SLA conditions

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of SLA conditions

    SLA conditions in ServiceNow define when a task SLA record is attached, paused, resumed, reset, canceled, or completed. These conditions are configured on the SLA definition and allow you to control SLA behavior based on task record changes. Up to six conditions can be set: start, cancel, pause, resume, stop, and reset. Each condition determines specific SLA lifecycle events tied to task state or field values.

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    Key Features

    • Start condition: Defines when the SLA attaches to a task. It supports options to cancel SLA if start conditions are no longer met, cancel only when cancel conditions are met, or never cancel. You can also specify a retroactive start time based on a task date/time field.
    • Cancel condition: Specifies when an SLA should be canceled during its lifecycle.
    • Pause condition: Determines when the SLA timer suspends increasing elapsed time, with options to resume elapsed time based on resume conditions.
    • Resume condition: Defines when a paused SLA resumes counting elapsed time, evaluated alongside pause conditions.
    • Stop condition: Indicates when an SLA is considered complete, regardless of breach status.
    • Reset condition: Allows completion of the current SLA and attachment of a new SLA if start conditions match again. Useful for resetting SLAs when specific task field values change (e.g., location changes).

    How SLA Conditions Are Evaluated

    Each task is evaluated in this sequence:

    1. Process new SLAs to determine if an SLA record should be attached.
    2. Process existing SLAs attached to the task.

    The conditions influence SLA state as follows:

    • Attach SLA if start condition matches and neither stop nor cancel conditions match.
    • Complete SLA if stop condition matches.
    • Pause SLA if pause condition matches.
    • Resume SLA if pause condition does not match or resume condition matches.
    • Reattach SLA if reset and start conditions both match.
    • Cancel SLA if start condition does not match or cancel condition matches.

    Consider the evaluation order carefully when creating conditions. For example, if your start condition overlaps or is a subset of your stop or pause condition, the SLA may never attach or may immediately pause or cancel. Mutually exclusive start and pause conditions may result in SLAs that cancel before pausing.

    Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers

    By properly configuring these SLA conditions, you can:

    • Precisely control when SLAs start and stop based on task status or field changes.
    • Pause and resume SLA timers automatically according to business rules.
    • Reset SLAs when critical task attributes change, ensuring accurate SLA tracking.
    • Avoid unintended SLA cancellations or pauses by carefully designing condition logic with evaluation order in mind.

    This flexibility ensures SLAs reflect your organizational processes accurately and provide meaningful performance measurements for your teams.

    SLA conditions determine when a task SLA record is attached, paused, resumed, reset, canceled, and completed.

    On the SLA definition, you specify up to six conditions that are evaluated each time a task record is created or updated. For example, for an SLA to attach to a task, the start conditions must match and stop conditions must not match.

    SLA conditions work in the following ways:

    • SLA conditions
    • SLA condition evaluation

    SLA conditions

    You can set up to six SLA conditions: start, cancel, pause, resume, stop, reset.
    Start condition
    Enables you to define the conditions under which the SLA will be attached.
    You can choose the conditions from the When to cancel list under which the SLA will be canceled.
    • Start conditions are not met option: If one or more of the specified start conditions change, then the SLA will be canceled. The Start conditions are not met option is selected by default.
    • Cancel conditions are met option: The start condition has to be met only once, thereafter the SLA will only cancel when the cancel condition is met.
    • Never option: The SLA will never be canceled.

    Select Retroactive start to choose a date and time field from the task that will provide the start time of the task SLA. If you select the Retroactive start check box, the Set start to field appears offering the date and time fields available on the task type that this SLA definition applies to. For example if you select Retroactive start on a Priority 1 SLA definition and then choose Created in the Set start to field, then the SLA is attached with the start time being the date and time from the Created field on the Incident.

    Cancel condition
    Enables you to define the conditions under which the SLA will cancel. You can specify the cancel conditions at the same time when you specify the start conditions.
    Pause condition
    Enables you to define the conditions under which the SLA will suspend increasing elapsed time.
    You can choose the conditions from the When to resume list under which the SLA will resume increasing elapsed time.
    • Pause conditions are not met option: If one or more of the specified pause conditions no longer match, then the elapsed time will continue to increase.
    • Resume conditions are met option: If one or more of the specified resume conditions match, then the elapsed time will continue to increase. The Resume conditions are met option is selected by default.
    Resume condition
    Enables you to define the conditions under which under which the SLA will resume increasing elapsed time. You can specify the resume conditions at the same time when you specify the pause conditions.
    Stop condition
    Enables you to define the conditions under which the SLA completes. If all of the specified stop conditions match, then the task SLA will complete regardless of whether it is breached.
    Reset condition
    Enables you to define the conditions under which the running SLA will be completed and a new SLA will be attached. For a new SLA to be attached, the start condition must match.

    Reset condition also helps to configure SLAs when the value of any specific field on the task record changes, changes to or changes from a specific value in the record. For example, the value of the Location field in the task record is 101 Broadway East, Seattle,WA. If you set the SLA reset condition as Location changes from 101 Broadway East, Seattle,WA, any change in the value of the Location field resets the SLA of the task record.

    SLA condition evaluation

    Every task in the system is evaluated in the following order:
    • Process new SLAs-- Determine if a new SLA record must be attached to a task
    • Process existing SLA records attached to a task.
    SLA conditions are evaluated in the following ways:
    • Attach if start condition matches and both the stop and cancel conditions don't match.
    • Complete if the stop condition matches.
    • Pause if the pause condition matches.
    • Resume if the pause condition doesn't match or resume condition matches.
    • Reattach if both the reset and the start conditions match.
    • Cancel if the start condition doesn't match or cancel conditions matches.

    Consider this evaluation order when you create conditions. For example, if your Start condition is a subset of your Stop condition, the Stop condition will always match when the Start condition matches and the SLA will never attach. This includes processing any new SLAs that were just created.

    Similarly, if your Pause condition is a subset of your Start condition, the SLA will attach but will permanently be in Paused state. As soon as the Pause condition does not match, the equivalent Start condition will also not match and that task SLA record will be canceled.

    In addition, if you create a SLA definition with a Start condition and a Pause condition that are mutually exclusive, your SLA will never pause but will always be canceled first. For example, for an SLA definition where the Start condition is State is one of "New, Active" and the Pause condition is State is "On Hold", when the Task is updated to state On Hold, the start condition will no longer match and the task SLA will be canceled.