form lets customers accurately define child tasks or actions generated by a work set, ensuring proper location and equipment context, and inheritance of essential values. This results in consistent execution of industrial guided tasks, better alignment with operational workflows, and avoidance of scheduling or data inconsistencies.

    The following table describes the field values for the sub-activity form on a work set standard.

    Table 1. Work set sub-activity form
    Field Description
    Type Type of record that the sub-activity creates when the work set runs. Options are:
    • Standard: Runs a referenced Industrial Guided Task standard as a child task.
    • Action: Creates an industrial action with the specified short description.
    Standard Industrial Guided Task standard to run. Visible and required when Type is Standard. Work set standards are excluded from selection because a work set can't contain another work set. Available standards are filtered to those that are global or in the user's site.
    Short description Short description for the generated action. Visible when Type is Action.
    Functional location Work area where the sub-activity runs. Filtered to the location of the parent standard when the parent is of scope local. When the parent is global, all functional locations are available.
    Equipment Equipment for which the sub-activity runs. This field is hidden when Functional location is empty. Filtered to equipment in the selected functional location.
    Values to copy from work set task Fields whose values are copied from the parent work set task to the generated child task or action at runtime. Use this field when a value should be supplied at execution time instead of on the sub-activity.
    Schedule-based exception When clear, the planned start and planned end of the generated child task follow the planned times of the work set task.

    How field values are resolved at runtime

    When instantiating sub-activities, the system applies the following rules:

    1. Short description (for action): The short description from the sub-activity configuration is used as the short description for the child task (sub-activity).
    2. Functional location and equipment: When no functional location and equipment are defined in the sub-activity configuration, the functional location and equipment of the Work Set Standard are inherited by the child task.
    3. Collision handling: In case values for the sub-activity are defined in multiple locations for the same field, the follow order is used (top is most important):
      • Functional location
      • equipment field
      • short description
      • Values to copy from work set task
    4. If the dedicated field on the sub-activity is set.
    5. If the Values to copy from work set task field is empty.

    If a functional location is not provided in either location, the standard can't be saved. A message prompts you to set a custom location on the sub-activity or to add the field to Values to copy from work set task.