HR Series: Part 2

Building a Lifecycle Event and Its Associated Activity Sets and Activities

Before You Begin 

• Required Roles: sn_hr_le.admin or sn_hr_le.activity_set_manager 
• Initial Step: Define the event type (e.g., new hire onboarding).  
  • Lifecycle Event: Contains one or more activity sets. 
  • Activity Sets: Represent different stages in the lifecycle event process. 
  • Activities: Can be requests for approvals, tasks for employees, activities for fulfillers, or notifications. 

Building a Lifecycle Event 

1. Navigation:
   • Go to All > Lifecycle Events > Administration > Manage Lifecycle Events.
   • Click New or open an existing record.
2. Manage Lifecycle Event Form Fields:
   • Title: Name of the lifecycle event. 
   • Active: Option to activate the lifecycle event for use. 
   • Description: Description of the lifecycle event. 
   • Display Activity Sets to Subject Person (Employee Center only): Option to show the activity sets timeline on the HR ticket page to the subject person of the lifecycle event case. This is a two-part process. In addition to selecting this box, you must also select Show case to subject person for the HR service associated with the lifecycle event. 
   • Notes:
     • If Show case to subject person for the corresponding HR service is not selected, the activity sets timeline will not display for the subject person.
     • The progress bar for each activity set appears only for the person the case is opened for.
     • The HR ticket page allows users to view HR case details in the Employee Service Center.
3. Sorting Activities:
   • Due Date: Show activities in chronological order with tasks due earlier at the top and other activities by creation date.
   • Display Order: Show activities in the order they appear in an activity set.
   • Note: The selection in this field is also reflected on the Employee Center for a user’s to-dos.
4. Event Type:(Will need to create new event type choices)
   • Onboarding: For mobile onboarding. Ensure Display activity sets to subject person and Show case to subject person are selected.
   • Offboarding
   • Transitions
   • HR Services
5. Final Steps:
   • Click the Activity Sets tab to configure the activity sets and activities.
   • Click Submit or Update. 

Building an Activity Set 

1. Accessing the Lifecycle Event Builder:
   • Navigate to All > Lifecycle Events > Administration > Manage Lifecycle Events.
   • Open a record and click the Activity Sets tab.
2. Creating or Modifying Activity Sets:
   • To create a new activity set, click New Activity Set.
   • To modify an existing activity set, hover over the activity set and click Edit Activity Set.
   • Use the lifecycle event builder to create new or modify existing activity sets.
   • Fill in the fields on the form.
3. Activity Set Form Fields:
   • Title: Name of the lifecycle event activity set.
   • Display Title: Employee-facing title that appears on the activity sets timeline on the HR ticket page in both portal and mobile. If no display title is provided, the default activity set name will be used.
   • Description: Description of the lifecycle event activity set.
   • Active: Option to activate the lifecycle event activity set for use.
   • Display Order: Order number for when the activity set appears in the lifecycle event builder and in the activity sets timeline on the HR ticket page.
   • Notes:
     • The order number has no relation to when the activity set is triggered.
     • If no order number is provided, the activity set will appear after all numbered activity sets.
4. Display Options:
   • Display to Opened For: Option to show or hide the activity set to the person the case is opened for. If selected, the activity set will appear in the activity sets timeline on the HR ticket page in both portal and mobile.
   • Display to Subject Person: Option to show or hide the activity set to the subject person of the lifecycle event case. This is a three-part process:
     • Select Display activity sets to the subject person for the lifecycle event type.
     • Select Show case to subject person for the HR service associated with the lifecycle event.
     • If not selected, the activity set will not appear in the activity set’s timeline. Any associated to-dos assigned to the subject person will still appear on the HR ticket page.
5. Audience:
   • Define the specific audience of the activity set targets. If the audience field is empty, the activity set applies to all employees.
   • Use the audience as a filter when using the Test Activity Sets tool.
   • Note: Audience criteria for an activity set override the audience criteria for an activity.
6. Activity Set Trigger Conditions:
   • Immediate: Activity set triggers upon creation of the lifecycle event case.
   • Date: Activity set triggers before, on, or after the specified date.
     • If the date for the activity set is updated, the change will apply only to open HR cases with active activity sets that have not yet been triggered.
   • Trigger Table: Select an HR case or profile table.
   • Trigger Field: Select a date field.
   • Ignore Empty Date: Option to not trigger the activity set when the date field is empty.
   • Date Offset Type: Select the date offset type (None, Before, After).
   • Date Offset Quantity: Provide an offset quantity.
   • Date Offset Units: Provide a unit of measure (days, weeks, or months).
   • Other Activity Sets: Activity set triggers after the completion of one or more activity sets.
   • Activity Set Dependencies: Select one or more activity sets that must be completed before the activity set triggers.
   • Advanced: Activity set triggers per the provided script.
     • Trigger Script: Provide a custom script to determine when the activity set triggers.
     • Variables in Scripts:
       • parentCase: Reference to parent lifecycle event case.
       • hrTriggerUtil: Allows checking of other activity sets or dates from other types of triggers.
     • The Activity Set Launcher workflow runs every four hours to verify these conditions.
7. Condition-Based Triggers:
   • Condition: Activity set triggers per the specified conditions.
     • When defining conditions like case sensitivity or null values, see APIGlideFilter – Scoped, Global.
   • Condition Table: Select an HR case or HR profile table.
   • Condition Builder: Define the conditions that must be met for the activity set to trigger.
   • Combination: Activity set triggers based on a combination of a specified date, other activity sets, and/or conditions.
     • Combination Type: Select when the activity set triggers (And, Or).
     • Date: Specify a date as part of the combination trigger type.
     • Other Activity Sets: Select one or more activity sets that must be completed as part of the combination trigger type.
     • Condition: Use the condition builder to define the conditions that must be met as part of the combination trigger type.
   • Click Submit or Update. 

While the above technical tip has been provided with care and consideration, it’s important to acknowledge that individual circumstances may vary. Always ensure compatibility and feasibility within your specific ServiceNow environment before implementing any suggestions. Additionally, back up your data and proceed with caution when making any changes to your instance or workflows. 

As with any change in ServiceNow, make sure you test any changes prior to moving to production.