Case line item states

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Case line item states

    In ServiceNow, case line items represent individual issues within a broader case and can exist in various states as agents work toward resolution. These states reflect the progress and current status of each line item, allowing agents to manage complex cases with multiple issues effectively. The states of case line items are synchronized with the parent case to maintain consistency across the case lifecycle.

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    Case Line Item States

    • Draft: Initial state when a case and its line items are created but not yet submitted.
    • New: Activated when the case is submitted; all Draft line items move to New.
    • Work in Progress: Indicates an agent is actively working on the line item.
    • Awaiting Info: The agent has requested more information and is waiting for a response.
    • Resolved - Accepted: The resolution for the line item has been accepted.
    • Resolved - Denied: The resolution for the line item has been denied.
    • Cancelled: The line item has been cancelled; this state is applicable only when the case is in Draft.

    Synchronizing Case and Case Line Item States

    The Case lines and workflows application ensures that the states of case line items remain in sync with the parent case state:

    • Draft: Both case and line items start in Draft upon creation.
    • New: Submission of the case moves it and all Draft line items to New.
    • Work in Progress: When an agent assigns a case to themselves, the case and related New line items move to Work in Progress. If any line item is in Work in Progress, the case reflects this state.
    • Resolved: Setting a case to Resolved updates all associated line items to Resolved. The case is considered Resolved only when all line items are Resolved.
    • Closed: The case can be Closed only if all line items are in terminal states (Resolved - Accepted, Resolved - Denied, or Cancelled).
    • Cancelled: Cancellation is permitted only when the case is in Draft, and all associated line items are also set to Cancelled.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    This structured state management enables agents to track and manage the progress of complex cases with multiple issues efficiently. By understanding these states and how they synchronize, agents can better coordinate work, request additional information when needed, and close cases confidently only when all line items reach terminal states. This process ensures clarity and consistency in case handling within ServiceNow.

    A case line item can be in one of several different states as agents work to resolve a case and the associated case line items. The case line items in a case can be in different states as the agent works to resolve each issue.

    Table 1. Case line item states
    State Description
    Draft The case line item is in the Draft state.

    When a case is created and is in the Draft state, the associated case line items are also created in the Draft state.
    New The case line item is in the New state.

    When a case is submitted and moved to the New state, the associated case line items that are currently in the Draft state are also moved to the New state.
    Work in Progress The assigned agent is working on the case line item.
    Awaiting Info The assigned agent has requested additional information about the case line item and is waiting for a response.
    Resolved - Accepted The change to the case line item has been accepted.
    Resolved - Denied The change to the case line item has been denied.
    Cancelled The case line item has been cancelled.

    Syncing the state of a case with the case line items

    The Case lines and workflows application syncs the state of the case line items with the parent case.
    Table 2. Case and case line item states
    State Description
    Draft When a case is created for an item with multiple lines, such as an order, new case line items are also created. The case and case line items are created in the Draft state.
    New When a case is submitted, the state is updated from Draft to New. The states of the associated case line items that are currently in the Draft state are also set to New.
    Work in Progress When an agent selects Assign to me on a case in the New state, the state is updated from New to Work in Progress. The states of the associated order case line items that are currently in the New state are also set to Work in Progress.

    If any of the associated case line items are set to Work in Progress, the case is set to Work in Progress.
    Resolved When a case is set to Resolved, the status of each associated case line item is also set to Resolved.

    If all of the case line items are Resolved, the case is set to Resolved.
    Closed
    If all of the case line items are in a terminal state, the case can be set to Closed. Terminal states include:
    • Resolved - Accepted
    • Resolved - Denied
    • Cancelled
    Cancelled When a case in the Draft state is set to Cancelled, the status of each associated case line item is also set to Cancelled.
    Note:
    Agents can only cancel cases in the Draft state.