The client was faced with a multitude of challenges: no standardization of IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes, no tracking or ability to follow up on changes being submitted, lengthy resolution times, inefficient reporting and tracking of systems, paper processes that continually required signing, scanning and printing of documents and multiple disparate systems requiring unique logins. The CIO of the client was faced with the challenge to make rapid improvements and show immediate results. His decision was to implement ServiceNow with the help of Contender Solutions.
Prior to the implementation, the CIO of the client, made the crucial decision to train all the Stakeholders and Administrators on ITIL Foundations. He recognized the importance of having everyone speak a common language in order to facilitate change and solve the problems. He then immediately brought numerous IT team members into the early stages of the project: Security, Systems Administration, Operations, and the Development teams were all made aware of the purpose and goals of the project.
By breaking the silos and increasing communication, he gathered support from all Stakeholders. This resulted in a successful project that completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
The client created an environment with a rapid rate of adoption – even surprising ServiceNow with the results. They wanted to ensure that the end-users saw the value in ServiceNow beyond just a system – they wanted it to have an identity. The Deputy CIO of the client came up with an excellent name: ServiceNow Application Portal – “SNAP”. Everything you need, with a SNAP of your fingers. Creating such a unique and easy identity helped the idea catch on quickly.
The client made the decision to build a CMDB with the help of ServiceNow Service Mapping and Discovery. Every CI on the network and those CI relations needed to be accounted for. A “keeper of the relationships” was required. It was essential for the leadership team to be able to view the Business Services Map and provide an “operational” view to end users when needed. This provided the ability to track any changes to CIs and define the business services and applications impacted. With this capability, they now have visibility to determine what communication is needed, and how to provide a fix when issues and problems arise.
Using ServiceNow Change to better manage their environment was a SNAP. By using most of the OOTB features, standard change form was created. All requested changes were required to show risks/impacts, back out plans, and test plans. Once the request was approved, specific tasks could then be delegated to users for completion. Leadership expectations were met because custom executive level dashboards were created, providing an ability to log in and view any associated changes within specified time periods, which provided unprecedented visibility and transparency.
The client completed Phase 1 of their implementation successfully and are eager to start Phase 2, Phase 3, and beyond. Per the Deputy CIO, “Anytime I see someone walking around with a stack of paper, I know we have a tool that can make their lives easier. We just need to understand their workflow.” A key factor to their success was to “involve the entire IT organization, especially Security. Be creative and come up with a fun way to market ServiceNow internally. Make sure you have the right partner… for us that was Contender Solutions”.
