project-insights

Project Insights

Overview

This skill enables you to generate comprehensive project health insights from ServiceNow's Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) module. It covers:

• Analyzing schedule variance and timeline adherence across project tasks
• Measuring resource utilization against planned allocations
• Identifying risk indicators and potential blockers
• Tracking milestone completion and upcoming deadlines
• Calculating agile velocity and sprint burndown metrics
• Producing executive dashboard summaries with actionable recommendations

When to use: When project managers, PMO leaders, or executives need a data-driven assessment of project health, portfolio status, or sprint performance in ServiceNow SPM.

Prerequisites

• Plugins: com.snc.project (Project Portfolio Management), com.snc.sdlc.agile.2.0 (Agile Development 2.0)
• Roles: project_manager, program_manager, portfolio_manager, or admin
• Access: Read access to pm_project, pm_project_task, planned_task, pm_resource_plan, rm_story, rm_sprint, risk tables
• Knowledge: Understanding of project scheduling concepts (critical path, EVM) and agile metrics (velocity, burndown)

Procedure

Step 1: Retrieve Project Overview

Fetch the core project record and its current status.

Using MCP (Claude Code/Desktop):

Tool: SN-Get-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project
  sys_id: [project_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,description,state,phase,priority,risk,percent_complete,start_date,end_date,actual_start_date,actual_end_date,work_start,work_end,schedule_variance,cost_variance,budget_cost,actual_cost,project_manager,program,portfolio,business_unit,health,health_reason

If you only have the project number:

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project
  query: number=PRJ0010001
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,phase,percent_complete,start_date,end_date,actual_start_date,schedule_variance,cost_variance,budget_cost,actual_cost,project_manager,health,risk
  limit: 1

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/pm_project?sysparm_query=number=PRJ0010001&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,state,phase,percent_complete,start_date,end_date,actual_start_date,schedule_variance,cost_variance,budget_cost,actual_cost,project_manager,health,risk&sysparm_limit=1&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 2: Analyze Schedule Variance

Query project tasks to identify overdue, at-risk, and on-track items.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project_task
  query: parent=[project_sys_id]^stateNOT IN3,4,7^end_date<javascript:gs.nowDateTime()
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,percent_complete,start_date,end_date,actual_start_date,actual_end_date,assigned_to,priority,milestone
  limit: 50

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/pm_project_task?sysparm_query=parent=[project_sys_id]^stateNOT IN3,4,7^end_date<javascript:gs.nowDateTime()&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,state,percent_complete,start_date,end_date,assigned_to,priority,milestone&sysparm_limit=50&sysparm_display_value=true

Query upcoming tasks due within the next 14 days:

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project_task
  query: parent=[project_sys_id]^stateNOT IN3,4,7^end_date>=javascript:gs.nowDateTime()^end_date<=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(-14)
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,percent_complete,end_date,assigned_to,priority,milestone
  limit: 30

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/pm_project_task?sysparm_query=parent=[project_sys_id]^stateNOT IN3,4,7^end_date>=javascript:gs.nowDateTime()^end_date<=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(-14)&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,state,percent_complete,end_date,assigned_to,priority&sysparm_limit=30&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 3: Assess Resource Utilization

Query resource plans to understand allocation versus actual effort.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_resource_plan
  query: task=[project_sys_id]^state=2
  fields: sys_id,resource,planned_hours,actual_hours,remaining_hours,utilization,start_date,end_date,resource_type,group
  limit: 50

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/pm_resource_plan?sysparm_query=task=[project_sys_id]^state=2&sysparm_fields=sys_id,resource,planned_hours,actual_hours,remaining_hours,utilization,start_date,end_date,resource_type,group&sysparm_limit=50&sysparm_display_value=true

Calculate utilization metrics:

• Over-allocated: Resources where actual_hours > planned_hours
• Under-utilized: Resources where utilization < 50%
• At capacity: Resources where utilization is between 80% and 100%

Step 4: Review Risk Indicators

Query the risk table for project-specific risks and issues.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: risk
  query: task=[project_sys_id]^state!=6
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,category,risk_score,probability,impact,state,response,assigned_to,due_date,mitigation_plan
  limit: 20

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/risk?sysparm_query=task=[project_sys_id]^state!=6&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,category,risk_score,probability,impact,state,response,assigned_to,due_date,mitigation_plan&sysparm_limit=20&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 5: Track Milestones

Query milestone tasks to assess progress against key deliverables.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project_task
  query: parent=[project_sys_id]^milestone=true^ORDERBYend_date
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,percent_complete,end_date,actual_end_date,assigned_to,priority
  limit: 20

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/pm_project_task?sysparm_query=parent=[project_sys_id]^milestone=true^ORDERBYend_date&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,state,percent_complete,end_date,actual_end_date,assigned_to,priority&sysparm_limit=20&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 6: Gather Agile Metrics (If Applicable)

For projects using Agile methodology, query sprint and story data.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_sprint
  query: release.product.project=[project_sys_id]^state=3^ORDERBYDESCend_date
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,start_date,end_date,story_points,capacity,state
  limit: 5

Query completed stories per sprint to calculate velocity:

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_story
  query: sprint=[sprint_sys_id]^state=3
  fields: sys_id,number,story_points,state,sprint
  limit: 100

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/rm_story?sysparm_query=sprint=[sprint_sys_id]^state=3&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,story_points,state&sysparm_limit=100

Calculate velocity: Sum of story_points for completed stories in each sprint. Average the last 3-5 sprints for a reliable velocity metric.

Step 7: Compile the Executive Dashboard Summary

Assemble all collected data into a structured health report:

=== PROJECT HEALTH DASHBOARD ===
Project: PRJ0010001 - Cloud Migration Phase 2
Manager: Sarah Chen | Program: Digital Transformation
Phase: Execution | Health: [Green/Yellow/Red]

SCHEDULE PERFORMANCE:
  Planned End: 2026-06-30 | Projected End: 2026-07-15
  Schedule Variance: +15 days (at risk)
  Tasks Overdue: 4 of 32 (12.5%)
  Tasks Due Next 14 Days: 7
  Milestones Completed: 3 of 8 (37.5%)
  Next Milestone: "Integration Testing Complete" due 2026-04-01

COST PERFORMANCE:
  Budget: $450,000 | Actual Spend: $285,000 (63.3%)
  Cost Variance: -$12,000 (under budget)
  Burn Rate: $47,500/month
  Projected Total: $427,500

RESOURCE UTILIZATION:
  Total Resources: 12
  Over-allocated (>100%): 2 (John D. 120%, Maria S. 115%)
  Under-utilized (<50%): 1 (Alex K. 35%)
  Average Utilization: 82%

RISK SUMMARY:
  Open Risks: 5 (2 High, 2 Medium, 1 Low)
  Top Risk: "Vendor API deprecation" (Score: 16, Impact: High)
  Overdue Mitigations: 1

AGILE VELOCITY (Last 3 Sprints):
  Sprint 14: 34 pts | Sprint 15: 38 pts | Sprint 16: 31 pts
  Average Velocity: 34.3 pts/sprint
  Remaining Backlog: 142 pts
  Projected Sprints to Complete: 4.1 sprints

RECOMMENDATIONS:
  1. [URGENT] Address 4 overdue tasks blocking Integration Testing milestone
  2. [ACTION] Rebalance workload from John D. and Maria S. to Alex K.
  3. [MONITOR] Vendor API deprecation risk - mitigation plan overdue
  4. [PLAN] At current velocity, backlog completion extends 1 sprint beyond plan

Step 8: Portfolio-Level Insights

For PMO leaders, aggregate project health across the portfolio.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project
  query: portfolio=[portfolio_sys_id]^stateNOT IN-5,3,4
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,phase,health,percent_complete,schedule_variance,cost_variance,budget_cost,actual_cost,risk,project_manager,end_date
  limit: 50

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/pm_project?sysparm_query=portfolio=[portfolio_sys_id]^stateNOT IN-5,3,4&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,state,phase,health,percent_complete,schedule_variance,cost_variance,budget_cost,actual_cost,risk,project_manager,end_date&sysparm_limit=50&sysparm_display_value=true

Tool Usage

MCP Tools Reference

Tool	When to Use
SN-Get-Record	Retrieve a single project or task record by sys_id
SN-Query-Table	Query bounded task, resource, risk, milestone, sprint, and story fields; calculate summaries locally
SN-Natural-Language-Search	Natural language search for projects (e.g., "find at-risk projects in Q2")

REST API Reference

Endpoint	Method	Purpose
/api/now/table/pm_project	GET	Query project records and portfolio data
/api/now/table/pm_project_task	GET	Query tasks, milestones, schedule data
/api/now/table/pm_resource_plan	GET	Resource allocation and utilization
/api/now/table/risk	GET	Project risks and mitigations
/api/now/table/rm_sprint	GET	Sprint data for velocity calculations
/api/now/table/rm_story	GET	Story completion for burndown metrics
/api/now/table/pm_portfolio	GET	Portfolio-level aggregation
/api/now/table/pm_program	GET	Program-level project grouping

Best Practices

• Use Display Values: Always include sysparm_display_value=true in REST calls for readable output in dashboards
• Calculate Earned Value: Use percent_complete * budget_cost to derive earned value for EVM analysis
• Trend Over Time: Compare metrics across multiple reporting periods to identify trends, not just snapshots
• Focus on Leading Indicators: Prioritize velocity trends, upcoming milestones, and resource constraints over lagging metrics
• Set Health Thresholds: Define clear Green/Yellow/Red criteria (e.g., Green = schedule variance < 5 days, Yellow = 5-15 days, Red = >15 days)
• Include Recommendations: Raw data is insufficient; always provide actionable recommendations with urgency levels
• Cross-Reference Risks: Correlate overdue tasks with open risks to identify systemic issues
• Validate Data Freshness: Check sys_updated_on timestamps to ensure metrics reflect current state

Troubleshooting

"Project shows 0% complete despite finished tasks"

Cause: Percent complete may be calculated from planned duration, not task completion Solution: Check the project's percent_complete_method field. Options include "manual," "task-based," and "duration-based." Verify task states are correctly updated.

"Resource utilization numbers seem incorrect"

Cause: Resource plan records may not have actuals logged Solution: Verify that time entries are being recorded against the project tasks. Check actual_hours on pm_resource_plan records.

"No risk records found for the project"

Cause: Risks may be linked via the task field to project tasks rather than the project itself Solution: Query with task.parent=[project_sys_id] to find risks linked to child tasks. Also check risk_condition for auto-generated risk records.

"Sprint velocity data is inconsistent"

Cause: Stories may be moved between sprints or completed after sprint closure Solution: Filter for stories where sprint matches the target sprint and state=3 (Complete). Exclude stories moved out via sprint_changed field if available.

Examples

Example 1: Weekly Status Report for a Single Project

Step 1 - Gather data:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project
  query: number=PRJ0010042
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,phase,health,percent_complete,schedule_variance,budget_cost,actual_cost,project_manager,end_date
  limit: 1

Step 2 - Get overdue tasks:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project_task
  query: parent=[sys_id]^state=2^end_date<javascript:gs.nowDateTime()
  fields: number,short_description,end_date,assigned_to,priority
  limit: 10

Output:

WEEKLY STATUS - PRJ0010042 ERP Upgrade
Report Date: 2026-03-19

Health: YELLOW | Phase: Testing | Complete: 72%
Schedule: 8 days behind plan | Budget: $12K under budget

KEY ISSUES:
- 3 overdue tasks in Integration Testing phase
- UAT environment provisioning delayed by vendor

MILESTONES:
  [DONE] Requirements Complete (Feb 15)
  [DONE] Development Complete (Mar 01)
  [LATE] Integration Testing (Due Mar 10, now projected Mar 22)
  [UPCOMING] UAT Sign-off (Due Apr 05)
  [UPCOMING] Go-Live (Due Apr 30)

ACTIONS NEEDED:
1. Escalate vendor environment issue to procurement
2. Add 2 QA resources for parallel testing

Example 2: Portfolio Health Summary

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: pm_project
  query: portfolio.short_description=Digital Transformation^stateNOT IN-5,3,4
  fields: number,short_description,health,percent_complete,schedule_variance,budget_cost,actual_cost,end_date,project_manager
  limit: 20

Output:

PORTFOLIO DASHBOARD - Digital Transformation
Active Projects: 8 | Total Budget: $3.2M

HEALTH DISTRIBUTION:
  Green: 5 projects (62.5%)
  Yellow: 2 projects (25.0%)
  Red: 1 project (12.5%)

AT-RISK PROJECTS:
  [RED] PRJ0010042 - ERP Upgrade (8 days behind, vendor dependency)
  [YELLOW] PRJ0010055 - API Gateway (resource constraints)
  [YELLOW] PRJ0010061 - Data Lake (scope change pending approval)

BUDGET SUMMARY:
  Allocated: $3,200,000
  Spent: $1,890,000 (59.1%)
  Projected: $3,050,000 (4.7% under budget)

Related Skills

• spm/agile-story-generation - Generate and manage user stories
• spm/planning-summarization - Summarize planning sessions and portfolio decisions
• spm/feedback-summarization - Analyze retrospective and stakeholder feedback
• reporting/executive-dashboard - Build executive dashboards and visualizations
• reporting/trend-analysis - Trend analysis for project metrics over time