Automatic pipeline project creation via Shopping Hub or Employee Center intake requests

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Automatic pipeline project creation via Shopping Hub or Employee Center intake requests

    This feature automatically creates pipeline projects when sourcing requests for products are submitted via Shopping Hub or Employee Center intake requests, provided the product price meets configured budget conditions. The default budget threshold is $250,000 but can be customized through a decision table. Multiple sourcing requests from the same intake that belong to the same spend category or share the same sourcing manager are grouped into a single pipeline project to streamline management. All auto-created pipeline projects start in the Draft state.

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    Key Features

    • Automatic Field Population: Pipeline projects created from intake requests have key fields auto-filled, including:
      • Short description: Reflects single or multiple sourcing requests with product or requestor names.
      • Requestor: Derived from the intake request’s “Who is this request for” field.
      • Number: Unique auto-generated identifier for each pipeline project.
      • Estimated end date: Set to the earliest delivery date among associated sourcing requests.
      • Spend category: Mapped from product categories, left blank if multiple categories exist or grouped by sourcing manager.
    • Sourcing Requests Grouping Logic:
      • SRs with multiple product categories generate separate pipeline projects per spend category unless the sourcing manager is the same, in which case they are grouped and the spend category is left blank.
      • SRs lacking spend categories are grouped into a single pipeline project, including those submitted together with SRs that have categories.
    • Adding SRs to Existing Pipeline Projects: Allowed if the spend category matches or is blank, and the SRs are in Pending Review or Pending Approval states.
    • Cancellation Behavior:
      • Auto-created pipeline projects cancel only if in Draft state when an associated SR is canceled; projects in Work in Progress state remain active.
      • Manually created pipeline projects do not cancel automatically even if associated SRs are canceled.
      • If all sourcing requests in a pipeline project are closed as Cancelled or Rejected, the pipeline project status updates to Closed – Cancelled.

    Key Outcomes

    ServiceNow customers can efficiently manage high-value sourcing requests by automatically generating pipeline projects that consolidate multiple requests based on spend category and sourcing manager. This automation reduces manual project creation effort, ensures consistent project grouping, and maintains accurate project status in relation to sourcing request states. Customizable budget thresholds and clear cancellation rules enable better control over procurement workflows and project lifecycle management.

    When a shopper submits sourcing requests for products, pipeline projects are automatically created, provided the product price meets the budget conditions defined in the decision table.

    By default, the budget threshold is set to $250,000. However, you can configure the budget conditions in the decision table to suit your business requirements. For more information, see Pipeline project creation rule for high-value sourcing requests.

    If multiple sourcing requests are submitted for products that belong to the same spend category or the same sourcing manager, only a single pipeline project is created to group all those products.

    Pipeline projects created automatically through sourcing intake requests are set to the Draft state.

    Fields automatically populated in the pipeline project record

    The following fields are automatically populated for pipeline project records created through an intake request:

    Field Description
    Short description
    • If the intake request results in a single sourcing request (SR), the short description follows this format:

      PIPE00001 for <Product Name>

    • If multiple SRs are created from the same intake request, the format is:

      PIPE00001 Multiple requests for <Requestor Name>
    Requestor Populated based on the value provided in the Who is this request for field.
    Number An auto-generated number that uniquely identifies the pipeline project.
    Estimated end date If multiple SRs have different delivery dates, the earliest delivery date is used as the estimated end date.
    Spend category Derived from the Product Category field using predefined spend category to product category mappings.
    Note:
    If the sourcing requests in a pipeline project have different spend categories, the Spend category field is left blank. If the sourcing manager is the same across different spend categories, the requests are grouped into one pipeline project. In such cases, the Spend category field is left blank.

    Sourcing requests grouping logic

    The following conditions determine how sourcing requests (SR) are grouped into pipeline projects.

    Grouping logic Condition
    Group SRs by spend category (if available)
    • If an SR includes multiple products with different product categories, and category taxonomy is configured, then separate pipeline projects are created for each spend category.
    • However, if the sourcing manager is the same for those spend categories, they’re grouped into one pipeline project. In this case, the Spend Category field is left blank in the grouped pipeline project.
    Group SRs without spend categories
    • SRs that do not have a spend category are grouped into a single pipeline project.
    • If four SRs are created from the same intake request, and three have spend categories while one doesn't, the one without is grouped with the others.
    Spend category restrictions for adding SRs to a pipeline project SRs can be added to an existing pipeline project in the following scenarios:
    • The spend category of the SRs matches with that of the pipeline project.
    • The spend category is blank and not defined for the SRs.
    • The SRs must be in either the Pending Review or Pending Approval state.

    How pipeline project creation affects cancellation

    The way a pipeline project is created determines when and how it can be canceled.

    Pipe creation method Cancellation behavior
    Auto-created pipeline projects from sourcing requests If a pipeline project is auto-created from a sourcing request (SR), and that SR is later canceled, the pipeline project is also canceled but only in Draft state.

    If the pipeline project has progressed to the Work in Progress (WIP) state, it isn’t canceled, even if the associated SR is canceled.
    Manually created pipeline projects For pipeline projects created manually from the List view, the project isn’t canceled even if the associated sourcing request is canceled.
    For both auto-created and manually created pipeline projects If all sourcing requests under a pipeline project are in Closed – Cancelled or Closed – Rejected state, the pipeline project also moves to the Closed – Cancelled state.