Demand default playbook stages and activities

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  • Updated March 12, 2026
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    Summary of Demand Default Playbook Stages and Activities

    The default demand playbook in ServiceNow provides a structured approach to managing the demand life-cycle. It includes predefined stages and activities that guide users from capturing the initial demand brief through to completion. This playbook helps ensure demands are thoroughly documented, aligned with business objectives, properly assessed for cost and resources, reviewed for approval, and finally converted into actionable work entities.

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    Key Stages and Activities

    • Create demand brief: Capture foundational information including demand name, description, business justification, risks, and assumptions. Completing this moves the demand to the submitted state.
    • Define demand alignment: Align the demand with organizational goals by defining business and strategic alignment, setting secondary goals, updating planned dates, adding collaborators and stakeholders, and creating initial demand tasks. This advances the demand to the screening state.
    • Estimate demand cost and effort: Assess financial costs, resource requirements, and benefits by updating assessment details, managing cost plans, resource assignments, and benefit plans. Completing these activities moves the demand to the qualified state.
    • AI checkpoint (optional): If the AI Control Tower plugin is enabled and the demand type is artificial intelligence, associate relevant AI systems to identify potential AI impacts for the demand.
    • Confirm demand readiness for review: Review and align demand details to confirm readiness for the approval process, moving the demand to the approved state.
    • Approve and finalize demand: Confirm demand details and convert the demand into a selected work entity such as a project or enhancement with an approved timeline.
    • Complete demand: Final review of the converted work entity to verify the demand has been properly transformed and completed.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Structured Demand Management: Ensures consistent capturing and processing of demands, improving governance and traceability.
    • Alignment with Business and Strategic Goals: Facilitates clear connections between demands and organizational objectives, enhancing prioritization.
    • Comprehensive Cost and Resource Estimation: Supports informed decision-making through detailed financial and resource assessments.
    • AI Impact Awareness: Enables identification of AI-related considerations when applicable, improving risk management for AI investments.
    • Streamlined Approval Process: Guides stakeholders through readiness confirmation and approval, ensuring demands are fully vetted before execution.
    • Seamless Demand-to-Work Conversion: Simplifies the transition from demand to actionable work entities, facilitating project initiation and tracking.

    The default demand playbook includes certain predefined stages and activities. These activities guide you through the demand life-cycle, from capturing the initial brief to completing the demand.

    The stages of a demand AI playbook.

    Create demand brief

    In this stage, capture the foundational information for the demand including the business justification, risks, and assumptions.
    Table 1. Create demand brief stage details
    Activity Type Description
    Define demand details Form Enter the demand name, description, and business case. For more information, see Demand form.
    Document risks and assumptions Form Document the risk of not performing the demand and any assumptions. For more information, see Demand form.
    The demand state will be moved to submitted Automated Completing the previous activities advances the demand to the next state in its life-cycle.

    Define demand alignment

    In this stage, align the demand with organizational goals, stakeholders, and team members.
    Table 2. Define demand alignment stage details
    Activity Type Description
    Define business alignment Form Define the business classification for the demand. For more information, see Demand form.
    Define strategic alignment Form Define how the demand aligns with the organization's strategic objectives. For more information, see Demand form.
    Add secondary goals Related list Associate secondary goals and targets with the demand.
    • You can also add a goal or target relationship.
    • You can view the details of an entry by selecting it from the list.
    For more information, see Demand form.
    Update demand dates Form Specify or update the planned dates for the demand. For more information, see Demand form.
    Add collaborators Form Add collaborators to the demand and indicate whether an assessment is required. For more information, see Demand form.
    Add stakeholders Related list Add stakeholders associated with the demand.

    You can view the details of an entry by selecting it from the list. For more information, see Create stakeholder form.
    Add demand tasks Related list Create demand tasks to break down initial planning activities. For more information, see Create demand task form.
    Update EAP details Form Update the Team field for the Enterprise Agile Planning (EAP) entity, to which the demand is converted.
    Note:
    This activity is available if the Type field is an EAP entity.
    The demand state will be moved to screening Automated Completing the previous activities advances the demand to the next state in its life-cycle.

    Estimate demand cost and effort

    In this stage, evaluate the financial and resource requirements for the demand.
    Table 3. Estimate demand cost and effort stage details
    Activity Type Description
    Update assessment details Form Update the assessment information for the demand. For more information, see Demand form.
    Estimate financial cost Related list View and manage cost plans associated with the demand.
    • You can add a cost plan or delete an existing one.
    • You can view the details of an entry by selecting it from the list.
    For more information, see Create cost plan form.
    Estimate resource requirements Related list View and manage resource assignments for the demand.

    You can view the details of an entry by selecting it from the list.

    For more information, see Create resource assignment form.
    Define benefit estimates Related list View and manage benefit plans for the demand.
    • You can add a benefit plan or delete an existing one.
    • You can view the details of an entry by selecting it from the list.
    For more information, see Monetary benefit plan form and Non-monetary benefit plan form.
    Cost estimates Form Review or update the cost estimate details for the demand.
    The demand state will be moved to qualified Automated Completing the previous activities advances the demand to the next state in its life-cycle.

    AI checkpoint

    In this stage, associate AI systems with the demand to identify potential AI impacts.
    Note:
    If the AI Control Tower plugin is installed and the investment type of the demand is set to artificial intelligence, the AI checkpoint stage is available for playbooks.
    Table 4. AI checkpoint stage details
    Activity Type Description
    Associate AI systems Form Add AI systems to the demand by creating one or selecting from the existing systems.
    • To create an AI system, select the Create new AI system link.
    • To link existing systems, use the Product and Impacted AI systems fields.
    For more information on creating AI systems, see Create AI system assets.

    Confirm demand readiness for review

    In this stage, verify that the demand is complete and ready for approval.
    Table 5. Confirm demand readiness for review stage details
    Activity Type Description
    Align demand and assign portfolio/program Form Review the demand details and confirm readiness for the approval process.
    The demand state will be moved to approved Automated Completing the previous activities advances the demand to the next state in its life-cycle.

    Approve and finalize demand

    In this stage, confirm the demand details and convert the demand to a work entity.
    Table 6. Approve and finalize demand stage details
    Activity Type Description
    Confirm details and convert to selected entity Form Review the selected work entity type, such as project or enhancement, and the approved timeline.

    Complete demand

    This stage is the final stage of the demand workflow.
    Table 7. Complete demand stage details
    Activity Type Description
    Review the converted entity Form Review the work entity created from the demand to verify that the conversion is complete.