Why Are My ServiceNow Catalog Tasks Not Triggering? A Workflow Debugging Guide

Why Are My ServiceNow Catalog Tasks Not Triggering? A Workflow Debugging Guide

Ever submitted a request in ServiceNow and noticed that no Catalog Tasks were created? This can be confusing — especially when everything looks fine in the workflow. Let's break down the common causes, real-world pitfalls, and how to effectively debug them.

🔍 The Issue

You submit a Requested Item (RITM), and it gets approved or auto-approved, but no tasks appear. The item is closed or marked as complete without any actionable tasks.

🤔 Possible Misconceptions

• Catalog Task requires an Assignment Group to be present (Not always true)
• Workflow always proceeds step-by-step unless there’s an error (Also not true)

💡 Key Truths and Real Causes

1. 🚫 Skipped Workflow Paths

Sometimes tasks are not triggered simply because the workflow path was skipped. This typically happens when an approval activity results in a state that bypasses subsequent activities.

Examples:

• An approval step results in skipped due to business logic or error
• No defined flow path for a non-standard approval outcome
• Request gets auto-closed by moving directly to a closure state

2. ⚠️ Platform Bugs (e.g., Yokohama Patch 1)

In ServiceNow Yokohama Patch 1, there was a known issue where only the first approval in a multi-approval workflow was triggered. All subsequent approvals were silently skipped — which also meant downstream tasks never got executed.

This issue was resolved in later patches (Patch 2+), but workflows using older logic or clones from that release may still carry the flaw.

3. 🔄 Skipped Due to Data Validation Logic

Many organizations use logic like gs.getUser().getManager() or user profile attributes in approval decisions. This can lead to approvals being skipped when:

• The requester has no manager defined
• The user’s department, group, or location info is incomplete or invalid
• Custom script conditions evaluate to false or empty, skipping approval

When the approval step is skipped, the workflow may proceed directly to closure, leaving task creation activities behind.

🧰 How to Debug This

1. Check the Workflow Context of the RITM
2. See if the Approval Activity ran or was skipped
3. Verify the data on the Requested Item and Requester
4. Test your approval logic (especially if you use custom conditions)
5. If on Yokohama Patch 1, consider upgrading or reviewing workflow logic

🛠️ Useful Logs to Monitor

gs.info('Approver: ' + current.requested_for.manager);
gs.info('Workflow state: ' + workflow.state);
gs.info('Task creation reached: ' + activity.name);

📌 Best Practices

• Always define clear flow paths for all approval outcomes
• Use default values or validations for requester/manager fields
• In high-impact workflows, include logging and alerts for skipped activities
• Test workflows with incomplete user data to simulate edge cases

✅ Conclusion

Catalog Tasks not triggering is often not a bug, but a logic issue. By understanding how approvals, data integrity, and workflow paths interact — especially across platform patches — you can resolve such issues quickly and confidently.

Always validate your data-driven decisions and watch for skipped workflow activities.

Have you faced similar task creation issues in ServiceNow? Let’s discuss in the comments!