Create CWM tasks or stories from files or open prompts

---
title: Create CWM tasks or stories from files or open prompts
description: Generate tasks or stories for a Board by describing the work in a natural language prompt or by uploading a document. AI analyzes the input to propose a list of actionable tasks or stories for you to review and select, saving time and manual effort.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-business-management/collaborative-work-management/generate-tasks-cwm-boards.html
release: australia
product: Collaborative Work Management
classification: collaborative-work-management
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 3
keywords: [generate tasks, Collaborative Work Management, ServiceNow Otto, document intelligence]
breadcrumb: [Add tasks to a CWM Board, Manage work using Boards, Use, Collaborative Work Management, Strategic Portfolio Management]
---

# Create CWM tasks or stories from files or open prompts

Generate tasks or stories for a Board by describing the work in a natural language prompt or by uploading a document. AI analyzes the input to propose a list of actionable tasks or stories for you to review and select, saving time and manual effort.

## Before you begin

**Important:** This generative AI skill is turned on by default. The skill will be automatically available to appropriate role users for the application. For more information, see [AI agents, skills, and agentic workflows on by default](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/intelligent-experiences/now-assist-skills-on-by-default.md).

-   Verify that ServiceNow Otto for Collaborative Work Management \(CWM\), including its prerequisites, is configured on your instance. See [Configure ServiceNow Otto for Collaborative Work Management \(CWM\) \(CWM\)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/collaborative-work-management/configure-now-assist-for-collaborative-work-management.md).
-   A reference file in one of these formats: .pdf, .docx, .txt, .pptx, .png, or .jpg. Maximum file size: 50 MB.

Role required: sn\_cwm\_ai.cwm\_ai\_user

## About this task

Turn narrative or semi-structured content, such as meeting notes, brainstorming planning docs, or epic PRDs documents, into a list of actionable tasks or stories on a Board. The actionable work items are identified by AI and mapped to the appropriate CWM fields. The tasks are created with a short description, description, and predefined columns. If the context is sufficient, it can create custom columns and map the fields accordingly.

**Note:** AI-generated tasks are proposals based on the context you provide. Review each task for accuracy and completeness before adding it to the Board.

## Procedure

1.  Navigate to **Workspaces** > **Collaborative Work Management**.

2.  From a Space, select a Board to generate tasks for.

3.  From the Board header, select **Create with Otto**.

4.  Select **Generate tasks**.

    \[Omitted image "cwm-generate-tasks-option.png"\] Alt text: Board header showing the Create with Otto menu with the Generate tasks option.

    The **Generate tasks** dialog opens with two steps: **Provide Context** and **Review Tasks**.

    \[Omitted image "cwm-generate-contextual-tasks.png"\] Alt text: Generate tasks using context or uploaded reference files.

5.  From the **Work item type** list, select the type of record to generate tasks as.

    You can choose **CWM Tasks** or **Stories**. The context to CWM column mapping in the next step depends on this choice.

6.  In the **Context** field, describe the tasks you want to generate.

    For example: `6-month digital transformation to modernize legacy systems, migrate data to the cloud, and redesign the customer portal. Include tasks for change management and stakeholder communication.`

7.  Select **Add file** to attach one or more reference documents for AI to analyze.

    **Note:** If a document can't be processed, an error message indicates the issue. Corrupted or password-protected files show a specific error rather than a generic failure message. Other common causes include files that are too large or too complex.

8.  Select **Proceed**.

    AI analyzes your context and any attached documents, and the dialog advances to the **Review Tasks** step.

9.  On the **Review Tasks** step, review the tasks to add.

    A banner displays the number of tasks generated. No tasks are selected by default.

10. Select the tasks to add.

    \[Omitted image "cwm-generate-contextual-tasks-review.png"\] Alt text: Review the generated tasks and select the ones you want to add to your board.

11. Select **Back** to return to the **Provide Context** step.

    Your context text, attached files, and selected documents are retained. You can add or remove files, modify your prompt, or select another work item type and proceed to generate them.

12. Select **Confirm and add**.

    The dialog closes. A banner confirms that task creation is underway in the background and that you will be notified when it's complete.


## Result

A workspace notification confirms the outcome:

-   If all tasks are added successfully, the notification shows the count of records added to your Board.
-   If some tasks are added, the notification shows the count of records imported and indicates that some items were not processed.
-   If task creation fails completely, the notification states that tasks could not be added to the Board.

## What to do next

Open the Board to review the added tasks. Edit individual tasks from the side panel or by inline editing in the grid.

**Parent Topic:**[Add tasks to a CWM Board](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/collaborative-work-management/add-tasks-to-board-in-cwm.md)