State synchronization between change requests and remediation tasks

Release version: Washingtondc

Updated February 1, 2024

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Summary of State Synchronization Between Change Requests and Remediation Tasks

In the Configuration Compliance application, state synchronization links the State fields of remediation tasks and change requests (CHGs). This feature ensures that as a CHG progresses through its lifecycle, the associated remediation tasks are updated automatically, promoting efficiency and accuracy in managing remediation activities.

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Key Features

Automatic State Updates: When a change request is created or associated with a remediation task, the remediation task state advances to Awaiting Implementation if it is not already there.
Forward Synchronization: CHGs moving to Review or Closed states trigger remediation tasks to update to Resolved, except when a CHG is in an open state (New, Assess, Authorize, Scheduled, Implement).
Backward Synchronization: If a CHG is canceled or closed unsuccessfully, the remediation task reverts to Under Investigation, indicating no active remediation plan.
Multiple CHG Management: For remediation tasks with multiple associated CHGs, the state transitions depend on the earliest state of the associated CHGs.

Key Outcomes

By utilizing state synchronization, ServiceNow customers can ensure that remediation tasks accurately reflect the status of their corresponding change requests, minimizing the risk of oversight and enhancing the overall effectiveness of compliance efforts. Customers can expect streamlined processes, as well as clear visibility into the status of remediation tasks related to their change requests, leading to better management of vulnerabilities and remediation efforts.

There is a synchronized relationship between the State fields of remediation tasks and the State fields of change requests (CHGs) in the Configuration Compliance application.

Note:

Starting with v14.9 of Configuration Compliance, the following terms have been renamed:

Table 1. Changes in terminology
Terminology prior to v14.9	Terminology v14.9 onwards
Test Result Group	Remediation Task
Group Rules	Remediation Task Rules
Policy	Test group

As a change request moves through its life cycle, it also moves the state of any related remediation tasks automatically. State synchronization is enabled by a system property by default in your instance when you download the Configuration Compliance application from the ServiceNow Store starting with v12.0.

When state synchronization is enabled, the CHG State field changes the remediation task State field automatically in the following cases:

When a new change request is created for a remediation task, if it is not in Awaiting Implementation, the remediation task state moves forward to Awaiting Implementation.
When an existing change request is associated to a remediation task, if it is not in Awaiting Implementation, the remediation task state moves forward to Awaiting Implementation.
After the tasks on a change request are completed (Implemented), and the CHG is moved to the Review state, the remediation task moves forward to Resolved.

For more information and examples of state synchronization, see the following sections.

Note:

You can still manually move change requests and remediation tasks through the states of their life cycles on their respective records with state synchronization enabled, but when the system registers that a change request has changed its state, or you add a change request or remove it from a remediation task, state synchronization potentially can override your manual intervention. However, change request states do not automatically move the remediation task from the Closed.

Forward state synchronization

The following image illustrates how CHG states automatically move remediation task states in a forward life cycle, that is, from Open to Resolved.

How CR states drive CTR states.

You can create new change requests for any remediation task in a state other than Resolved or Closed. State synchronization automatically moves the TRG bi-directionally through the Open, Under Investigation, Awaiting Implementation, and Resolved states. This movement is based on certain values of the state field on the change request. State synchronization between the change request and the remediation task is invoked automatically unless the check box (Add CIs to CR) is displayed on a form and you choose to clear the check box.

The remediation task does not move forward to Resolved when a CHG is in its open states. Any CHG in states prior to Review in its life cycle such as, New, Assess, Authorize, Scheduled or Implement, as shown in the preceding figure, are considered open states for the CHG. Open states do not move the state field on the remediation task, because investigations or tasks on the CHG are not completed. State synchronization is invoked when a CHG is created for, or associated to, the remediation task, or when the state of an existing relationship changes on the CHG. The completed CHG states are Review and successfully Closed. When a CHG is closed successfully, its closed codes are: Successful, or Successful with issues, in which case the remediation task moves forward to Resolved.

Backward state synchronization

As a CHG is processed during its life cycle, it may be canceled at some point. In this case, if the CHG is Canceled, or Closed (with a close code of Unsuccessful), the remediation task automatically moves back to Under Investigation. The remediation task moves back to Under Investigation, because there is no active plan to remediate the vulnerability.

If a remediation task is in a Resolved state, and you create a new CHG or associate it to an existing CHG in one of the initial open states, the remediation task automatically transitions back to Awaiting Implementation. The remediation task moves back to this state, because more work is now assigned to the CHG.

Remediation tasks with more than one CHG

If a remediation task in Awaiting Implementation has more than one CHG associated with it, state synchronization is based on the status of the CHG in the earliest state of its life cycle. For example, say a remediation task has four CHGs associated with it, CHG1, CHG2, CHG3, and CHG4 as shown in the following table.


CHG number	CHG state
1	Implement
2	Canceled
3	Closed (close code of Unsuccessful)
4	Closed (close code Unsuccessful)

State synchronization between the CHG and the remediation task in this case is based on CHG1, which is in the earliest state of the four CHGs, (Implement). In this case, the remediation task remains in Awaiting Implementation.

In another example, if a remediation task is in the Resolved state and has an existing CHG that has been implemented and is in the Review state, and a new CHG is created, the remediation task moves back from Resolved to Awaiting Implementation. State synchronization is based on the CHG in the New state, which is the CHG in the earliest state.


CHG number	CHG state
1	Review
2	New

Also, when remediation tasks have more than one CHG, the state of the remediation task transitions automatically in the following cases:

When a CHG moves forward to Review, if all other CHGs associated with the remediation task are in Review or Closed states (with a successful close code), the remediation task automatically transitions to Resolved. Any other related CHGs that are canceled or closed unsuccessfully are ignored.
When a CHG moves to Canceled or Closed (close code of Unsuccessful), if all other CHGs associated with the remediation task are in the same state, then the remediation task automatically transitions back to Under Investigation.

For more information about remediation task states and what you can do in each state, see Configuration Compliance states.