Case Summarization

Procedure

Step 1: Retrieve the HR Case Record

Fetch the core case details including state, priority, assignment, and categorization.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_hr_core_case
  query: number=HRC0010042
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,description,state,priority,hr_service,assigned_to,assignment_group,opened_at,opened_by,closed_at,contact_type,subject_person,parent,hr_service.name
  limit: 1

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/sn_hr_core_case?sysparm_query=number=HRC0010042&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,description,state,priority,hr_service,assigned_to,assignment_group,opened_at,opened_by,closed_at,contact_type,subject_person,parent&sysparm_limit=1&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 2: Retrieve Employee Profile

Fetch the subject person's HR profile for context about department, location, and employment history.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_hr_core_profile
  query: user=[subject_person_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,user,department,location,employment_type,hire_date,manager,job_title,cost_center,building
  limit: 1

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/sn_hr_core_profile?sysparm_query=user=[subject_person_sys_id]&sysparm_fields=sys_id,user,department,location,employment_type,hire_date,manager,job_title,cost_center,building&sysparm_display_value=true&sysparm_limit=1

Step 3: Identify Case Type and COE Routing

Look up the case type configuration to understand which COE handles this case and the expected lifecycle.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_hr_le_case_type
  query: sys_id=[hr_service_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,name,description,hr_service_center,fulfillment_group,sla,active,category
  limit: 1

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/sn_hr_le_case_type?sysparm_query=sys_id=[hr_service_sys_id]&sysparm_fields=sys_id,name,description,hr_service_center,fulfillment_group,sla,active,category&sysparm_display_value=true&sysparm_limit=1

Step 4: Retrieve Associated Tasks

Fetch all tasks related to the HR case to build the activity timeline.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_hr_core_task
  query: parent=[case_sys_id]^ORDERBYsys_created_on
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,assigned_to,assignment_group,sys_created_on,closed_at,work_notes_list,priority
  limit: 50

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/sn_hr_core_task?sysparm_query=parent=[case_sys_id]^ORDERBYsys_created_on&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,state,assigned_to,assignment_group,sys_created_on,closed_at,work_notes_list,priority&sysparm_display_value=true&sysparm_limit=50

Step 5: Check SLA Status

Query task SLA records to identify breaches or at-risk timelines.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: task_sla
  query: task=[case_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,sla,stage,has_breached,planned_end_time,percentage,business_percentage,start_time,end_time,pause_duration
  limit: 10

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/task_sla?sysparm_query=task=[case_sys_id]&sysparm_fields=sys_id,sla,stage,has_breached,planned_end_time,percentage,business_percentage,start_time,end_time,pause_duration&sysparm_display_value=true&sysparm_limit=10

Step 6: Retrieve Case Category Hierarchy

Fetch the HR category chain for classification context.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: hr_category
  query: sys_id=[category_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,name,parent,topic,description,active
  limit: 5

Step 7: Compile the Summary

Assemble findings into a structured summary document:

=== HR CASE SUMMARY ===
Case Number: HRC0010042
Status: Work in Progress
Priority: 3 - Moderate
Opened: 2025-11-15 09:30:00
Contact Type: Employee Self-Service

--- Employee Details ---
Name: Jane Smith
Department: Engineering
Location: San Francisco
Title: Senior Software Engineer
Hire Date: 2021-03-15
Manager: Bob Johnson

--- Case Classification ---
Type: Benefits Enrollment Change
Category: Benefits > Health Insurance
COE: Benefits Administration
Fulfillment Group: Benefits Team - West

--- SLA Status ---
Resolution SLA: 72 hours (45% elapsed, on track)
Response SLA: COMPLETED - Met within 2 hours
Breach Status: No breaches

--- Activity Timeline ---
1. 2025-11-15 09:30 - Case opened via self-service portal
2. 2025-11-15 09:32 - Auto-routed to Benefits Administration COE
3. 2025-11-15 10:15 - Assigned to Agent Sarah Lee
4. 2025-11-15 14:00 - Task SHRT0005001 created: Verify eligibility
5. 2025-11-16 08:30 - Eligibility verified, task completed
6. 2025-11-16 09:00 - Task SHRT0005002 created: Process enrollment change

--- Open Tasks ---
- SHRT0005002: Process enrollment change (In Progress, assigned to Sarah Lee)

Tool Usage

MCP Tools Reference

REST API Reference

Best Practices

• Include SLA context: Always check SLA status; breached or at-risk cases require immediate attention
• Respect confidentiality: HR cases may contain sensitive data (medical, disciplinary). Limit summary distribution to authorized personnel
• Link related cases: Check the parent field for child cases and the correlation_id for related tickets
• Verify COE routing: Confirm the case is assigned to the correct COE based on the case type configuration
• Use display values: Always request sysparm_display_value=true to get human-readable names instead of sys_ids
• Check for reopened cases: Review the reopen_count field to identify cases that have been reopened

Troubleshooting

"No HR case found with that number"

Cause: Case number format may differ or case may be in a different scope Solution: Try searching with numberLIKEHRC001 or query by short_description

"Employee profile not found"

Cause: The subject person may not have an HR profile record yet Solution: Query sys_user table directly using the subject_person sys_id as a fallback

"SLA records missing"

Cause: SLA definitions may not be attached to this case type Solution: Verify that the sn_hr_le_case_type record has an SLA definition configured

"Tasks not returned"

Cause: Tasks may use a different parent reference field Solution: Also query with parent.number=HRC0010042 or check the sn_hr_core_task table for hr_case reference field

Examples

Example 1: Open Case Summary for Management Review

Input: "Summarize HR case HRC0010042"

Steps:

1. Query sn_hr_core_case for case details
2. Retrieve employee profile from sn_hr_core_profile
3. Check COE routing via sn_hr_le_case_type
4. Pull all tasks from sn_hr_core_task
5. Check SLA status from task_sla
6. Compile into structured summary format

Example 2: Batch Summary for COE Manager

Input: "Summarize all open cases for the Payroll COE"

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_hr_core_case
  query: active=true^assignment_group.nameLIKEPayroll^ORDERBYDESCpriority
  fields: number,short_description,state,priority,assigned_to,opened_at,subject_person
  limit: 25

Example 3: SLA Breach Report Summary

Input: "Show me HR cases with breached SLAs"

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: task_sla
  query: task.sys_class_name=sn_hr_core_case^has_breached=true^stage!=cancelled
  fields: task,sla,has_breached,planned_end_time,end_time,business_percentage
  limit: 20

Related Skills

• hrsd/sentiment-analysis - Analyze employee sentiment within HR cases
• hrsd/persona-assistant - Persona-based HR assistance
• itsm/incident-lifecycle - General incident summarization patterns
• reporting/sla-analysis - SLA trend analysis and reporting
• reporting/executive-dashboard - Executive-level metrics and summaries

References

• ServiceNow HR Case Management
• HR Service Delivery COE Configuration
• Task SLA Management