Playbook release notes
Summarize
Summary of Playbook release notes
The Playbook builder within the ServiceNow® Workflow Studio application allows playbook owners to design multi-flow processes via diagram or task board interfaces. The Australia release introduces significant enhancements to improve playbook creation, execution, and testing, enabling customers to build more modular, automated, and user-friendly workflows.
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Key Features
- Nested Playbooks: Embed playbooks within other playbooks to promote reuse of activity sets, simplify maintenance, and improve load times in Playbook Designer.
- On-demand Playbook Launch: Enable runtime users to start playbooks as needed, supporting dynamic workflow initiation.
- Wizard Experience for End Users: Implement guided sequences to assist users in completing tasks efficiently, such as servicing equipment.
- Automated Test Framework Integration: Create automated tests to verify playbook behavior and ensure reliability.
- AI Agents as Playbook Activities: Incorporate AI agents directly within playbooks to automate tasks by gathering context, executing work, and producing outputs for downstream activities.
- AI-Powered Playbook Summarization: Generate concise AI summaries of playbook stages, activities, triggers, and inputs from the Workflow Studio canvas for quick understanding.
- AI Skills Integration: Add lightweight AI skills as playbook activities to run focused AI tasks and pass structured outputs along the workflow.
- Custom AI Agents in Agentic Playbooks: Use custom AI agents with options for collaborative or autonomous operation modes within playbooks.
- Role Updates: Tasks previously requiring the admin role now require the more specific playbook.admin role for improved role management.
- AI Platform Licensing Tiers: Access to AI features depends on licensing tiers—Foundation, Advanced, and Prime—each providing progressively more AI capabilities and autonomy.
Activation and Upgrading
Playbooks are available through the ServiceNow Store as part of the Workflow Studio application within the ServiceNow AI Platform. Customers upgrading to the Australia release must update the Workflow Studio app from the store to access new features. Additional applications like Now Assist for Creator and Now Assist enable playbook generation and Agentic Playbooks, respectively. Always ensure you have the latest versions of Workflow Studio and related apps for optimal functionality and access to patch fixes.
Related Applications
- Workflow Studio: Unified environment consolidating Playbooks, Workflow Studio, Integration Hub integrations, and Decision Builder for streamlined workflow authoring and monitoring.
- Playbook Experience: Customizes the default playbook interface for agents to enhance user interaction and productivity.
The Playbook builder within the ServiceNow® Workflow Studio application enables playbook owners to create multiple-flow processes in a diagram or task board interface. The Playbook builder was enhanced and updated in the Australia release.
Playbooks highlights for the Australia release
- Nest playbooks within other playbooks.
- Enable runtime users to launch a playbook on demand.
- Test playbooks with the Automated Test Framework.
- Preview the UI for an activity in when configuring a playbook activity in Workflow Studio.
- Use AI agents as activities in your playbook to automate tasks.
See Exploring Playbook for more information.
Important information for upgrading Playbooks to Australia
After you upgrade to Australia, update the Workflow Studio application in the ServiceNow Store.
New in the Australia release
- Nested playbooks
- Nest playbooks as a step within other playbooks to enable the following scenarios:
- Simplified end-user playbook experience
- Implement a wizard experience for guiding your end users through a sequence of steps to achieve an outcome, such as servicing a printer.
- Automated Test Framework support for playbooks
- The Automated Test Framework can be used to create automated tests to confirm your playbooks run as planned.
- Use AI agents as a playbook activity
- Use an existing AI agent as an activity in your playbook to automate tasks. The AI agent gathers the required context, performs the work, and produces outputs that subsequent activities can consume.
Changed in this release
- Required role update
- Any tasks that previously required only the admin role now require the playbook.admin role instead.
- ServiceNow product tiers
- The ServiceNow AI Platform now brings you a new AI experience with three licensing tiers available:
- Foundation: AI basics to deliver insights
- Advanced: AI to boost productivity across relevant use cases
- Prime: Act autonomously with all AI assets and create your own
Depending on your entitlements, you will have access to certain application features, generative AI skills, agentic workflows, and AI agents.
Activation information
The Playbooks application comes with the Workflow Studio ServiceNow Store app. Workflow Studio is part of the ServiceNow AI Platform® and is available by default. Get the latest Workflow Studio features by downloading the latest Workflow Studio app in the ServiceNow Store, as well as related applications like Process Automation Content and Process Automation Experience Demo. The Playbooks application can be downloaded for patch fixes.
To use playbook generation features in Workflow Studio, download the Now Assist for Creator application. To use Agentic Playbooks, enable it through Now Assist.
Visit the ServiceNow Store to view all the available apps, and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.