---
sourceDocument: Australia IT Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/it-service-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia IT Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itsm

bundleId :

    - itsm

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Create a contact definition

# Create a contact definition {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read  
Define the recipients of a particular incident communication plan to determine the target audience involved in each communication task and the responsibilities the recipients are expected to handle.

## Before you begin

Role required: ia_admin or admin

## Procedure

1. Navigate to AllIncident Communications ManagementContact AdministrationContact Definitions.  
   Note:  
   If the UI16 module link redirection feature is enabled in Service Operations Workspace (SOW) and the UI16 module supports the redirect configuration, navigating through UI16 paths automatically redirects you to the equivalent list or record pages in SOW instead of displaying the UI16 forms or lists. For more information, see [Redirect UI16 module links to Service Operations Workspace](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/vL8HZs36~TCAlAHAiJ5i~w "Redirect classic UI16 module navigation links to the equivalent Service Operations Workspace (SOW) experience.").
2. Click New.  
   Figure 1. Contact definition form
3. On the form, fill in the fields.  
   {#t_CreateAContactDefinition__table_hjx_zwg_1r__entry__2}

   | Field | Description |
   |-|-|
   | Name | Unique name for the contact definition. |
   | Type | Type of contact such as user or group that you want to involve in the plan. |
   | Responsibility | Responsibility that the user or group is expected to handle. |
   | Source | Method to determine the user or group to associate with this definition. The source can be: * None: Use no association. You should associate users or groups [manually](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/6M_~jwCLziii2ghHhm1XUA "Add a user to a communication plan if you have not added the user earlier in the contact. You can assign a communication task to the user to resolve an issue.") within the Incident Communication Plan form. * Default Override: Use [default override](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/0ps68g9X2U5U659xVFnzag "Create a default override to specify user or group for a contact definition of an incident communication plan. It helps you to set multiple conditions based on which a user or a group is considered as a contact.") to associate users or groups based on conditions. * Form Field: Use information from the incident communication plan form based on the value specified in the Source field. {#t_CreateAContactDefinition__ul_oym_gxg_1r} |
   | Quantity | The maximum number of contacts that can be associated with the selected responsibility for each incident communication plan record. Note: The Quantity field appears only when you select None as the value for the Source field. |
   | Source field | The field on the Incident Communication Plan form whose value is considered to be the contact associated with the selected contact responsibility. * For contact type as User, the values are Assigned to, Closed by, Opened by, or Resolved by. * For contact type as Group, the value is Assignment group. {#t_CreateAContactDefinition__ul_gqm_4xg_1r} Note: The Source field appears only when you select Form field as the value for the Source field. |
   | Active | Check box to indicate whether the definition is active or not. |
   | Condition | The conditions that must be met to associate this contact definition to a particular user or group. If multiple conditions are defined, each condition is evaluated in the order listed. |
   [Table 1. Contact definition form]

   {#t_CreateAContactDefinition__table_hjx_zwg_1r}
4. Click Submit.
{#t_CreateAContactDefinition__steps_jpx_l3d_l1c}
**Related tasks**   

* [Define contact responsibilities](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/gOpoSfVVa~uu7n7TJBh7Mw "Define the different contacts or target audience involved in the communication process and their responsibility to understand the expectations from those contacts throughout the process.")
* [Create a default override](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/0ps68g9X2U5U659xVFnzag "Create a default override to specify user or group for a contact definition of an incident communication plan. It helps you to set multiple conditions based on which a user or a group is considered as a contact.")
* [Add a user as a contact](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/6M_~jwCLziii2ghHhm1XUA "Add a user to a communication plan if you have not added the user earlier in the contact. You can assign a communication task to the user to resolve an issue.")  
**Related reference**   

* [Responsibilities for Incident Communication Plan](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/mZnLvBINghuGDgtsHLTZSA "Contact responsibilities helps you to identify contacts by their responsibilities and to understand what you can expect from the user throughout the life cycle of the communication plan.")

*[\>]: and then