Life cycle value definitions for tangible/physical entities

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated May 7, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Life cycle value definitions for tangible/physical entities

    This documentation outlines thelife cycle stagesand correspondingstatus valuesused in managing tangible or physical assets and models within ServiceNow’s Asset and CMDB tables. These definitions enable organizations to track the status of physical assets throughout their entire life cycle, from initial ideation to end-of-life disposal. Understanding these stages helps optimize asset management, compliance, and operational efficiency.

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    Life Cycle Stages and Statuses

    The life cycle is divided into key stages, each with specific statuses that describe the asset’s condition or process step. These stages and statuses are only visible for tangible/physical entities.

    • Ideation: Assessment phase for new hardware models, including statuses such as Under Evaluation and Pilot.
    • Purchase: Procurement process after approval, with statuses like On Order and Preallocated.
    • Inventory: Assets received but not yet deployed, including Available, Reserved, Pending Repair, Legal Hold, and Quarantine.
    • Deploy: Preparation and movement into operational use, with statuses such as In Stock, Reserved, Pending Transfer, In Transit, and Test.
    • Operational: Assets actively in use or maintenance, including In Use, In Maintenance, End of Support, and Pending Retirement.
    • End of Operation: Transition phase for assets ceasing operation, with statuses like Pending Evaluation, Pending Return, Pending Resale, Pending Certificate, Pending Disposal, Pending Donation, and On Hold.
    • Defective: Assets that have failed and require repair or replacement, including In Stock and In Transit.
    • Missing: Assets that are lost or stolen, with statuses Lost and Stolen.
    • End of Life: Decommissioning and disposal phase, including Pending Disposal, In Transit, Pending Certificate, Disposed, Donated, RMA, Sold, Vendor Credit, Buyout, and Lease Return.

    Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers

    ServiceNow customers can leverage these life cycle stages and statuses to:

    • Precisely track physical asset status at each step, supporting accurate inventory and asset management.
    • Manage compliance and legal holds effectively by recognizing assets under restrictions or quarantine.
    • Streamline procurement, deployment, maintenance, and retirement workflows with clear status definitions.
    • Facilitate audit readiness and lifecycle reporting by maintaining consistent lifecycle status data.
    • Support operational decision-making by identifying assets that are defective, missing, or at end-of-life.

    Accurate use of these values ensures that tangible assets are managed efficiently, reducing risks and improving asset utilization throughout their lifecycle.

    The Life Cycle Stage and Life Cycle Stage Status values for the tangible/physical life-cycle process are visible only in Asset and CMDB tables for tangible/physical models and assets.

    Definitions of tangible/physical life cycle stage and life cycle stage status values

    Relationships between CSDM stages and life cycle values.

    Ideation life cycle stage

    New tangible or physical models in this stage are being assessed for potential use in the organization.

    • Under Evaluation: The hardware model is being reviewed for compatibility, functionality, and business fit before approval. 
    • Pilot: The hardware model is in a limited deployment for real-world testing before broader adoption. 
    Purchase life cycle stage

    After a tangible or physical model is approved, the organization proceeds with procurement.

    • On Order: The asset has been ordered from a vendor but has not yet been received. 
    • Preallocated: The asset is already assigned to a specific purpose or user before its arrival. 
    Inventory life cycle stage

    The asset is received and stored in inventory before deployment.

    • Available: The asset is in stock and is ready for deployment. 
    • Reserved: The asset is set aside for a specific request but is not yet deployed. 
    • Preallocated: The asset is assigned to a request but is not yet physically allocated. 
    • Pending Repair (CI): The asset is in stock but requires repairs before being usable such as on-site visit from manufacturer or RMA swap. 
    • Legal Hold (CI): The asset cannot be deployed due to legal restrictions or compliance reasons. 
    • Quarantine (CI): The asset is isolated due to potential security risks, failures, or non-compliance. 
    Deploy life cycle stage

    The asset is prepared and moved to operational use.

    • In Stock: The asset is stored and is designated for deployment, but is in the process of being prepared for deployment .
    • Reserved: The asset is assigned to a user or department but has not been physically moved. 
    • Pending Transfer: The asset is scheduled for relocation to another facility or user. 
    • In Transit: The asset is currently being moved between locations. 
    • Test: The asset has been identified as part of a deployment activity, has been built, and is ready for testing prior to operational usage .
    Operational life cycle stage

    The asset is actively in use or is undergoing maintenance.

    • In Use: The asset is deployed and functioning in a live environment. 
    • In Maintenance: The asset is being serviced or is undergoing repairs while still considered operational. 
    • End of Support: The asset has reached the end of vendor or internal support but is still in use. 
    • Pending Retirement: The asset is still operational but is marked for decommissioning. 
    End of Operation life cycle stage

    End of Operation is an intermediate stage between Operational and the next stage. Operation of the product have ended, but the product instance is transitioning to a new life cycle stage and life cycle stage status.

    • Pending Evaluation: Non-operational intermediate status in which a product is evaluated to determine its next stage and stage status.
    • Pending Return: Non-operational status before the asset is returned and/or the provider received the returned asset in an end of life stage: RMA, Vendor Credit, Buyout or Lease Return. 
    • In Transit: Non-operational, transitional status to support repurposing the asset and/or true end-of-life.
    • Pending Resale: Intermediate status prior to selling the asset to a third-party entity .
    • Pending Certificate: Intermediate status prior to receiving a certificate of disposal.
    • Pending Disposal: Intermediate status prior to the Disposed end of life stage.
    • Pending Donation: Intermediate status prior to the Donated end of life stage.
    • On Hold: Operation of the asset is halted for one of the following reasons:
      • Suspended: service, subscription, and so on.
      • Blocked: credit card, account, and so on.
      • Paused: subscription, lease, and so on.
    Defective life cycle stage

    Tangible or physical devices that have failed and require replacement or repair.

    • In Stock: The defective asset is stored and is awaiting disposition. 
    • In Transit: The defective asset is being shipped for return, repair, or disposal. 
    Missing life cycle stage

    The asset is unaccounted for or stolen.

    • Lost: The asset is missing and cannot be located. 
    • Stolen: The asset has been confirmed as stolen. 
    End of Life life cycle stage

    The asset is being decommissioned or disposed of.

    • Pending Disposal: The asset is marked for disposal but has not yet been removed. 
    • In Transit: The asset is being shipped to a disposal or return location. 
    • Pending Certificate: The asset awaits official documentation for decommissioning or disposal. 
    • Disposed: The asset has been discarded following proper procedures. 
    • Donated: The asset has been given to a non-profit, employee, or other entity. 
    • RMA: The asset is returned to the vendor for replacement or repair under warranty. 
    • Sold: The asset has been sold as part of asset liquidation. 
    • Vendor Credit: The asset was returned to the vendor for a credit instead of replacement. 
    • Buyout: The asset was leased and has been purchased instead of returned. 
    • Lease Return: The leased asset has been returned to the vendor at the end of its lease period.