Structured workflows for Crisis Management in BCM Configurable Workspace

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Structured Workflows for Crisis Management in BCM Configurable Workspace

    This guide details the structured workflows for managing crisis events in the Business Continuity Management (BCM) Configurable Workspace. It outlines the essential tasks the BCM program manager should perform to effectively respond to a crisis event, ensuring a systematic approach to crisis management.

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    Key Features

    • Create a Crisis Event: Initiate a crisis event and track assets and plans.
    • Add Event Tasks: Include tasks related to the crisis event for effective management.
    • Bulk Editing: Users with editing access can perform bulk edits on tasks, enhancing efficiency when managing multiple tasks.
    • State Transitions: Clearly defined permitted state transitions for event tasks help maintain workflow integrity.
    • Automated Tasks: Import automated tasks from a business continuity plan to streamline the response process.
    • Nested Plans: Automatically create nested plans in an event to reduce manual efforts and improve performance.

    Key Outcomes

    By following these workflows, ServiceNow customers can effectively manage crisis events, ensuring timely responses and streamlined operations. The ability to track impacted assets and manage tasks enhances recovery efforts, ultimately leading to improved business continuity and reduced downtime during crisis situations.

    Perform the structured workflows to manage a crisis event in Business Continuity Workspace (also known as BCM Configurable Workspace).

    Typically, the BCM program manager performs the following tasks to respond to a crisis event:

    Additional information on Crisis events

    • For information on the Crisis events tab in the Home page, see Home page view.
    • For information on the threats, feeds, and alerts in the Crisis map interface, see Crisis map interface.
    • For information on the administrative tasks in the Crisis map interface, see Setup for Crisis map.
    • For information on the crisis events, see Crisis events.

    Bulk editing of tasks from the Event tasks related list

    Starting with version 6.1.x of the Business Continuity Management application, users who have editing access to the event record can now perform bulk edits on tasks directly from the Event tasks related list. This feature is beneficial for users who manage multiple event tasks simultaneously.

    In the recovery tasks list, users with the necessary edit permissions can modify the following fields simultaneously:
    • State
    • Assigned to
    • Actual start
    • Actual end
    • Assigned group

    Once an event is initiated, these users can also modify the state of an event task either from the list view or the form view. The process for updating the state of an event task from the list view is demonstrated in the following example. If a state transition is not allowed, an error message is displayed to indicate that the update is invalid.

    Bulk edits.
    The following table details the permitted state transitions for an event task.
    Table 1. Permitted state transitions for an event task
    Transition from state Pending state Open state Work In Progress state Closed Complete state Closed Incomplete state Closed Skipped state Closed Failed state
    Pending No Yes No No No Yes No
    Open No No Yes No No Yes No
    Work In Progress No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
    Closed Complete No Yes No No No No No
    Closed Incomplete No Yes No No No No No
    Closed Skipped No Yes No No No No No
    Closed failed No Yes No No No No No
    Note:
    All changes to state transitions and updates to the start or end dates are listed in the Task activity log.

    Consider the following key details about the state transitions of an event task.

    1. The event task can only be opened from the Closed complete state.
    2. Once the event task moves to the Open state, users of the event task can edit it further.
    3. The task can then be moved from the Open state to the Closed Skipped state.
    4. Only users with access to the event can reopen the event task. While recovery task members can change the status of the event task, they cannot reopen it.
    The following table summarizes the UI actions available for an event task and their corresponding states:
    Table 2. UI actions and the associated states of the event tasks
    UI action State of the event task Notes
    Trigger Pending This condition is applicable only when an event has been started.
    Skip task Pending, Open, Work in progress -
    Work in progress Open -
    Closed complete Work in progress -
    Closed incomplete Work in progress -
    Closed failed Work in progress -
    Re-trigger as a manual task Closed -
    Re-trigger automation Work in progress, Closed This condition is applicable for an automated task only.

    If a task is mistakenly closed, users of the event task can reopen it to make the required edits, ensuring the recovery process remains accurate and complete.

    Updating the event task as a recovery task member

    Generally, recovery task members update the status of event tasks. Although they do not have access to the event page or workspace, they can navigate to My Recovery Tasks in the instance to access the recovery task. By modifying the UI action, they can change the status of the event task, as demonstrated in the example.

    Update the state of the event task.

    For instance, when members of the recovery task mark the task as Closed complete, all fields on the form become locked. This implies that while members of the recovery task cannot modify the fields, they are still able to add activity notes. Only users who have access to the event task can edit the fields on the form.

    For information on importing the automated task in an event, see Import the automated task in an event.