Project form
Summarize
Summary of Project form
The Project form in ServiceNow enables you to create and manage projects by capturing essential details such as project name, manager, status, schedule, financials, business cases, risks, and preferences. It offers a comprehensive structure to track project progress, costs, risks, and alignment with business strategies.
Show less
Key Features
- General Fields: Define project attributes including name, manager, status (linked to overall health), state (customizable), description (note special character limitations), and related/similar projects using predictive intelligence.
- Dates Section: Manage key project dates such as approved/planned start and end dates, actual start/end dates, planned and actual duration, and effort. These dates consider project schedules and support adjustments based on task updates.
- Details Section: Assign projects to portfolios, programs, departments, and business units; classify projects by investment class and type; select execution methodology (Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid) which controls available planning tools; and associate impacted business capabilities and applications.
- Business Case Section: Capture strategic objectives, goals, business case arguments, risks (performing and not performing), enablers, barriers, scope definitions, and assumptions to support project justification and planning.
- Financials Section: Track financial aspects such as rate models, planned and actual costs, budget, benefits, return on investment (ROI), discount rate, net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and estimates to completion, supporting detailed financial planning and analysis.
- Score Section: Automatically calculates risk, value, size, and overall project scores based on risk, ROI, and cost, with configurable scoring formulas that carry forward from demands.
- Notes Section: Manage project notifications, watch lists, and record activity or work notes to track milestones and changes.
- Preferences Section: Configure time card reporting levels, update actual effort from time cards, task dependency calculations, inclusion in program status reports, resource assignment constraints, score recalculation behavior, date and time display formats, and constraint dates to control project scheduling and reporting behavior.
- Risk Overview Section: View inherent and residual risk scores and heatmaps derived from risk assessments to monitor project risk exposure.
Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
This form centralizes project data, enabling efficient project creation, detailed tracking, and alignment with organizational strategies and financial controls. You can customize project states, schedules, and financial tracking to match your business processes. Integration with Agile and Hybrid methodologies is supported with appropriate plugins, enhancing planning flexibility. Risk and score calculations help prioritize projects effectively. The form’s predictive intelligence assists in identifying similar projects, improving decision-making. Time card and resource management preferences provide granular control over effort tracking and reporting.
Implementation and Usage Notes
- Special characters in project descriptions should be avoided to prevent display issues.
- Date fields such as planned start/end are calculated from tasks and consider project schedules, with configurable properties controlling behavior.
- Financial fields require periodic recalculation to reflect updated rate models.
- Execution Type selection governs available planning tools and requires relevant plugins and roles.
- Actual effort can be automatically updated from time cards based on preferences.
- Project scores are recalculated automatically or preserved based on configuration, especially when converting demands to projects.
- Constraint dates and scheduling options help manage task start dates and dependencies.
Learn about the fields of project form. Use this form to create a project.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Name of the project. |
| Project manager | Project manager assigned to the project. |
| Status | Current status of the project. This information is retrieved from the Overall health field in the most recent project status report of the project. |
| Number | System-generated number with a configurable prefix. |
| Percent complete | Percentage of the project that has been completed. |
| State | Current state of the project. All new projects begin as Pending. The state of the project can be set on the Project form or derived from the task state. The default available states are: Pending, Open, Work in Progress, Closed Complete, Closed Incomplete, and Closed Skipped. You can also create a custom state for each state type by overriding the state dictionary attributes. For example, say that for the project tasks you have created a custom state called Testing for the Work in Progress state type. When you update the project task state to Testing, the project state is also updated to Testing. However, if you have not created a Testing state for the Work in Progress state type, the project state is updated to the default Work in Progress state. |
| Description | Detailed description of the project. Note:
Special characters are not supported in the project description. Also, avoid copying text from text processor as it ma cause issues while displaying project information on the planning console. |
| Similar projects | Displays projects that have similar values for the Description and Short Description fields using predictive intelligence and machine-learning algorithms. For more information, see Predictive Intelligence for Project Management. |
| Related Search | Displays search results matching the Name field by default. You can use this field to search for matching projects using other terms also. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Work schedule to be used for this project. The default schedule is an 8-hour work day (from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.). A day is considered to be a work day and not a 24-hour day. |
| Approved start date | The date to start the project. This field retains the demand approved start date if the project is converted from a demand. The project schedule is not applied to this date and the date remains unchanged when you add
project tasks to your project. This field is highlighted with red color if the date in this field is set to a date later than the Planned start date field. Note: The approved start date of the project is
also carried forward to any sub-project associated with the project. |
| Approved end date | The date when this project ends. This field retains the demand approved due date if the project is converted from a demand. The project schedule is not applied to this date and the date remains unchanged when you add
project tasks to your project. This field is highlighted with in red if the date in this field is set prior to the date in the Planned end date field. Note: The approved end date of the project is also
carried forward to any sub-project associated with the project. |
| Planned start date | The start date of the project tasks within the project. This date is rolled up from the project tasks. This date is copied from the Approved start date. After planned tasks are added, this value is
set to the earliest time that the project schedule allows. For example, if the project task is created at 3 a.m. and the default schedule is in use (which has an 8 a.m. start date), then the default task start is 8 a.m. the next day. Note:
The planned start date must be within 10 years of the current date. The project property
Max date span into future or past from the current date controls the behavior for project planned start date. When you convert a demand to a project, the start date of the demand is carried forward as the Planned start date for the project. If the demand start date is a weekend and your project follows a project schedule, the Planned start date is adjusted to the first working day of the week. When you create the project from My Projects Space page, the Planned start date field is automatically populated. You must select the calendar icon and select a date to start the project. Projects do not automatically start on the planned start date. Note:
|
| Planned end date | The end date of the project tasks within the project. After you add tasks, the value in the field is calculated from the tasks. For a manual project, any update to the actual start date does not update the planned end date of the project. Enable the project property Enable alter of planned date with Actual for Manual Project to update the planned end date from the actual start date and planned duration. Note:
This field is not available when creating a project by default, use the Approved end date field to specify the project end date. Configure the form to display this field. When you convert a demand to a project, the due date of the demand is carried forward as the Planned end date for the project. If the demand due date is a weekend and your project follows a project schedule, the Planned end date is adjusted to the first working day of the week. |
| Planned duration | Expected duration of the tasks within the project. After you add tasks, the value in the field is calculated from the duration of the tasks. The duration also considers the project schedule, accounting for any non-work
time in the schedule. Note:
The project property
Max duration (in days) allowed for a project/project task controls the behavior for project planned duration. For example, if the default schedule is used, with a standard 8-hour work day, a project that starts at 8 a.m. on 1 July and ends at noon on 2 July is calculated as 1 day and 4 hours, not 28 hours. |
| Planned effort | Estimate of the time that it takes to complete the project. This calculation sums up planned effort values for all tasks and stories (in the case of Agile and Hybrid projects) in this project. After you add tasks, this field becomes a read-only, roll-up calculation and overwrites any earlier entry that you made. |
| Actual start date |
Date on which the planned tasks start. The time component in the actual start and end dates depends on the value of the Derive time component from planned dates field in the Preferences tab when you manually populate the actual dates. However, when you change the State or Percent complete of the project, the actual dates are auto-populated with the time component copied from the planned dates. The value of the Derive time component from planned dates field has no effect on the time component of actual dates in this case. |
| Actual end date | Date on which the planned tasks ends. |
| Actual duration | Duration of the project tasks from project start to project closure. As with the planned duration, the actual duration shows the total project time and takes the project schedule into consideration. |
| Actual effort | Actual number of hours charged to the resources on this project. If you are using the Time Cards application, it automatically calculates the value for this field. It uses the totals for the time worked from the approved
time cards of all the resources who worked on a project and all its tasks. Note:
The actual effort from the stories for Agile and Hybrid projects is also rolled up to the project's actual effort. The field is not editable if the Update actual effort from time card field is set to Yes on the Preferences tab. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Portfolio | Primary portfolio to which the project belongs. A project can belong to multiple portfolios. Note:
|
| Program | Program to which the project belongs. Note: If the Portfolio field is not set, you can select from the list of all programs in the system. If the Portfolio field is set, you
cannot select programs that belong to other portfolios. |
| Investment Class | Type of investment class category assigned to the project:
|
| Investment Type | Investment type of the project.
|
| Execution Type | Execution methodology used to run the project: Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid. The default value is Waterfall. The Execution Type field selection determines the related links and related lists that are available. For example, the Agile Planning & Tracking related link appears when you set the Execution Type value to Agile. You must have the appropriate plugins such as Agile Development 2.0 and Test Management to view these related links and related lists. Also, you must have the appropriate role to use these related links and related lists. |
| Demand | Demand from which the project was created. The field is visible only if the project has a demand associated to it. Note: When a demand gets converted into a project, the data on Business Case tab
gets carried forward from demand to project. |
| Phase | Current phase of the project. In addition to the Phase field, the different project phases are also shown at the top of each project record. The selected phase is highlighted. The default phases are Initiating, Planning, Executing, Delivering, and Closing. |
| Department | Department in a business unit to which the project belongs. |
| Business Unit | Business unit to which the project belongs. |
| Impacted Business Units | Business unit that is impacted by the project. |
| Business Capabilities | If the project is to change, enhance, or add one or more business capabilities, those capabilities can be associated with the project. Business capabilities are defined in the Application Portfolio Management module. |
| Business Applications | If the project is to change, enhance, or add one or more business applications, those applications can be associated with the project. Business capabilities are defined in the Application Portfolio Management module. You can select any business application in your enterprise regardless of whether it is related to the capability selected in the Business Capabilities field. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Strategies | Strategic objectives of the organization that the project fulfills. A project can fulfill multiple strategic objectives. If a Business Unit for the project is selected in Details tab, then the list displays the business strategies for the selected business unit along with other enterprise strategies. |
| Goals | Goals associated with the selected strategy. A project can fulfill multiple goals. If a strategy is not selected, then all goals are displayed in the list. |
| Business case | Business arguments that support the project. |
| Risk of performing | Risks associated if the project is carried out. |
| Risk of not performing | Risks associated if the project is not carried out, for example, risk of loss of opportunity. |
| Enablers | Key enablers for the project. |
| Barriers | Major barriers to the project. |
| In scope | Scope of the project. The scope is the set of boundaries that define the extent of a project. |
| Out of scope | Activities or deliverables that are not in the scope of the project. Anything that is not defined in the scope is out of scope. |
| Assumptions | Assumptions made for the project. Assumptions help define scope and risks, and fine-tune the estimates for time and cost. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Rate Model |
Rate model assigned to the project. The rate model is used to derive hourly rates for the associated resource plans and time cards. When you create a project from a demand, the rate model is copied from the demand to the project. The subprojects in a project derive their resource plan calculations from the rate model associated with the top task. If the assigned rate model is removed or replaced or the hourly rates in the rate model are changed, the cost fields on the associated resource plans are not recalculated automatically. You must update costs of all resource plans in the project using the Recalculate Resource Costs menu option to reflect new rates from the rate model. You can also update costs of a single resource plan one at a time. |
| Total planned cost | Estimated cost of the project. If an operational expenditure, capital expenditure, or both are associated with the project, then the planned cost is the sum of the operational expenditure and capital expenditure, which is in the selected currency for the project. For Agile and Hybrid projects, the planned cost for stories is considered when the resource plan is created for Agile assignment group. Note: To create a resource plan for Agile assignment group, you must assign the pps_resource role to the group. |
| Planned capital | Capital expenditure (Capex) for the project. If no cost plans are associated with the project, the Planned capital field is editable. Select a currency type and enter a value. |
| Planned operating | Operational expenditure (Opex) for the project. If no cost plans are associated with the project, the Planned operating field is editable. Select a currency type and enter a value. |
| Budget cost | Budgeted cost for this project. This field is automatically populated from the project budget breakdowns in the cost plan breakdown table. When project funds are allocated for a fiscal year, the cost plan breakdown stores
the budget allocation for each fiscal period. These amounts are rolled up and stored in the budget cost. To manually enter a value, select a currency icon and enter the value. |
| Actual cost | Actual cost of this project. Select a currency icon and enter a value. |
| Estimate at completion | Sum of all actuals for past fiscal periods added to the planned cost for future fiscal periods. Note:
The current month is considered as a future month for EAC calculation purposes. For example, if the duration of a project is from January 01 to December 31 and you check the Estimate at Completion in the month of May, it is calculated as: |
| Planned benefit | Planned benefit for the project. This value is rolled up from the benefit breakdown of the project. You can also enter the value manually. Select a currency icon and enter a value. |
| Planned return | The Planned return value is derived from the difference between the Planned benefit and Planned cost values: (The value in the Planned benefit field – the value in the Planned cost field.) |
| Planned ROI% | The ROI (return on investment) percentage result is calculated based on values in the Planned return and Estimated cost fields.
|
| Discount Rate % | Project discount rate. The discount rate is the interest rate to determine the present value of future cash flows. |
| Net present value | Present value of future cash based on the given annual interest rate. This value is a measure for comparing money spent today against future expected financial benefits. This information is useful when evaluating the overall investment performance. For example, at 12% discount rate, $1.00 today is worth $0.80 in two years. Therefore, expecting to receive $1.00 in two years is the same as receiving $0.80 today. Net present value (NPV) is calculated from the estimated cost per year, the planned benefit per year, and the discount rate for the project. |
| Internal rate of return % | Annual interest rate required to achieve an NPV of zero. Internal rate of return (IRR) helps to determine which projects can deliver a higher rate of return in terms of revenue. |
| Estimate to completion | Sum of all planned costs for future fiscal periods. You can define the frequency to calculate EAC and ETC values to match with the expense lines. Navigate to , select the Calculate Project Completion Estimates job, and set the frequency using the Run list. Note: The current month is considered as a future month for ETC calculation purposes. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Risk Score | Calculated based on the project risk. |
| Value Score | Calculated based on the ROI% of the project. |
| Size Score | Calculated based on the value in the Planned Cost field. |
| Score | Calculated based on the individual scores of the attributes Risk Score, Value Score, and Size Score, which in turn are calculated based on the risk,
planning ROI%, and estimated cost attributes on a project, respectively. Note:
|
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Watch list | Users who have subscribed to project notifications. |
| Work notes list | Users who have chosen to receive email notifications when the work notes on the project are updated. |
| Activity / Work notes | Information about the milestones, impediments, or changes as the project progresses. Enter the notes in the Activity field and select Work notes. The text appears in the feed. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Allow time card reporting on | Level at which the time cards for project tasks can be created:
|
| Update actual effort from time card | Determines whether the Actual effort field on the Dates tab should be updated based on the hours entered in the time cards for the project. If the field is set to Yes, then the Actual effort field is not editable. If it is set to No, then the actual hours from time cards are not rolled up to the project and task. By default, the field is set to No. |
| Calculation | Type of calculation to use for task dependencies:
|
| Show on Program Status Report | Option to specify whether the project and its key aspects such as cost, resource, scope, and schedule should be included in the status report of the program to which the project belongs. Default: Selected |
| Constraint date | A read-only field that displays the project's planned start date. The date in this field is used for calculate the start date of the tasks with Start ASAP constraint. Use the Move Project related link to change the constraint date. Changing this date also changes the start date for all the tasks with Start ASAP constraint. For more information, see Change the planned start date of a project. |
| Derive assignee list from resource plan | Option to constrain the resources in the Assigned to and Additional assignee list fields on the project and project task forms to be derived only from the associated allocated resource plans. |
| Recalculate score on project change | Determines whether to recalculate and update the project score.
|
| Project schedule date format | Determines whether the dates in the planning console should be displayed with the time component. The default is Date. |
| Derive time component from planned dates | Determines whether the time component in the actual start and end dates should be copied from the time component in the planned start and end dates. By default, it is set to True. If the Project schedule date format field is set to Date, this option is selected and inactivated. Note: When you change the State or Percent complete value for the project, the actual dates are auto-populated with the time component copied from the planned dates. The value of
the Derive time component from planned dates field has no effect on the time component of the actual dates in this case. The value of the field affects the time component only when you populate the
actual dates manually. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Inherent risk | Score of inherent risk automatically calculated from risk assessment. |
| Residual risk | Score of residual risk automatically calculated from risk assessment. |
| Inherent Heatmap | Heatmap of the inherent risks. |
| Residual Heatmap | Heatmap of the residual risks. |