When organizations transition from legacy CMDB status fields (such as custom install status or operational status values) to CSDM-aligned lifecycle status fields, the goal is to map old values to standardized lifecycle stages without disrupting existing processes. In ServiceNow, this is achieved through the Life Cycle Mapping table.
The Life Cycle Mapping table is specifically designed to translate legacy or custom status values into CSDM lifecycle stages and statuses. This allows organizations to preserve historical data and integrations while progressively adopting CSDM standards. By modifying this table, administrators can define how existing status values correspond to CSDM lifecycle stages such as Plan, Build, Deploy, Operate, and Retire.