Playbooks in Workflow Studio release notes

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Playbooks in Workflow Studio Release Notes

    The ServiceNow® Playbooks builder within Workflow Studio enables playbook owners to design multi-flow processes using a diagram or task board interface. The Xanadu release introduces several enhancements aimed at improving playbook creation, management, and automation capabilities. Playbooks is a ServiceNow Store application integrated with the AI Platform and Workflow Studio, designed to streamline task automation and user guidance.

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    Key Features

    • Variants: Use a single playbook to handle multiple scenarios by creating different variants, increasing flexibility and reuse.
    • Playbook Recommendations: Receive activity suggestions to replace placeholder activities, simplifying playbook design.
    • Re-prompt and Preview: Modify and preview text directions before generating the playbook outline using Now Assist.
    • Image and Text-Based Playbook Generation: Automatically generate playbooks from text, images, or a combination, enabling faster creation.
    • Questionnaire Activity: Collect up to 10 custom responses from end users without needing existing tables or fields, enhancing data capture during playbook runs.
    • Improved Access Controls: Better manage who can access playbooks and their components, ensuring secure collaboration and governance.
    • Archived Data Enhancements: Schedule archival of process execution data with JSON file access for historical analysis and compliance.
    • Script Support: Use scripts or business rules to activate, restart, deactivate, or duplicate playbooks via APIs, facilitating automation and lifecycle management.

    Important Updates and Changes

    • The pdadmin role has been renamed to playbook.admin.
    • Activities now trigger asynchronously to improve playbook run performance.
    • The Questionnaire activity replaces the older Collect User Data activity.
    • Playbook generation with images is not available in the APAC region.

    Activation and Upgrade Information

    To access all Xanadu features, customers must update the Playbooks and Workflow Studio applications via the ServiceNow Store. Some features, such as variants and questionnaire activity, require downloading the latest app version. Workflow Studio is included by default as part of the AI Platform, but additional applications like Now Assist for Creator are needed for playbook generation features.

    Related ServiceNow Applications

    • Workflow Studio: A unified design environment for authoring and managing workflows, consolidating multiple workflow tools.
    • Flow Designer: Enables automation of approvals, tasks, notifications, and record operations without coding.
    • Playbook Experiences: Allows customization of the agent user experience within playbooks.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Create adaptive and reusable playbooks for varied scenarios, reducing development time.
    • Leverage AI-driven recommendations and automated generation to simplify playbook creation.
    • Collect custom user input dynamically without database schema changes.
    • Securely control access and manage playbook lifecycle through enhanced roles and scripting APIs.
    • Ensure better performance with asynchronous activity triggering and streamlined user interfaces.
    • Archive and audit process data effectively to meet compliance and reporting needs.

    The ServiceNow® Playbooks builder within the ServiceNow® Workflow Studio application enables playbook owners to create multiple-flow processes in a diagram or task board interface. The Playbooks builder was enhanced and updated in the Xanadu release.

    Playbooks highlights for the Xanadu release

    • Use one playbook for multiple scenarios with variants.
    • Get recommendations on which activities to replace placeholder activities with.
    • Preview and modify your text directions before generating your playbook outline with Now Assist.
    • Generate a playbook with out-of-the-box activities from text, an image or both.
    • Collect custom responses from an end user, without requiring an existing table or fields.
    • Better manage access to your playbooks and playbook components.

    See Exploring playbooks for more information.

    Important:
    Playbooks is available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes.

    Important information for upgrading Playbooks to Xanadu

    After you upgrade to Xanadu, update the Playbooks and Workflow Studio applications in the ServiceNow Store.

    New in the Xanadu release

    Variants
    Use one playbook for multiple scenarios with variants.
    Playbook recommendations
    Get suggestions on which activities to replace placeholder activities with.
    Re-prompt and preview
    Preview and modify your prompt before building your playbook.
    Image to playbook generation
    Generate a playbook with out-of-the-box activities from text, an image, or both.
    Questionnaire activity
    Reference flow glide variable input and output values in an activity's condition builders to collect up to 10 pieces of information from an agent or fulfiller to use later during a playbook run, without requiring an existing table or fields.
    Greater access controls
    Better manage access to your playbooks and playbook components.
    Archived data enhancements
    Schedule process execution data to be archived, and view the JSON files for your archived data.
    Script support for activate, restart, deactivate, and duplicate
    Use a script include or business rule that calls the activate, deactivate, restart, or duplicate playbook APIs.
    Washington 25.2 release
    See 25.2 features in the Washington DC Playbooks release notes:
    • Playbook Assist

    Changed in this release

    Updated Roles
    The pd_admin role is now playbook.admin.
    Activities trigger asynchronously
    To avoid slowing down the playbook runs, the first activities are triggered asynchronously.

    Removed in this release

    Use the Questionnaire activity instead of the Collect User Data activity.

    Activation information

    The 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 app in the ServiceNow Store, as well as related applications like the Process Automation Experience Demo application.

    To use the playbook generation feature in Workflow Studio, download the Now Assist for Creator application.

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website 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.

    Additional requirements

    The following features are part of the ServiceNow AI Platform® and are active by default:
    • Archived data enhancements
    • Script support for activate, restart, and deactivate
    • Updated roles
    • Greater access controls
    Download the app in the ServiceNow Store to access the following features:
    • Variants
    • Questionnaire activity
    • Playbook Recommendations
    • Re-prompt and preview

    For access to all Xanadu features, download the latest app in the store.

    Localization information

    Playbook generation with images is not available in the APAC region.

    Related ServiceNow applications and features

    Workflow Studio
    ServiceNow® Workflow Studio consolidates , Workflow Studio, Action Designer, Integration Hub integrations, and ServiceNow® Decision Builder into one design environment. Author, configure, and monitor all of your workflows in a streamlined experience.
    Flow Designer
    ServiceNow® Workflow Studio enables process owners to automate approvals, tasks, notifications, and record operations without having to code. You can use the Workflow Studio design environment to author flows and actions and to view the results they produce.
    Playbook Experiences
    ServiceNow® Playbook experiences enable you to customize the default playbook user experience for your agents.