Remedial actions using Playbook

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Remedial Actions Using Playbook

    The Remedial Actions Using Playbook feature enables ServiceNow customers to resolve configuration item (CI)-related issues effectively through an interactive UI. Accessible via the Investigate tab, this feature provides options to end processes or restart services related to CIs, enhancing incident resolution efficiency.

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    Key Features

    • Interactive Playbook: Facilitates step-by-step execution of remedial actions, allowing for controlled management of the remediation process.
    • Current and History Tabs: Displays ongoing and past playbooks, giving visibility into both the status of actions and completed processes.
    • CI Class Support: Supports remedial actions for various CI classes, such as Devices and Servers, with distinct requirements for each class.
    • Cancellation of Actions: Allows users to cancel ongoing remedial actions easily, with reasons for cancellation available for review.
    • Toggle Option: A toggle to display actions performed on all CIs associated with an incident enhances troubleshooting capabilities.
    • Concurrent Execution Options: Users can opt to allow or disallow concurrent execution of remedial actions, depending on their operational needs.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing the Remedial Actions Using Playbook, ServiceNow customers can expect:

    • Improved incident resolution times through guided remediation processes.
    • Increased visibility into ongoing and historical remediation actions.
    • Streamlined management of CI-related issues with clear approval and change request requirements for critical actions.
    • Enhanced control over the execution and cancellation of remedial actions.

    Ensuring the proper configuration of the Investigation and Remedial Action Frameworks is crucial for leveraging these capabilities effectively.

    Resolve the CI-related issues using the remedial actions using Playbook in the Investigate tab.

    The Investigate tab includes the following types of remedial action to resolve CI-related issues:
    • End process
    • Restart service
    These remedial actions are available on the Investigate tab only if the following conditions are met:
    Remedial actions use playbooks to resolve CI issues. Playbook provides you with an interactive UI to guide and execute the remedial actions step by step. With a playbook, you can control every execution step of the remediation process. Playbook is available on the contextual side panel of the Incident record page. When any remedial action is performed, that remediation process is added to a playbook. You can then select the playbook (Playbook icon) icon on the contextual side panel to open the playbook on a separate panel and execute the process. The playbook panel displays the following tabs:
    • Current: Displays the current list of playbooks that trigger the remedial action, including both processes and services that have the status New and In Progress.
    • History: Displays the historical list of playbooks, including both processes and services that have the status Completed, Canceled, or Failed.
    You can perform remedial actions on both the affected CIs and the caller CIs associated with the incident record. The caller CIs are the CIs that are assigned to the caller.
    Note:
    If the CI is DEX supported, the remedial actions playbook for the DEX actions are displayed. If the CI is SOW or default view supported, the remedial actions playbook for SOW actions are displayed.
    You can cancel an ongoing End process or Restart service remedial action playbook. To cancel a remedial action playbook, select the remedial action playbook and select the menu (Menu icon) icon and then select Cancel action option. After the remedial action playbook is canceled, the corresponding action is also canceled. Then, the status of the remedial action is displayed as Canceled in the History tab of the playbook panel. To view the reason for cancellation, select the View reason option on the playbook. This option isn’t available if any of the following are true:
    • The remedial action is already in Canceled status.
    • The corresponding CI action record of the remedial action is already in progress.
    • The change request has already moved to implement state for actions associated to CIs of type server.

    The Remedial actions section on the Investigate tab also contains the Current and History tab to display the list of remedial actions performed. By default, this section displays the list of remedial actions for the primary CI or current CI. You can switch the Show actions performed on all CIs in this incident toggle to display the list of remedial actions for all the CIs associated with the Incident.

    Playbook is available only if both the Remedial Action Framework [com.snc.sn_reacf] application and the Investigation Framework [sn_invest_fwk] application are installed and configured, as well as if the remedial actions are triggered.

    Note:
    You can't execute concurrent or duplicate remedial actions when a remedial action is in progress on a process or service for a CI type device or server. You also can't execute concurrent or duplicate remedial actions on the same CI until the previous remedial action execution is completed. You can change this behavior and allow concurrent execution of the remedial action by selecting the Allow concurrent execution option for Remedial Action Type. For more information, see Configure the Remedial Actions Framework.

    End process

    The End process remedial action is available with the following metric information cards:
    • Top processes By Memory
    • Top processes By CPU
    Select the CI and then select End process to stop the process running on the CI. The remediation process then is added to the playbook. Select the Playbook (Playbook icon) icon from the contextual side panel to open the playbook on a separate panel and execute the process. You can execute the End process remedial action for the following CI classes:
    • Device: For this CI class, a two-step process is executed where you must get the user approval before the End process remediation process can be executed. After it’s approved, you can directly stop the process on the device, which is also known as the endpoint.
    • Server: For this CI class, you must create a change request before the End process remedial action can be executed using a standard change request. You must also provide additional information to create a change request.

    Restart service

    The Restart service remedial action is available with the Services metric information card.

    Select the CI and then select Restart service to restart the services running on the CI. The remediation process then is added to the playbook. Select the Playbook (Playbook icon) icon on the contextual side panel to open the playbook on a separate panel and execute the process. You can execute the Restart service remedial action for the following CI classes:
    • Device: For this CI class, a two-step process is executed where you must get the user approval before the Restart service remediation process is executed. After it's approved, you can directly restart the services on the device, which is also known as the endpoint.
    • Server: For this CI class, you must create a change request before you can execute the remedial action using a standard change request. You must also provide additional information to create a change request.