--- sourceDocument: Australia Governance, Risk, and Compliance sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/governance-risk-compliance Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Governance, Risk, and Compliance ft:clusterId : - grc bundleId : - grc workflow : - Technology --- # Manage engagements # Manage engagements {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Australia * * Updated March 12, 2026 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Manage Engagements The audit engagement process encompasses creating, planning, scoping, conducting, and reporting on audits. This streamlined process ensures that audit managers can effectively manage engagements, from initiation to closure, while addressing any open tasks or issues that arise during the audit lifecycle. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Engagement States:** The engagement process is divided into several key states: Scope, Validate, Fieldwork, Awaiting Approval, Follow Up, and Closed. Each state has specific activities and requirements necessary for progressing through the audit. * **Task Management:** Audit tasks provide documented evidence of compliance with regulations and internal policies. Tasks can include control testing, interviews, and walkthroughs. * **Engagement Creation:** Audit managers can create new engagements, generate audit reports, and create control tests and activities based on previous engagements to simplify the process. * **Approval Process:** Assigned approvers review and either approve or reject engagements during the Awaiting Approval state. * **Audit Workbench:** The Engagement Workbench offers a timeline view for tracking engagements and accessing details or creating new audits conveniently. ## Key Outcomes By using the Manage Engagements process, ServiceNow customers can efficiently oversee audit engagements, ensure compliance, and maintain clear documentation of findings. This process allows for quick adjustments to scope and tasks as needed and ultimately supports informed decision-making for organizational audits. The audit engagement process involves creating, planning, scoping, and conducting engagements as well as reporting on engagement findings. ## Engagement process The base system audit engagement process includes steps for scoping, validating, conducting, and approving engagement results. It also contains steps for following up on open audit tasks and issues, and finally closing out the audit engagement. {#c_Engagements__table_pzj_vyr_pw__entry__2} | State | Description | |-|-| | Scope | During the Scope state, audit managers define which entities are involved in the audit engagement. For example, for a financial audit, one may include all business services that the finance department relies on and the finance department itself. See [Add entities to an engagement scope](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/hzoF9Rll1kQl5ITdG6_93Q "Audit managers can define which entities are involved in the audit engagement. When you add an entity to an engagement, the corresponding risks, controls, test plans, and indicator results of the entity are also added to the engagement."). | | Validate | After an engagement has moved to the Validate state, all the risks, controls, and test plans associated with the entities in the engagement's scope will be associated with the audit. Indicator results that were collected during the audit period of the engagement will also be associated with the audit. Audit managers can review the risks, controls, test plans, and indicator results, and update the scope of the engagement, if necessary. Audit managers can also begin creating and planning audit tasks for the engagement. To move an engagement into the Validate state, click Validate on any engagement currently in the Scope state. | | Fieldwork | Auditors complete their assigned audit tasks during the Fieldwork state. These tasks include control testing, interviews, walkthroughs, and other activities. Issues that are found during control testing are associated with the engagement. Auditors can also create general issues associated with the engagement. Audit managers can create additional audit tasks as needed. When the audit is done, audit managers specify the result of the engagement, whether it's satisfactory, adequate or inadequate, and provide details on their opinion. To move an engagement into the Fieldwork state, click Advance to Fieldwork on any engagement currently in the Validate state. See [Audit task management](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/PbKHlwPo3kvEYgAftsAEDw "Audit tasks are completed throughout an engagement and provide documented evidence that the organization is complying with external regulations and internal policies."). | | Awaiting Approval | During the "Awaiting Approval" state, the approvers specified in the Approvers field of the engagement review the results of the audit tasks conducted and the issues that were created. After reviewing the results of the engagements, approvers approve or reject the engagement. To move an engagement into the Awaiting Approval state, click Request approval on any engagement currently in the Fieldwork state. See [Approve or reject an engagement](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/EBzYeVJDZCFKkUmN1glZGQ "Audit users that are assigned as approvers for an engagement can approve or reject engagements in the Awaiting Approval state."). | | Follow Up | After an engagement has been approved, if there are any remaining open tasks, issues or milestones, in case of GRC Advanced Audit, associated with the engagement, the engagement automatically goes into the Follow Up state. During this stage, auditors must close out all remaining issues, tasks, and milestones before the engagement are marked as complete. | | Closed | Engagements move into the "Closed" state under one of three conditions: * The engagement is closed as incomplete during the Scope, Validate, or Fieldwork states. * There are no open audit tasks, issues, and milestones after the engagement is approved. In this case, the engagement automatically moves from the Awaiting Approval state to the Closed state. * All follow-up tasks, issues, and milestones are closed out. In this case, the engagement automatically moves from the Follow Up state to the Closed state. {#c_Engagements__ul_dnn_kfs_pw} | [Table 1. States of the engagement process] {#c_Engagements__table_pzj_vyr_pw} * **[Audit task management](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/PbKHlwPo3kvEYgAftsAEDw)** Audit tasks are completed throughout an engagement and provide documented evidence that the organization is complying with external regulations and internal policies. * **[Create an engagement](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/O8ZF~MKEZn2iJ_FXcrj~lQ)** Audit managers create engagements to manage audit information and collect entities, controls, and control tests that are relevant to the audit. * **[Generate an audit report from an engagement](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/8I8QvLK1G6SGDTH0jTjKfg)** Generate an audit report and maintain different versions of audit reports from an engagement in Follow up state. * **[Create an engagement from a previous engagement](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/rtZi06371Urxtp1pa_sxvw)** Audit managers can create engagements from previous engagements to reduce the need to redefine the scope, auditors, and approvers for similar engagements that are conducted throughout the year. * **[Create a control test from an engagement](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/TGNt2ZRnRqJSZfRGvYB_Cg)** After defining a control, audit managers create control tests that run periodically and provide documented evidence of whether the associated control is operating correctly. * **[Create an audit task activity](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/bHC919EHrrlNgEC8VDTEdg)** After defining a control, audit managers create activities that explore and provide documented evidence of whether the associated control is operating correctly. * **[Create an interview](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/PtOCKy0Q1AaYWvGp6byh2g)** After defining a control, audit managers create interviews with control owners to discuss and provide documented evidence of whether the associated control is operating correctly. * **[Create a walkthrough](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/mnPy5JJGA1m2_UHkZGBZmg)** After defining a control, audit managers create walk throughs that will be conducted to observe and provide documented evidence of whether the associated control is operating correctly. * **[Generate a KB article from an engagement](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/hCXizOwA2FIrrlJQt1LaRA)** Audit managers can generate a KB article that summarizes the findings of an engagement so report findings can be communicated to executives. * **[Approve or reject an engagement](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/EBzYeVJDZCFKkUmN1glZGQ)** Audit users that are assigned as approvers for an engagement can approve or reject engagements in the Awaiting Approval state. * **[Add entities to an engagement scope](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/hzoF9Rll1kQl5ITdG6_93Q)** Audit managers can define which entities are involved in the audit engagement. When you add an entity to an engagement, the corresponding risks, controls, test plans, and indicator results of the entity are also added to the engagement. * **[Manage Audit Engagements](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/Vam8HxjH4mQVx~TSecm27g)** The Engagement Workbench provides a timeline view from which you can select an audit engagement to view details or create a new engagement.