Problem
A major cause of workflow failures in ServiceNow comes from incomplete or disconnected user data. For example, if a user is missing an active manager, department, or company, automated approval flows, escalation paths, or HR processes can break down. As described in this article, poor user data quality is a silent but costly problem: it slows down fulfillment, causes exceptions in automated processes, and creates gaps in reporting. This blueprint addresses those issues by ensuring every active user is placed in a valid organizational structure with the right relationships.
What the Blueprint Includes
This model validates and structures the following entities:
- User – the root, limited to active users.
- Manager (User) – ensures each user has an active manager assigned.
- Department – connects users to the department they belong to.
- Business Unit – ensures departments and users roll up to a business unit. Here, the Business Unit is an alternative path to the Company.
- Company – validates that all users, departments, and business units are linked to a company, one way or another.
- Location – ensures each user has a valid location.
Alternative link group for Department and Company means that User has to refer to a Company either directly or through a Department or a Business Unit. We recommend having a clear structure and not allowing alternative paths except in the initial analysis.
Considerations
- Manager requirement: Every user must have an active manager; otherwise, approvals and escalations will fail.
- Organizational roll-ups: Users should belong to a company, one way or another. You can tweak the organizational structure to match yours.
- Flexibility: Users can link directly to either a department, business unit, or a company (alternative link group).
- Location data: Make sure users have valid locations to support facilities management and reporting. In this blueprint, location is set as optional, but you can make it mandatory.
- Data quality checks: Enforce field setups such as user ID, email, first name, last name, and last login to prevent “ghost users” in the system
Benefits
- Workflow stability: Approval and escalation flows won’t fail because of missing manager or organizational references.
- Reliable reporting: Hierarchies (company → business unit → department → user) are complete and accurate.
- Data governance: Clean user structures prevent exceptions in HR, ITSM, and financial processes.
- CSDM Alignment: This model enforces organizational hierarchy recommended by the Common Service Data Model.
- Practical improvement: Supports the DCM “5 Step model for better data quality” by focusing on user data—a small but high-impact domain.
Related Information
Find more blueprint templates related to Foundation Data.
Read also the article on How to ensure that workflows don't fail over invalid user data.
How to Get This Blueprint?
If you’re already a Data Content Manager Customer, you can download the Blueprint from the Knowledge Base. You will need your login credentials to access the blueprint download page.
