How Does Checklist Pro Do It?

Checklist Pro provides no-code, low-code and pro-code options for determining which checklist should appear on a particular record in ServiceNow (any record).

But how does it do this?

Knowing the rules that Checklist Pro applies when creating a checklist is important. This article summarizes how Checklist Pro does it!

Two Options:

1. Programmatically (i.e., by a Checklist Pro API call). This guarantees that a specific Checklist Configuration is created and associated with a target record, regardless of whether or not a person “visits” that record (i.e., using the browser – navigates to that record – which is option #2).

2. Conditionally (i.e., by having someone browse to a record where a checklist configuration is defined).

We will cover Options #2 (Conditional Creation) in more detail here.

The following conditions must exist for a checklist to be created on a particular record:

• The “Checklist Pro” formatter must appear on a form (or on the Service Portal page) for a specific table (note – if there are different views, the Checklist Pro formatter must appear on the view in question, otherwise, it will not trigger the evaluation of whether to create/display a Checklist)

• The Checklist Pro configuration record must be active (i.e., active=true)

With the above two conditions met, then a Checklist will only be created in the following situations:

• A person navigates to the form (record)

• The “Create Conditions” evaluate to TRUE for the specified Checklist Configuration record

The next question is, WHICH Checklist Pro Configuration record will be evaluated and what is the order in which that evaluation takes place?

Checklist Pro Configuration record selection uses the following priorities:

1. Does this record already have Checklist Items created? If so, then these items will be displayed.

2. If the record does not already have Checklist Items created see if this is a Shared Checklist Reference (by looking for this record in the Shared Item table).

3. If neither the standard configuration nor shared reference configuration record is existing, then search through Checklist Pro Configuration records applying the following precedence rules:

Select all ACTIVE Checklist Configurations with a matching table ordered by the ORDER field, then by the NAME field (lowest ordered value first, a-z ordering for the name)

If there is a "Custom Create" script defined, then that condition is applied, otherwise the condition builder expression for "Create Conditions" is evaluated.

The Checklist will only then be created if the conditions to create the checklist (either through the custom script or the condition builder) evaluate to TRUE.

Saving $$,$$$ Using Checklist Pro

A hydro-power transmission organization using ServiceNow is facing a dilemma. Drought conditions are reducing power production revenues requiring cuts in budget across the board. These cuts affect IT and are forcing a reduction in ServiceNow subscription licenses.

Using Checklist Pro, a ServiceNow Store application by TYGR LLC, this customer solved several license consuming situations.

Case 1: Employees could request a work phone but had to agree to the "Rules of Behavior" associated with the device. The prior implementation solved this using "approval" requests. That resulted in many free ("Requester") end users becoming paid ("Business Stakeholder") licensed users. The solution- replace the "approval" requests with a Checklist Record to the end-user, who would review the Rules of Behavior in the Checklist and complete the required assertions specified in Terms of Use. This change alone resulted in a year-to-date savings preventing 160+ one-time approvers from transitioning from free "Requester" types to paid "Business Stakeholder" users on an annual basis.

Case 2: Various workflows assigned catalog tasks to Security Guards to enable or disable badge access to facilities. As a result, this team became ITIL "Fulfiller" users due to receiving a task to update information in the Physical Access Control System (PACS). The solution - convert these workflow activities from ITIL-based TASKS into Checklist Records to enable / disable access, saving 16 "Fulfiller" licenses.

Case 3: Having seen the success and savings from the Security Guards effort, other non-Fulfiller groups (e.g. Procurement, Finance and Property Management) that were assigned ITIL roles and thus billed as "Fulfillers", went through a similar conversion. Workflows creating ITIL-based TASKS to these groups were replaced with Checklist Records, saving an additional 40 "Fulfiller" licenses.

Using Checklist Pro to correct these wasteful implementation processes saved over $80,000.00, allowing the organization to invest in Integration Hub Pro in 2023.

Want to save money too or just learn more? Contact us to schedule a demo at https://www.tygrconsulting.com/contact-us. You can also request an evaluation / trial of Checklist Pro in your non-prod enviroments. Just go to Checklist Pro in the store and click the "Request Trial" button.

Solutions That Save: Checklist Pro Options to Help Preserve ServiceNow Capital

When implementing solutions on the ServiceNow platform, often you are either seeking approvals (from Business Stakeholders) or using tasks for Fulfillers to complete work. As you digitize your business processes, more and more use cases will be discovered that can leverage the benefits of the platform. What can happen, though, as this transformation / modernization effort expands, you may find yourself needing or wanting to have people complete work that don’t do all the things that a Fulfiller user does.

What is a Fulfiller?

ServiceNow documentation provides these details (reference Capabilities of users with ITIL role - IT Service Management Process with ITIL Role - https://youtu.be/dGooMB4Gdt0):

• Handle Incidents and related tasks (Problems and Changes), identifying, classifying, providing initial support, investigation, and diagnosis

• Manage Incident monitoring, tracking, communications, resolution and recovery of service or workaround

• Work on requests needing to be fulfilled through the Service Catalog

• Create and update records derived from TASK

• Have access to core ITSM applications

• Access and update information in the CMDB

• Create and update group approvals, user approvals, Incident state and user records

• Create and update Interactions

• Create and update release records

As the breadth and depth of your business process transformation unfolds, your efforts may reach non-Fulfiller user types. This is where having Checklist Pro and utilizing the generic CLP Record (Checklist Pro Record) may make sense. The CLP Record provides a non-task custom record (i.e., it does not extend a TASK and thus does not include any of the capabilities associated with TASK records) to hold a Checklist and is for Checklist Pro Users, which represent a class of user that may not have Fulfiller rights.

The Checklist Pro User / Record is for users that do not perform the Fulfiller duties, but instead simply need access to complete a Checklist Pro Checklist.

Using Checklist Pro, the architecture / development team has additional tools at their disposal when digitizing a business process. In addition to the well-established Checklist functionality, you can now place a Checklist on a CLP Record which provides access to a Checklist for “Checklist Pro Users”. In this way, your solution architect can determine the best option for the organization, deciding if the users involved should be Fulfillers or if having less privileged Checklist Pro Users will suffice. Having such an option allows for additional ServiceNow products to be procured while ensuring that the Fulfiller user-base is properly provisioned.

Checklist Pro provides admins / developers the ability to create a CLP Record in both Flow Designer as well as the legacy Workflow tools. Simply drag the “Checklist Pro Record” into the Flow / Workflow, complete the inputs and then Checklist Pro Users will be able to complete these Checklists without having to burn a Fulfiller license on a user that does not do all the activities that a typical Fulfiller does.

Checklist Pro provides the email notifications to alert these users of their open Checklists as well as providing a Service Portal interface for accessing / updating the Checklist. The Checklist Pro User can complete the Checklist here.

How to determine if a Checklist Pro User / Record option is what is needed?

• Analyze which groups are being assigned tasks. How often are these groups being assigned work? Calculate how many tasks each member has been assigned. We recommend analyzing data for the past 12 months and factor in things such as how long have users been members of the group (a new person to the group will undoubtedly have fewer assignments than someone with a longer membership tenure).

• Look for users with fewer than 10 task assignments as a starting point. Do any patterns emerge?

• Do all or most members of certain groups seem to do work infrequently?

• Are these group members doing a variety of work as described in the What is a Fulfiller section above? If not, this may be a case for considering a Checklist Pro User / Record.

Performing this exercise will help ensure that your Fulfiller user-base is properly provisioned and help preserve your ServiceNow capital for more valuable functional platform / product offerings.

Disclaimer: A Checklist Pro User cannot do Fulfiller User work such as those having the ITIL role. Checklist Pro Users are only privileged to complete Checklist Pro Checklists. This is not a replacement for the Fulfiller or Business Stakeholder Licensed User but instead a complementary tool for optimizing how work gets done on the platform.