{"revision":"c10276e953456835cdbb1f3a60d58ae1980be353","document":{"id":46426,"path":"service-management-for-the-enterprise/c_ServiceManagementStates.md","title":"Service management states","bundle":null,"doc_type":null,"release":"australia","body":"\n# Service management states\n\nFrom creation until closure, SM application requests for work \\(for example, work orders and facilities requests\\), and their respective tasks follow a life cycle tracked by the **State** field in Field Service Management and Facilities Service Management.\n\nThe life cycle is controlled through business rules and UI actions that are updated by the system automatically.\n\n**Note:** The **State** field on the record is always read-only.\n\n-   **[State flow customization](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/service-management-for-the-enterprise/c_StateFlowCustomization.md)**  \nState flows control the sequence in which records transition between states in Service Management applications.\n-   **[State flow example](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/service-management-for-the-enterprise/t_StateFlowExample.md)**  \nYour business processes might require work order tasks to be accepted automatically when dispatched to an agent.\n-   **[Implications of disabling SM state flows](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/service-management-for-the-enterprise/c_ImpDsblStFl.md)**  \nState flows are used by SM applications to control how a work order or request automatically transitions from one state to the next. When state flows are disabled, various aspects of the ServiceNow system are also changed, as described here.\n\n**Parent Topic:**[Service Management](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/service-management-for-the-enterprise/c_ServiceManagement.md)\n\n**Related topics**  \n\n\n[bundle-fsm.t_CustomizeAStateFlow]\n\n"}}