Peer Review ensures development and configuration quality in ServiceNow. It applies to:

• Element issues (via write-offs)
• Update set completion when Quality Gates fail
  
  

It enforces controlled approvals before exceptions are accepted or promoted.

Setup
#

To configure Peer Review:

• Navigate to User Administration → Groups
• Locate Quality Clouds Peer Reviewers
• Add developers responsible for reviewing:
  
  
  • Live Check issues
  • Quality Gate failures on update sets

Group capabilities

• Approve or reject issue write-offs (exceptions)
• Approve update-set completion when Quality Gates fail
  
  

Once added, each reviewer automatically receives a Quality Clouds API Key (<V12) / Token (>V12), ensuring their actions are recorded and considered in future Live Checks and full scans.

Peer Review reasons configuration #

 Under the Quality Clouds application menu, use Quality Clouds list values to define:

• Justification reasons for:
  
  
  • Element issue write-offs
  • Update-set peer reviews
    
    
    

Peer Reviewers operation #

Available under the Quality Clouds application menu:

• Issues Peer Reviews
• Update Sets Peer Reviews
  
  

These modules manage all pending and historical reviews.

 

Views available

• Unassigned
  
  
  • Peer Reviewer Group only
  • Shows all unassigned reviews
    
    
• Assigned to me
  
  
  • Peer Reviewer Group only
  • Reviews assigned to the current user
    
    
• Requested by me
  
  
  • Quality Clouds Application Admins
  • Reviews created by the current user
    
    

 

Review Actions

When opening a Peer Review, reviewers can:

• Assign to me
• Approve
• Reject
• Decline (only if requester)
• Add work notes and evidence
  
  

Requestors cannot approve or reject their own reviews.

Element issues: write-off #

 Write-off behavior depends on customer configuration:

1. Write-off disabled
   
   
   • All issues must be fixed or rules recalibrated
     
     
2. Write-off auto-approved
   
   
   • Issues can be silenced without review
   • Typically used to accept existing technical debt
     
     
3. Write-off with Peer Review 
   
   
   • Recommended for mature teams
   • Linked to Quality Gates
   • Requires reviewer approval
     
     
     

Applying a Write-off #

• Write-offs are requested from Live Check detected issues
• Priority should be given to issues causing Quality Gate failures
  
  

Based on configuration:

• Button is not shown (Model 1)
• Write-off is auto-approved (Model 2)
• Write-off triggers a Peer Review request (Model 3)

 

Approval of write-off #

 For Peer Review mode:

• Reviewers approve the request via Issues Peer Reviews
• After approval, a new Live Check must be run
• Approved issues are automatically removed from the Active list
  
  
  

Update Sets – Completion Control #

 When completing an update set:

• A Live Check is automatically triggered
• All included elements are evaluated against Quality Gates
  
  

The following flow chart depicts the update-set completion process to trigger a Peer Review, and exceptions supported:

If gates fail:

• Update set cannot be completed without review
• Prevents promoting low-quality changes upstream

 

1. User is notified on the update set form
2. Select a Reason from the dropdown
3. Add justification comments
4. Click Request Update Set Peer Review
   
   

Options:

• Request review → Update set is closed and review created
• Cancel → Return to fix issues (update set remains open)
  
  
  

Approval of Update-Set Peer Review #

• A new entry is created under Quality Clouds → Update Sets Peer Reviews
• Peer Reviewers evaluate and approve/reject completion
• Approval authorizes promotion despite Quality Gate failures