Quote transaction stages
Summarize
Summary of Quote transaction stages
Quote transaction stages in ServiceNow CPQ represent distinct phases of the quoting process, structuring it into manageable steps such as Draft, Pending Approval, Approved, Contracted, and Ordered. Administrators can customize these stages to align with their organization’s sales workflow. Each transaction is assigned to a single stage at a time, guiding its progression through the quoting lifecycle.
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Stage Configuration and Order
Administrators control the sequence of stages and can reorder, add, or remove stages to fit their processes. Transitions between stages are triggered by explicit events (e.g., Submit for Approval, Revise) and cannot occur automatically without such triggers.
Entry Criteria and Transitions
Entry criteria define the conditions required for a transaction to advance to a specific stage. When moving forward, ServiceNow CPQ evaluates these criteria to determine the next applicable stage. Backward transitions bypass entry criteria, moving directly to a designated stage. The initial stage in the process has no entry criteria, allowing flexible routing depending on approval requirements.
Rule Groupings and Views
Rule groupings are linked to stages and execute upon stage transitions or user interactions within a stage, enabling dynamic business logic and validations. Stages also allow administrators to assign distinct views and permissions, controlling how different personas access and interact with transaction data throughout the quoting process.
Behavior on Open Transaction and Idle Timeout
- Behavior on Open Transaction: Defines which rule groupings or integrations run when a transaction is opened in a specific stage, with an option to refresh product data automatically.
- Behavior on Idle Timeout: Specifies an event (rule group or integration) triggered after a user remains inactive for a set time, enhancing session management. This should be configured carefully and tested in nonproduction environments to ensure system stability.
Stage Deletion
Deleting stages is restricted to prevent data integrity issues, especially if transactions are currently assigned to those stages. For stage deletions, ServiceNow Support must be contacted.
Stages represent phases in the quoting process. Each stage can have entry criteria, rule group associations, and stage-specific layout behavior in ServiceNow CPQ.
Stages structure the quoting process into discrete phases. A typical implementation uses stages such as Draft, Pending Approval, Approved, Contracted, and Ordered, but administrators can add or remove stages to match their organization's selling process. A transaction is in one stage at a time.
Stage ordering
Administrators can change the order in which stages are evaluated. In the stages list, select a stage and select the chevron icon to access reordering controls. Use the < and > buttons to move the stage in the sequence. The + button creates a new stage at the selected position in the sequence.
Transitions between stages
Transitions represent structured movement from one stage to the next. A transaction cannot automatically transition between stages without an event — such as a Submit for Approval or Revise button — that explicitly triggers the transition. Stage transitions can also be defined for when a new transaction is created or edited.
Entry criteria
Entry criteria are conditions that must be met before a transaction can advance to a stage. When an event transition is set to forward, ServiceNow CPQ evaluates the entry criteria of each succeeding stage until a stage's criteria are met. If no stage meets the criteria, no transition occurs. When an event transition is set to backward, the transaction moves to the stage defined by the administrator without checking entry criteria. The first stage in a process has no entry criteria.
For example, a transaction might transition to the pending approval stage, or, if approval is not required, it might bypass pending approval and move directly to the approved stage. This is configured using entry criteria on the pending approval stage.
Stages and rule groupings
Rule groupings are associated with stages. They execute when the stage is transitioned to and when users update fields or run events while in the stage. For more information about rule groupings, see Quote transaction rules and rule groupings.
Stages and views
Stages enable administrators to assign distinct permissions to determine how personas view and interact with field data at each stage. For more information about defining views for stages, see Quote transaction views.
Behavior on open transaction
The Behavior on Open Transaction stage setting determines which rule groupings and integrations run when a user opens a transaction in that stage. Administrators can configure the Refresh Product Data toggle to refresh product data when the transaction opens, and can add one or more rule groupings or integrations to run on open.
Behavior on idle timeout
The Behavior on Idle Timeout stage setting defines an event that triggers after a user remains inactive for a specified period. Administrators can define one such event per stage. If the event fails on its first execution, it is not retried or requeued. Supported action types are rule groups and integrations.
Note the following guidelines when configuring idle timeout behavior:
- Set the idle time carefully to balance user convenience with session management and system efficiency.
- Test all configured rule groups and integrations in a nonproduction environment before enabling them in live stages.
Deleting a stage
Deleting a stage is restricted because deleting a stage that is in use by transactions can cause data issues. Contact ServiceNow Support if a stage deletion is required.