Playbook terminology

Release version: Yokohama

Updated January 30, 2025

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Summary of Playbook terminology

A playbook in ServiceNow is an end-to-end workflow designed to guide users through business processes by visualizing tasks and providing step-by-step guidance to achieve specific goals. It helps structure workflows into manageable parts, making it easier for customer service agents to follow and complete processes efficiently.

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Playbook structure

Playbooks are composed of several key elements created and managed in Workflow Studio:

Trigger: Defines when a playbook starts based on record operations (e.g., create or update) and specific conditions.
Stage: Logical groups of activities forming sequences within the playbook. Each stage can contain manual or automated tasks.
Activity: Individual tasks or steps users must complete or skip to progress through the playbook. Activities are sequenced within stages and can be automated or manual.

Playbook UI components

Customer service agents interact with playbooks primarily through the CSM Configurable Workspace. The user interface elements that display and manage playbooks are built or customized in UI Builder and include:

Playbook picker: Allows selection among multiple playbooks associated with a record.
Stage picker: Displays all stages in a playbook and shows the user’s current position. Available in two layouts:
- Horizontal stage picker: Shows stages across the top of the page and highlights the current stage, with activities listed in the activity picker.
- Vertical stage picker: Shows stages and their activities vertically on the page side, highlighting and expanding the current stage.
Activity picker: Lists activities within the current stage and indicates their status.
Activity viewer and activity card: Display the details of the current activity, enabling users to perform and complete the necessary work.

This terminology and structure enable ServiceNow customers to design, configure, and effectively use playbooks to streamline business workflows, improve user guidance, and enhance process visibility within customer service environments.

Use the following list of terms to gain an understanding of playbook structure, tools, and configuration.

A playbook is an end-to-end workflow that includes the steps, strategies, and guidance to lead users through a business process. A playbook:

VISUALIZES a workflow in a task-oriented view and guides users through sequences of tasks.
INCLUDES a series of steps that a user must complete to achieve a particular goal.
PROVIDES guidance for completing those steps.

Playbook structure

A playbook contains one or more stages, or groups of tasks, and sequences of activities within each stage. A playbook also includes a trigger. The structure of a playbook is created in Workflow Studio.

Table 1. Playbook structure
Term	Definition
Trigger	A trigger determines when a playbook starts running. Each trigger has a type and conditions that, when met, start running an activated playbook. The trigger type represent a record operation, such as when a record is created or updated. Trigger conditions determine when and how a trigger is fired. Triggers are created in Workflow Studio.
Stage	A stage is a sequence of activities in a playbook that are grouped in a logical way. A playbook can contain one or more stages and each stage includes one or more activities for a user to complete. Stages can also include automated activities. Stages are added to a playbook in Workflow Studio.
Activity	An activity is one step in the overall business process represented in a playbook. Activities are the tasks, steps, or actions that a user takes to complete a playbook. Activities are grouped in stages and are sequenced in a logical order. Users can complete or skip manual activities. Activities can also be completed automatically. Activities are added to playbook stages in Workflow Studio.

Playbook UI components

Customer service agents interact with playbooks in CSM Configurable Workspace. The record pages that display playbooks in a workspace are created or customized in UI Builder. Different components make up the playbook record pages.

Table 2. Playbook UI components
Term	Definition
Playbook picker	A playbook picker can be used to select a playbook in the user interface. A playbook picker is available if there are multiple playbooks on a record.
Stage picker	A stage picker displays the stages in a playbook. It gives the user a complete view of the playbook and where they are within the playbook. A stage picker can be oriented horizontally or vertically and includes icons that indicate the stage status.
Horizontal stage picker	A horizontal stage picker displays the playbook stages horizontally at the top of the record page and highlights the current stage. It displays activities within the current stage in the activity picker.
Vertical stage picker	A vertical stage picker displays the playbook stages and activities vertically on the side of the record page. It highlights and expands the current stage to display the activities within that stage.
Activity picker	The activity picker displays the activities in the current stage. It includes indicators that show the activity state.
Activity viewer	The activity viewer displays the details of the current activity. This is where a user performs the work necessary to complete the current activity.
Activity card	An activity card displays the details of the current activity. Users use the cards to complete the work for each activity.