Task Analysis

Task Analysis

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive analysis of task data across ServiceNow to identify operational patterns and optimize work distribution. It covers:

• Analyzing task volume trends across task, sc_task, and planned_task tables
• Identifying bottleneck assignment groups and individuals with excessive workloads
• Predicting SLA breaches by analyzing task_sla records and current task aging
• Recommending workload redistribution based on capacity and skill alignment
• Generating task health dashboards with key performance indicators
• Detecting patterns in task reassignment, escalation, and resolution times

When to use: When managers need visibility into team workload distribution, when SLA compliance is trending downward, when planning capacity for upcoming projects, or when identifying systemic bottlenecks in task fulfillment.

Value proposition: Proactive task analysis prevents SLA breaches, balances workload across teams, and provides data-driven input for staffing and process improvement decisions.

Prerequisites

• Roles: itil, task_admin, assignment_group_manager, or admin
• Access: Read access to task, sc_task, planned_task, task_sla, sys_user_group, and sys_user tables
• Knowledge: Understanding of task lifecycle states, SLA definitions, and organizational assignment group structure

Procedure

Step 1: Assess Current Task Volume and State Distribution

Get a snapshot of active tasks across all task types.

Using MCP (Claude Code/Desktop):

Tool: SN-Execute-Background-Script
Parameters:
  description: Task volume snapshot by type and state
  script: |
    var snapshot = { timestamp: new GlideDateTime().getDisplayValue(), task_types: [] };
    var tables = ['incident', 'sc_task', 'change_request', 'problem', 'sc_req_item'];

    tables.forEach(function(tableName) {
      var typeData = { table: tableName, states: {} };
      var ga = new GlideAggregate(tableName);
      ga.addQuery('active', true);
      ga.addAggregate('COUNT');
      ga.groupBy('state');
      ga.query();

      var total = 0;
      while (ga.next()) {
        var state = ga.state.getDisplayValue();
        var count = parseInt(ga.getAggregate('COUNT'));
        typeData.states[state] = count;
        total += count;
      }
      typeData.total_active = total;
      snapshot.task_types.push(typeData);
    });

    gs.info(JSON.stringify(snapshot, null, 2));

Using REST API (for a specific task type):

GET /api/now/table/sc_task?sysparm_query=active=true&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,state,assignment_group,assigned_to,priority,opened_at,sla_due&sysparm_limit=100&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 2: Identify Assignment Group Bottlenecks

Find groups with disproportionately high task volumes or aging tasks.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Execute-Background-Script
Parameters:
  description: Identify bottleneck assignment groups
  script: |
    var bottlenecks = [];

    var ga = new GlideAggregate('task');
    ga.addQuery('active', true);
    ga.addQuery('assignment_group', 'ISNOTEMPTY', '');
    ga.addAggregate('COUNT');
    ga.addAggregate('AVG', 'reassignment_count');
    ga.groupBy('assignment_group');
    ga.orderByAggregate('COUNT', 'DESC');
    ga.query();

    while (ga.next()) {
      var groupId = ga.assignment_group.toString();
      var count = parseInt(ga.getAggregate('COUNT'));

      // Get average age of active tasks
      var ageGa = new GlideAggregate('task');
      ageGa.addQuery('active', true);
      ageGa.addQuery('assignment_group', groupId);
      ageGa.addAggregate('AVG', 'sys_mod_count');
      ageGa.query();

      var avgAge = 0;
      if (ageGa.next()) {
        avgAge = parseInt(ageGa.getAggregate('AVG', 'sys_mod_count'));
      }

      // Get group member count
      var members = new GlideAggregate('sys_user_grmember');
      members.addQuery('group', groupId);
      members.addQuery('user.active', true);
      members.addAggregate('COUNT');
      members.query();
      var memberCount = 0;
      if (members.next()) memberCount = parseInt(members.getAggregate('COUNT'));

      bottlenecks.push({
        group: ga.assignment_group.getDisplayValue(),
        active_tasks: count,
        active_members: memberCount,
        tasks_per_person: memberCount > 0 ? (count / memberCount).toFixed(1) : 'N/A',
        avg_reassignments: parseFloat(ga.getAggregate('AVG', 'reassignment_count')).toFixed(1)
      });
    }

    // Sort by tasks per person descending
    bottlenecks.sort(function(a, b) {
      return parseFloat(b.tasks_per_person) - parseFloat(a.tasks_per_person);
    });

    gs.info(JSON.stringify(bottlenecks.slice(0, 20), null, 2));

Step 3: Predict SLA Breaches

Analyze task SLA records to identify tasks at risk of breaching.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: task_sla
  query: stage=in_progress^has_breached=false^planned_end_time=', 75);
    ga.addAggregate('COUNT');
    ga.groupBy('task.assignment_group');
    ga.orderByAggregate('COUNT', 'DESC');
    ga.query();

    while (ga.next()) {
      var group = ga.getValue('task.assignment_group');
      var atRisk = parseInt(ga.getAggregate('COUNT'));

      // Count already breached
      var breached = new GlideAggregate('task_sla');
      breached.addQuery('stage', 'in_progress');
      breached.addQuery('has_breached', true);
      breached.addQuery('task.assignment_group', group);
      breached.addAggregate('COUNT');
      breached.query();
      var breachedCount = 0;
      if (breached.next()) breachedCount = parseInt(breached.getAggregate('COUNT'));

      riskAnalysis.push({
        group: ga.getDisplayValue('task.assignment_group'),
        at_risk_75_plus: atRisk,
        already_breached: breachedCount,
        total_exposure: atRisk + breachedCount
      });
    }

    gs.info(JSON.stringify(riskAnalysis, null, 2));

Step 4: Analyze Individual Workload Distribution

Examine workload per team member within an assignment group.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Execute-Background-Script
Parameters:
  description: Individual workload analysis for assignment group
  script: |
    var groupId = '[group_sys_id]';
    var workload = [];

    var ga = new GlideAggregate('task');
    ga.addQuery('active', true);
    ga.addQuery('assignment_group', groupId);
    ga.addQuery('assigned_to', 'ISNOTEMPTY', '');
    ga.addAggregate('COUNT');
    ga.groupBy('assigned_to');
    ga.orderByAggregate('COUNT', 'DESC');
    ga.query();

    while (ga.next()) {
      var userId = ga.assigned_to.toString();

      // Get priority breakdown
      var priorities = {};
      var pa = new GlideAggregate('task');
      pa.addQuery('active', true);
      pa.addQuery('assigned_to', userId);
      pa.addAggregate('COUNT');
      pa.groupBy('priority');
      pa.query();
      while (pa.next()) {
        priorities['P' + pa.priority.toString()] = parseInt(pa.getAggregate('COUNT'));
      }

      // Count tasks with SLA at risk
      var slaRisk = new GlideAggregate('task_sla');
      slaRisk.addQuery('task.assigned_to', userId);
      slaRisk.addQuery('stage', 'in_progress');
      slaRisk.addQuery('business_percentage', '>=', 75);
      slaRisk.addAggregate('COUNT');
      slaRisk.query();
      var riskCount = 0;
      if (slaRisk.next()) riskCount = parseInt(slaRisk.getAggregate('COUNT'));

      workload.push({
        user: ga.assigned_to.getDisplayValue(),
        active_tasks: parseInt(ga.getAggregate('COUNT')),
        priorities: priorities,
        sla_at_risk: riskCount
      });
    }

    // Unassigned tasks
    var unassigned = new GlideAggregate('task');
    unassigned.addQuery('active', true);
    unassigned.addQuery('assignment_group', groupId);
    unassigned.addQuery('assigned_to', 'ISEMPTY', '');
    unassigned.addAggregate('COUNT');
    unassigned.query();
    var unassignedCount = 0;
    if (unassigned.next()) unassignedCount = parseInt(unassigned.getAggregate('COUNT'));

    var result = {
      group: '[group_name]',
      members: workload,
      unassigned_tasks: unassignedCount
    };

    gs.info(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));

Step 5: Analyze Task Trends Over Time

Track task creation, completion, and backlog growth trends.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Execute-Background-Script
Parameters:
  description: Weekly task trend analysis
  script: |
    var trends = [];

    for (var i = 7; i >= 0; i--) {
      var weekStart = gs.daysAgoStart(i * 7);
      var weekEnd = gs.daysAgoEnd((i - 1) * 7);

      var week = { period: 'Week -' + i, created: 0, closed: 0, backlog: 0 };

      // Created
      var created = new GlideAggregate('task');
      created.addQuery('opened_at', '>=', weekStart);
      created.addQuery('opened_at', '=', weekStart);
      closed.addQuery('closed_at', '15 tasks/person, >80% SLA consumption) for automated alerting
- **Include capacity context:** Factor in PTO, training days, and part-time schedules when analyzing workload
- **Pair with action:** Every analysis should produce at least one specific, implementable recommendation

## Troubleshooting

### Task Counts Do Not Match Dashboard

**Cause:** Dashboard may use different filters (e.g., excluding certain states or task types)
**Solution:** Compare the exact query used in the dashboard widget with your analysis query. Check for access controls that may filter results differently per user.

### SLA Data Shows Unexpected Values

**Cause:** SLA definitions may have changed, or retroactive SLA attachments are affecting calculations
**Solution:** Check `task_sla.sla` reference to verify the correct SLA definition is attached. Review `has_breached` vs `stage` for accurate status.

### Assignment Group Member Count Incorrect

**Cause:** Inactive users may still be group members, or users may have multiple group memberships
**Solution:** Filter `sys_user_grmember` with `user.active=true` and check for duplicate memberships.

### Trend Data Shows Gaps

**Cause:** No tasks were created or closed during certain periods, or data archiving removed historical records
**Solution:** Include zero-count periods in trend output. Check if table rotation or archiving is configured for task tables.

## Examples

### Example 1: Weekly Operations Review Data

**Input:** "Prepare task analysis data for the weekly ops review meeting"

**Process:** Run Steps 1, 2, 5, and 6 to generate a comprehensive snapshot with volume, bottlenecks, trends, and recommendations.

### Example 2: SLA Breach Prevention

**Input:** "Which tasks are about to breach SLA in the next 24 hours?"

Tool: SN-Query-Table Parameters: tablename: tasksla query: stage=inprogress^hasbreached=false^plannedendtime=javascript:gs.beginningOfToday() fields: task.number,task.shortdescription,task.assignedto,task.assignmentgroup,plannedendtime,businesspercentage limit: 30 orderby: plannedend_time

### Example 3: New Manager Onboarding

**Input:** "I just took over Team B. Show me the current state of the team's work."

**Process:** Run Steps 2, 4, and 5 filtered to the specific group, generating a complete workload profile with per-person breakdown, SLA risks, and 8-week trends.

## Related Skills

- `reporting/sla-analysis` - Detailed SLA performance analysis
- `reporting/trend-analysis` - General trend analysis capabilities
- `reporting/executive-dashboard` - Executive-level reporting
- `itsm/incident-lifecycle` - Incident-specific task management
- `catalog/request-fulfillment` - Catalog task fulfillment workflows
- `admin/workflow-creation` - Automate task routing and escalation

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [Happy-Technologies-LLC](https://github.com/Happy-Technologies-LLC)
- **Source:** [Happy-Technologies-LLC/happy-platform-skills](https://github.com/Happy-Technologies-LLC/happy-platform-skills)
- **License:** Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.