ServiceNow IT Business Management (ITBM) suite is a powerful and intuitive way to manage your internal initiatives across your organization. In order for your company to fully leverage the power of this tool though, proper and thorough planning is needed before any implementation.
Below are the top 5 best practices for planning your ServiceNow ITBM project:
1. Pick a Partner
Many organizations believe that all planning for a ServiceNow implementation or future project should be done internally and before engaging with a partner. However, those organizations are missing out on some of the most valuable things a good ServiceNow partner can bring to the table such as:
- Years of ServiceNow Platform Experience
- Thought leadership
- Long-term ServiceNow goal alignment
- And ServiceNow is the core business of many partners
An experienced ServiceNow partner, like ServiceNow Elite Partner, Infocenter will have a deep understanding of the platform as a whole as well as the module you are planning to implement. On top of that, a good partner will also have experience in your industry and the challenges your organization may face.
At Infocenter, we prefer to start all of our partnerships with a RADIUS™ strategic planning engagement combining our team of experts with your organization’s stakeholders for both long and short-term planning for the NOW platform.
2. Define your Organization’s Goals
Once you have picked your ServiceNow planning and implementation partner, the next step is to define some goals and metrics for the success of your ITBM implementation. Understanding the major challenges your organization is facing, both at an enterprise and departmental level and laying out how ServiceNow will help your organization solve them is key to the overall success.
The next step is to decide which features are going to add the most value for your first implementation and which your organization have to mature into. Once those have been identified and prioritized, your organization will have a clear understanding of the value you will get from your initial ITBM implementation.
3. Engage Stakeholders for Buy-in
Engaging your key stakeholders is a crucial component in planning for a successful ITBM engagement since most of the stakeholders are not “IT-minded” people.
Usually, those that will be using ITBM and benefiting from it the most are Project Managers and Department leaders trying to understand initiative and resourcing spend across the organization. Since most of those stakeholders are not in IT, they’re not aware of what ServiceNow can offer as solutions to the challenges they currently face or any new features of the tool they can leverage.
Engaging those stakeholders before planning the implementation will ensure their needs are met, no re-work will need to be done after the implementation is completed, and the endeavor is successful enterprise wide.
4. Develop a Long-Term Plan
When planning for an ITBM implementation, it’s important to not only prepare for the short-term effects of the implementation, but also for some long-term objectives and governance.
Planning out items like future steps in your organization’s ServiceNow roadmap are crucial such as:
- The overall governance of the platform
- How adding ITBM may change that dynamic
- And who can approve changes to the ITBM module
These are equally as important as planning for the key milestones and goals of the implementation itself. Engaging with a partner like Infocenter can help your organization be successful in the long-term planning and success of your ServiceNow journey. Our experts have helped countless companies successfully implement governance and platform support models to ensure lasting success with the NOW platform.
5. Create a Proof of Concept (POC)
Since some of your stakeholders may not be well-versed in what ServiceNow ITBM can bring to the table, a Proof of Concept (POC) can help them see the value of implementing ITBM.
With Infocenter RADIUS™, a POC is a standard deliverable to help receive buy-in within your organization by demonstrating the power of the ServiceNow platform within your own environment. This will allow the non-IT stakeholders to see how the solution will look and feel, successfully demonstrating how ITBM can enable your organization’s digital transformation.
Get Started on Planning Today
Planning for your organization’s ITBM implementation is one of the most overlooked, but extremely important aspect of a successful implementation. Engaging with a trusted partner at the beginning of the planning process not only helps your organization move towards an easier and more successful implementation, but also guides your organization towards a sustainable governance model for your NOW Platform.
Infocenter has helped top organizations plan for ServiceNow across the platform and across industries. Get started today with RADIUS™ to knock your next ServiceNow implementation out of the park.