SLA conditions

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 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 in the SLA definition and evaluated each time a task record is created or updated. Understanding and correctly setting these conditions ensures accurate SLA tracking aligned with your business processes.

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    Key Features

    • Start condition: Defines when an SLA is attached to a task. You can control if the SLA cancels when start conditions change, or if it cancels only based on cancel conditions. The Retroactive start option allows you to specify a date/time field on the task to set the SLA start time, such as the task creation time.
    • Cancel condition: Specifies when the SLA should be canceled.
    • Pause condition: Determines when the SLA's elapsed time stops increasing (paused). It works in conjunction with the resume condition.
    • Resume condition: Defines when the SLA's elapsed time resumes increasing after being paused.
    • Stop condition: Defines when the SLA completes, regardless of breach status.
    • Reset condition: Enables completion of the running SLA and attachment of a new SLA when specified field changes occur on the task record. For example, changing a location field value can reset the SLA.

    How SLA Conditions Are Evaluated

    The system evaluates SLA conditions for each task in this order:

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

    SLA records are managed according to these rules:

    • Attach if start conditions match and neither stop nor cancel conditions match.
    • Complete if stop conditions match.
    • Pause if pause conditions match.
    • Resume if pause conditions do not match or resume conditions match.
    • Reattach (reset) if both reset and start conditions match.
    • Cancel if start conditions do not match or cancel conditions match.

    Practical Considerations for Configuration

    • When configuring SLA conditions, be aware of evaluation order to avoid conflicts. For example, if the Start condition is a subset of the Stop condition, the SLA will never attach.
    • If Pause and Start conditions conflict, the SLA may remain paused indefinitely or be canceled unexpectedly.
    • Mutually exclusive Start and Pause conditions can cause the SLA to cancel instead of pause.

    By carefully designing your SLA conditions considering these evaluation rules, you ensure that SLAs behave as intended throughout the lifecycle of your tasks.

    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.