Major incident assignment

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    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 Major Incident Assignment

    This document explains how major incidents in ServiceNow are automatically assigned to groups and users during various stages—proposal, promotion to major incident, and creation—based on configured properties and the presence of on-call scheduling. It also covers assignment behavior for incident communication plans and tasks related to major incidents.

    Show full answer Show less

    Major Incident Assignment Logic

    The assignment process depends on the value of the property Major Incident Management Group (sysid) and whether the On-Call Scheduling plugin is activated with shifts defined for the group.

    • If the assignment group is empty: The system assigns the major incident to the group specified by the property. If on-call scheduling is active and a user is available on-call, the incident is assigned to that user; otherwise, the “Assigned to” field remains empty.
    • If the assignment group is not empty: The incident retains its current assignment group and assigned user unless manually promoted.

    Assignment Scenarios

    • Incident proposed as a major incident candidate: Assignment behaves as described above, with group assignment based on property and user assignment depending on on-call status.
    • Incident manually promoted to a major incident:
      • If the assignment group is empty, the group is set from the property, and the "Assigned to" user is the individual who promoted the incident.
      • If the assignment group is not empty, the incident is reassigned to the group from the property, the "Assigned to" field is overwritten by the promoting user, and notifications are sent to both original assignment group members and the previously assigned user.
    • Major incident creation:
      • If the assignment group is empty, it is set via the property, and the "Assigned to" user is the creator of the major incident.
      • If the assignment group is not empty, existing assignments remain unchanged.

    Incident Communication Plan and Task Assignment

    • When an incident communication plan is created from a major incident:
      • If the assignment group is empty, it is copied from the source incident, as is the "Assigned to" user.
      • If the assignment group is not empty, current values remain unchanged.
    • When an incident communication task is created from a communication plan sourced from a major incident:
      • Assignment group and "Assigned to" user are copied from the communication plan if the assignment group is empty.
      • Otherwise, values remain unchanged.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This assignment logic ensures that major incidents are automatically routed to the appropriate management group and, when applicable, the on-call individual, streamlining response efforts. Notifications during promotions keep teams informed of reassignment, enhancing communication and accountability. Understanding these rules helps customers configure their major incident workflows effectively and ensures timely incident resolution.

    A major incident is assigned to a group automatically at the time of proposal and promotion based on the value of the property Major Incident Management Group (sys_id) to whom the Major Incident should be re-assigned on promotion to 'Major Incident' (sn_major_inc_mgmt.major_incident_management_group). The assigned group works on the major incident and resolves it.

    The incident is assigned to an individual if the On-Call Scheduling plugin (com.snc.on_call_rotation) is activated and a shift is defined for the group. The following table illustrates the different conditions under which a major incident is assigned to a group and a user.

    Table 1. Assignment of major incident
    Action Condition Assignment group Assigned to
    Incident is proposed as a candidate manually or based on major incident trigger rules Assignment Group is empty Group based on the property value
    • If on-call is activated, shift is defined and a user is available on-call then the incident is assigned to the on-call user
    • If on-call is not activated, the Assigned to field remains empty
    Assignment Group is not empty No change - incident retains the current value of the assignment group No change - incident remains with the current value in the Assigned to field
    Incident is manually promoted to a major incident Assignment Group is empty Group based on the property value The value for the Assigned to field is the user who promoted the incident to a major incident
    Assignment Group is not empty
    • Incident reassigned to group based on the property value
    • Send a notification to the original Assignment Group members about the latest incident reassignment.
    • Assigned to value is overwritten by the user who promoted the major incident candidate
    • Send a notification to the user to whom the major incident was previously assigned
    Major incident is created Assignment Group is empty Group based on the property value The value of the Assigned to field is the user who has created the major incident
    Assignment Group is not empty No change - incident retains the current value of the assignment group No change - incident remains with the current value in the Assigned to field
    Table 2. Assignment of incident communication plan and communication task
    Action Condition Assignment group Assigned to
    Incident communication plan is created with source as major incident Assignment Group is empty The value for the Assignment group field is copied from the source incident The value of the Assigned to field is copied from the source incident
    Assignment Group is not empty No change - incident communication plan retains the current value of the assignment group No change - incident communication plan retains the current value of the Assigned to field
    Incident communication task is created from incident communication plan whose source is major incident Assignment Group is empty The value for the Assignment group field is copied from the incident communication plan The value of the Assigned to field is copied from the incident communication plan
    Assignment Group is not empty No change - incident communication plan retains the current value of the assignment group No change - incident communication task retains the current value of the Assigned to field