Major Incident: Incident Task and Communication Task Notifications

Integration Overview

This enhancement extends the ServiceNow xMatters Integration v2 by incorporating ServiceNow Major Incident Management into the xMatters notification process.

With this update, notifications can now be triggered not only for Major Incidents but also for Incident Tasks and Incident Communication Tasks, providing greater flexibility in how incidents are communicated and managed.

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Pre-Requisites

• ServiceNow App Version: Everbridge Flow Designer
• xMatters ServiceNow Integration v2: Install Instructions
• ServiceNow Major Incident Plugin: Install Instructions
• xMatters Account:
  • Required. If you don’t have one, sign up before proceeding.

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Files

The following update sets are provided:

• ServiceNowMIMBusiness Rules (update XML)
• ServiceNowFlowDesignerv2-MajorIncidentWorkbench.zip

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How It Works

Major Incident Integration

• Triggering Notifications:

  • xMatters notifications are created only once a Major Incident is changed to Proposed or Accepted in ServiceNow.

• Non-Triggering States:

  • Cancelled or Rejected Major Incidents will not trigger notifications.

• Process Control:

  • Ensures only reviewed and approved Major Incidents generate notifications, preventing noise from unapproved incidents.

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Incident Task & Communication Task Integration

• Incident Task:

  • Notifications can be triggered when ServiceNow Incident Tasks (e.g., investigation, resolution, or follow-up work items) are created or updated and an assignment group is assigned.
  • The trigger profile uses the ServiceNow Record Alerts Incident Task [incident_task] option in Flow Designer (see screenshot).

• Incident Communication Task:

  • Notifications can also be triggered for Incident Communication Tasks to ensure stakeholders and communication teams are alerted promptly.
  • These follow a similar trigger profile structure, allowing separate workflows for technical responders vs. communication recipients.

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Installation Guide

1. Import the ServiceNowMIMBusinessRules Update Set into ServiceNow

A. Import the XML File

1. Log in to your ServiceNow instance with an administrator role.
2. In the left-hand navigation, search for and click on Retrieved Update Sets under the System Update Sets group.
3. On the Retrieved Update Sets page, scroll to the Related Links section and click Import Update Set from XML.
4. On the Import XML page:
   • Click Choose File.
   • Select your update set .xml file from your computer.
   • Click Upload.

B. Preview and Commit the Update Set

1. After the upload, find your newly uploaded update set on the Retrieved Update Sets page.
2. Click the name of the update set to open its record.
3. Click Preview Update Set in the upper-right corner to assess its suitability for your instance.
4. If there are preview errors, they will appear in the Preview Problems related list.
   • Select the error.
   • From the Actions on selected rows menu, choose Accept remote update to resolve it.
5. Once the preview is successful, click Commit Update Set to apply the changes to your instance.
6. Close the progress dialog box after the commit is complete.

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2. Ensure the Major Incident Plugin is Enabled

Verify that the Major Incident Plugin is active in your ServiceNow instance.

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3. Import the xMatters Workflow

1. Log into xMatters as a user with the Developer role.
2. Navigate to Workflows.
3. Click the Import button (top right).
4. Import the file: ServiceNowFlowDesignerv2-MajorIncidentWorkbench.zip

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4. Configure Trigger Profiles in Flow Designer

Configure trigger profiles for:

• Incident Task
• Incident Communication Task

Trigger Profile: Incident Tasks

To create a trigger profile, navigate to:

Everbridge Flow Designer → Global Settings → Trigger Profiles

1. Click New in the upper-right corner of the page.

2. Complete the following fields:

   • Name: Incident Tasks
   • Credentials: Select the configured xMatters Credentials for this integration.
   • Workflow: Choose the workflow from the populated list
     (e.g., ServiceNow (Flow Designer) v2 – Major Incident Workbench).
   • Trigger: Select the trigger for Incident Tasks
     (ServiceNow Record Alerts Incident Task [incident_task]).
   • Trigger URL: Automatically filled once you select a trigger.
   • Default Alert Priority: Select a default priority (e.g., Medium).
     This value will be sent to Flow Designer unless overridden by the integration.
   • Default Signal Mode (Optional): Enter a signal mode value.
     This may be overridden if an incident is created or updated.
   • Additional Recipients: Enter one or more users or groups from xMatters or Everbridge who should also receive alerts.
     (Separate recipients with commas).
   • ServiceNow API User: Select the ServiceNow user account that Flow Designer will use to send updates back to ServiceNow.

3. Click Submit to create the trigger profile.

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Trigger Profile: Incident Communication Task (sys_email)

1. Click New in the upper-right corner of the page.

2. Complete the following fields:

   • Name: Incident Communication Task (sys_email)
   • Credentials: Select the configured xMatters Credentials for this integration.
   • Workflow: Choose the workflow from the populated list
     (e.g., ServiceNow (Flow Designer) v2 – Major Incident Workbench).
   • Trigger: Select the trigger for Incident Tasks
     (ServiceNow Record Alerts Incident Task [sys_email]).
   • Trigger URL: Automatically filled once you select a trigger.
   • Default Alert Priority: Select a default priority (e.g., Medium).
     This value will be sent to Flow Designer unless overridden by the integration.
   • Default Signal Mode (Optional): Enter a signal mode value.
     This may be overridden if an incident is created or updated.
   • Additional Recipients: Enter one or more users or groups from xMatters or Everbridge who should also receive alerts.
     (Separate recipients with commas).
   • ServiceNow API User: Select the ServiceNow user account that Flow Designer will use to send updates back to ServiceNow.

3. Click Submit to create the trigger profile.

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5. Test the Integration

Verify functionality by creating:

• A Proposed Major Incident
• An Approved Major Incident
• An Incident Task and Incident Communication Task
• These should trigger based on workflow selection.

Diagram

flowchart TD

    A[Major Incident Created] --> B{State?}

    B -->|Proposed/Accepted| C[Trigger xMatters Notification]
    B -->|Cancelled/Rejected| D[No Notification]

    C --> E[Notify Technical Responders]
    C --> F[Notify Stakeholders]

    subgraph Incident Task Flow
        G[Incident Task Created/Updated] --> H{Assignment Group Assigned?}
        H -->|Yes| I[Trigger xMatters Notification for Task]
        H -->|No| J[No Notification]
    end

    subgraph Communication Task Flow
        K[Incident Communication Task Created/Updated] --> L[Trigger xMatters Notification for Comms]
        L --> M[Notify Communication Teams]
    end

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