---
sourceDocument: Australia Strategic Portfolio Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/it-business-management

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    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Strategic Portfolio Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itbm

bundleId :

    - itbm

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Change requests and project tasks

# Change requests and project tasks {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 5 minutes to read
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## Summary of Change requests and project tasks

ServiceNow allows customers to integrate change management with project management by linking change requests to project tasks.
This functionality helps manage large-scale changes approved by the Change Approval Board (CAB) that require project implementation.
You can link one or more existing change requests to a project task or create new change requests directly from a project task.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **Linking Mechanism:** When a change request is linked to a project task, a project task link record is created, inheriting attributes from the change request and becoming a child task of the project task.
* **Task Relationships:** A project task cannot simultaneously have both child tasks and project task links to change requests. Linking creates a read-only project task link visible in related lists on the Project Task form.
* **Multiple Change Requests:** Multiple change requests can be linked to a single project task, with each link represented as a separate child task. However, a change request can only be linked to one project task.
* **Date and Duration Management:** The project task link uses the later start date between the project task and change request, with the planned end date from the change request. Durations roll up from change requests to project task links and then to parent project tasks.
* **State Synchronization:** Changes in the state of a change request (e.g., Pending, Open, Work in Progress, Closed) automatically update the linked project task link and roll up to the parent project task and project.
* **Manual Task Start:** Project tasks linked to change requests do not start automatically when the project begins; project managers must manually update the task state to Work in Progress.
* **Modification Propagation:** Updates to planned start/end dates and states on change requests propagate to project task links and parent tasks, but changes made within the Project Management application do not affect the original change request records.

## Practical Considerations for ServiceNow Customers

* Use this linkage to maintain alignment between change management activities and project execution, ensuring accurate scheduling and status tracking.
* Plan your project task hierarchy carefully because tasks linked to change requests cannot have child tasks, limiting task structuring options.
* Manually update the state of change requests when closing projects to ensure accurate change lifecycle tracking.
* Leverage the automatic roll-up of dates and states to keep project timelines and statuses consistent with change request progress.  
Large-scale changes approved by your change approval board (CAB) require new or existing
projects to be implemented.

To bridge the gap between change management and project management, the instance allows you to
link one or more change requests to a project task. You can link an existing change request to a
project task or create a new change request directly from a project task.

When you link a project task to a change request record, a new project task link record is
created. It provides the actual link between the project task record and the change request
record. The project task link copies all attributes of the change request record. It then becomes
a child task of the project task that you linked to the change request. The rules that govern the
relationship between the project task and the project task link are the same as the rules for all
parent and child tasks.
Figure 1. Project tasks linked to change requests  
Note:  
A project task cannot have both task link records and child project tasks. When a project task is linked to a change request, you cannot also create child tasks for that project task. Likewise, when a project task has child tasks, you cannot link the parent project task to a change record.

The project task link record is read only. You can view the project task links from a related
list on the Project Task form.

You can also link multiple change requests to a single project task. In this case, a project
task link record is created for each link and all the project task link records become child
tasks of the project task.
Figure 2. Project tasks links

## Change request project task relationship {#c_ChangeRequestsAndProjectTasks__section_m3k_2wh_yfc}

The rules that apply to all parent-child tasks also govern the relationship between project task and the project task link. The project task link inherits start and end dates from the change request. However, the Project Management application adjusts the dates when these situations occur:

Start and end dates:

* If the project task and the change request have different planned start dates, the project task link uses the later of the two dates. For example, if the project task starts on October 1 but the change request starts on October 2, the project task link changes to October 2.
* If the change request has an earlier start date, the Time constraint value for the project task link becomes Start ASAP when the link is created. The end date remains the same as the end date specified in the change request record.
* If the change request starts and ends before the project start date, the project task link has a duration of zero (0). It also appears as a milestone that occurs when the project starts.
* If a change request is scheduled to start during non-work time according to the project schedule, the planned start date of the project task link ignores the schedule. It also starts at the time specified by the change request. However, the duration of the project task link does take the schedule into consideration. For example: the project uses the default schedule, which specifies that work hours are Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 17:00 with an hour break from noon to 13:00. A change request with a 13-hour duration starts at midnight. The project task link starts at midnight and continues through the start of the schedule at 08:00. It stops at noon for one hour, and continues from 13:00 until 14:00. The total duration would be 13 hours.
{#c_ChangeRequestsAndProjectTasks__ul_sml_bly_dq}

## Project Task Duration {#c_ChangeRequestsAndProjectTasks__section_n3k_2wh_yfc}

The duration of the change request determines the duration of the project task link. That duration is rolled up to the parent project task just as all child task durations roll up to parent tasks. The Planned start date and Planned end date in the Change Request form Schedule section are the fields that determine the duration. If there are no planned dates on the Change Request
form, the default duration is one project day. The project has a schedule or 24 hours when the project has no schedule.

## Multiple Linked Change Requests {#c_ChangeRequestsAndProjectTasks__section_o3k_2wh_yfc}

If you link additional change requests to a project task, additional project task links are created. All become child tasks of the project task. The dates roll up to the parent task. For example, if a linked project task is
planned to finish on October 30. You link a new change request scheduled to finish on November 30, a new project task link is created. The parent task planned end date extends to November 30 to cover the duration of both project
task links. A change request can only be linked to one project task. It cannot be linked to multiple tasks in the same project or across multiple projects. A project task that has one or more child tasks cannot also have a
project task link connecting it to a change request.

## Project Task State {#c_ChangeRequestsAndProjectTasks__section_p3k_2wh_yfc}

If the state of a change request changes to Pending, Open, or Work in Progress, the state of the project task link changes accordingly. If the state of the
change request changes to any of the closed states, the state of the project task link changes to Closed Complete.

## How Modifications Propagate Between Change Requests and Project Tasks {#c_ChangeRequestsAndProjectTasks__section_q3k_2wh_yfc}

Modifications to a linked change request propagate to the project task link. However, the reverse is not true. You cannot modify the change request record from the Project Management application.  
Modifications to the following fields propagate from the change request to the project task link:

* Planned start date
* Planned end date
* State
{#c_ChangeRequestsAndProjectTasks__ul_ipk_qly_dq}
These change request settings also roll up to the project task that is the parent of the project task link, and also up to the project record. Consider the following example: a project has not yet been started and all its tasks are in the Pending state. If you changed the state of a linked change request record from Open to Work in Progress, the project task link, its parent task, and the project itself all change to Work in Progress.

When you start a project, tasks that have Start ASAP as the time constraint and have no other start dependencies start
immediately. However, project tasks with linked change requests do not start automatically. The project manager must start the task manually by changing the State field to Work in Progress.
Modifications made in the Project Management application do not propagate to a linked change request record, so closing a project does not close a linked change. When you successfully implement a change and close the project it belongs to, you must go to the change request record and manually change the state to Closed.
**Related concepts**   

* [Parent-child rollup task calculations](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/yicBJqzueBAurJzjgsPLAw "Date changes, stage changes, and value calculations roll up from child tasks to parent tasks.")
* [Schedule conflicts between project tasks](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/jRjakviYOb~COOfrCnkYrg "Scheduling conflict helps you to identify project tasks that are not honoring dependencies. A scheduling conflict occurs when one project task prevents other task from starting on the specified date because of dependencies or constraint types.")
* [Project task checklists](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/fAhSJrFn7Fxx_aFoEcH2zA "A project task checklist gives you the ability to track activities that must be completed on a task.")
* [Task resources](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/DDYc8Kvical0nqUKjhtoog "Resources are the individuals or groups assigned to perform tasks and subtasks in Project Management.")
* [Project and project task states](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/c9RS0oEzIVbECWV6RnHzmw "In the base system, the states in project and project task inherit the states in Task table.")
* [Composite Fields](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/CRJCsO1yPCKmdzCQvc_tbQ "A composite field combines information from two fields in a table to form a single field.")
* [Cost plan breakdown](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/uixGFtQqBVrNm_UVdKPxSg#cost-plan-breakdown "A cost plan breakdown captures the estimated cost and actual cost for every fiscal period. Cost plan, project, demand, program, and portfolio are the breakdowns types that are available.")
* [Actual project costs](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/b1~zhiExT5R8Pz_Et_P47Q "Actual project costs come after you create expense lines for cost plans or after human resources use time cards to create expense lines.")
* [Types of external dependencies](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/6~Sy0tVsTxXSF1tkjHkBrw "The Project management application supports two types of external dependencies - hard and soft.")
* [Project and portfolio funding](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/lemfmgoMwVN7Duy~wk3Otw "Specify the amount of money that projects and portfolios are allowed to have.")
* [Project scheduling in Project Management](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/3dnQztbobmF5NVLuL1kSjg "Define how tasks are sequenced, timed, and connected to determine when a project starts and finishes with Project scheduling. Project scheduling calculates task start and finish dates based on the project start date, task dependencies, constraints, and task duration in forward scheduling mode.")  
**Related tasks**   

* [Project tasks](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/tCXf5iJm8J9lqdD4fy8nsg "Create project tasks in several ways, even from other applications in the instance.")
* [Link change requests to a project task](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/O~Z1S4EuTi3qz4Kx9~t6mA "Link change requests to tasks on the Project Task form. You can link change requests only to project tasks that have no child tasks.")