Blocking tasks

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Blocking tasks

    Blocking tasks in ServiceNow Customer Service Management are system-generated tasks that prevent progress on customer service cases until resolved. They are triggered by specific agent actions and reflect the current status of case resolution activities. These tasks appear in the "Blocked by" section on the Case form and influence the Action Status field on both the Case form and Case list.

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    Actions That Create and Resolve Blocking Tasks

    Creation: Blocking tasks are created when an agent:

    • Sets the case state to Needs More Information.
    • Associates a problem, request, change, incident, case task, or work order to the case.

    Resolution: Blocking tasks are resolved when:

    • A customer provides the requested information.
    • A fix or workaround is added to a related problem record.
    • A related problem, request, change, or incident record is resolved.
    • A related case task or work order is closed or canceled.

    When resolved, the system updates the blocking task status, updates the Action Status field, and enables the Needs Attention field on the Case form.

    Needs Attention Field

    The Needs Attention field signals that a case requires action or follow-up. It automatically activates when:

    • A blocking task is resolved.
    • A customer or non-assigned user comments on a case.
    • A work note is added to a child case of a major case.

    Agents and managers can also manually enable this field to flag cases needing information from customers or internal users. Only the assigned agent, customer service manager, or admin can deactivate it.

    Requesting Additional Customer Information

    When an agent requests more information from a customer, the system sets the Action Status to Needs Attention and enables the Needs Attention field. If requesting information a second time on the same case, agents should clear the Needs Attention field first to ensure proper status updates.

    Integration with Major Issue Management

    For major cases, the Needs Attention field is also enabled when:

    • A customer comments on a child case.
    • An agent adds a work note to a child case.

    Blocked By Related List and Blocking Reasons

    Blocking tasks appear in the Blocked by related list on the case. Each task has a blocking reason such as:

    • Need information from the customer
    • Need task resolution
    • Need PRB workaround
    • Other

    When a problem is associated and a blocking task is created, the default reason is Need task resolution, which agents can update to Need PRB workaround if appropriate.

    Upon resolution, the system records who unblocked the task and when.

    Blocking Tasks Data Management

    Blocking task records are stored in the Blocked By table [snactionstatusblockedby]. These records are automatically cleaned up six months after the associated blocked record is closed, keeping the data current and relevant.

    Certain agent actions trigger case flows which create and resolve blocking tasks for customer service cases. These tasks determine the case action status.

    When an agent performs certain actions, such as asking a customer for more information or associating a problem with a case, the system:
    • Adds a blocking task to the case. This task appears on the Case form in the Blocked by form section.
    • Updates the Action Status field on the Case form and Case list.
    Note:
    A blocking task is something that prevents an agent from making progress toward case resolution. For example, a case might have one or more open related task records or be waiting for customer feedback.
    Additionally, there are actions that resolve these blocking tasks, such as the customer responding to an agent’s question or an internal user resolving a problem task. When one of these actions occur, the system:
    • Updates the status of the blocking task on the Case form.
    • Updates the Action Status field on the Case form and Case list.
    • Enables the Needs Attention field on the Case form.

    Actions that create blocking tasks

    The following actions create blocking task for customer service cases:
    • The agent sets the state of the case to Needs More Information.
    • The agent associates one of the following to the case:
      • Problem
      • Request
      • Change
      • Incident
      • Case task
      • Work order

    Actions that resolve blocking tasks

    The following actions resolve blocking tasks for customer service cases:
    • A customer provides the requested information.
    • A fix or a workaround is associated with a related problem record.
    • A related problem, request, change, or incident record is resolved.
    • A related case task or work order is closed or canceled.

    Needs attention field

    When the Needs attention field on the Case form is enabled, the Action Status column on the Case list displays a blue indicator.

    The Needs attention field is enabled automatically when:
    • A blocking task for a case is resolved.
    • A customer or someone other than the case owner comments on a case.
    • A work note is added to a case that is a child of a major case.

    Customer service agents and managers can manually enable the Needs attention field if information is required from customers or internal users. This field can be deactivated only by the agent assigned to the case or by the customer service manager or admin.

    Requesting additional information from a customer

    When an agent requests additional information from a customer, the system enables the Needs attention field and sets the Action status field to Needs attention.

    If an agent must request additional information from a customer for a second time on the same case, be sure to clear the Needs attention field on the Case form before requesting the information. This ensures that the status updates correctly.

    Case action status and major issue management

    When using the case action status feature with major issue management, the following actions enable the Needs attention field for a major case:
    • A customer provides comments for a case that is a child of a major case.
    • An agent adds a work note to a case that is a child of a major case.

    Blocked by related list

    Blocking tasks that are created for a case are added to the Blocked by related list. Each blocking task is assigned one of the following blocking reasons:
    • Need information from the customer
    • Need task resolution
    • Need PRB workaround
    • Other
    Note:
    When a problem is associated with a case and a blocking task is created, the blocking reason is set to Need task resolution. If necessary, the agent can change this reason to Need PRB workaround.
    When a blocking task is resolved:
    • The Unblocked By field displays the user who performed the unblocking action.
    • The Unblocked On field displays the date that the blocking task was resolved.

    Blocking Tasks table

    Records that have blocking tasks are stored in the Blocked By table [sn_action_status_blocked_by]. Records are periodically removed from this table. Six months after a blocked record is closed, the entries in the Blocked By table related to the blocked record are removed.