Undertaking a digital transformation is an exciting prospect but one that can fail to deliver on initial expectations. A look at 5,400 IT projects found that, on average, the projects ran over budget, went over time, and underperformed on value. Companies undergoing a ServiceNow implementation likely have ambitious goals but may become overwhelmed by the undertaking.
On an episode of The Distillery Podcast, Felix Ortiz talked about how businesses can utilize operational services for an effective ServiceNow implementation. Felix is the principal program manager and director of operational program transformation at Cask NX. He has more than 17 years of experience with ServiceNow as an early adopter of the technology, a consultant, an operational services professional, and more. Here are some things Felix says businesses should keep in mind to successfully undergo a digital transformation with ServiceNow.
Beginning the journey
The decision to implement ServiceNow in an organization is an important first step, but Felix says this is only the beginning of the digital transformation journey. It is important to provide adequate support once the system has been put in place. “That tends to be—as simple as that seems—it’s a task in and of itself, and it just grows exponentially once you implement the solution,” Felix says.
There is work to be done to support the ServiceNow technology the company has adopted to continually put it to use and keep it up-to-date. As the system is able to provide solutions to pain points, it is common for businesses to want to expand and grow with ServiceNow, adding more services that will also need to be supported.
Addressing the talent gap
ServiceNow has powerful tools that can transform a company’s technological capabilities. It is important to have people with the right skillset to support and utilize these tools to maximize their capabilities for the business. Felix says the talent gap between an organization’s workforce and the tools it has available to it can be a challenge, especially as highly skilled workers can be difficult to find.
In a Deloitte survey, more than 80 percent of business leaders said that recruiting talent was a moderate or even major challenge for their company. Whether new employees are brought on or consultants are used, bridging the talent gap is imperative. Felix says this can be the biggest challenge for organizations implementing dynamic and powerful ServiceNow systems.
Avoiding overwhelm
As businesses get started with their ServiceNow solutions, they often build a roadmap for what the system can do over the course of three to five years. While this big-picture planning is important, Felix says it is critical that leaders also keep in mind their short-term goals in order to realize immediate success and not become overwhelmed with all of the changes that can happen over a long period of time.
Felix recommends having a 90-day backlog of projects that can be addressed in order to effectively manage resources and people’s time and avoid getting bogged down. “The reality is that the most important thing is taking it into a reasonable, digestible chunk,” he says. “That means requirements that are really vetted and ready to be consumed by the customers, and establishing that over a 90-day window.” Keeping the backlog to 90 days means prioritizing projects and requests to keep demands organized and manageable.
Establishing governance
Governance needs to be established for any new technology being implemented to ensure that demands and requests are vetted and prioritized. Felix says that good governance is all about managing people and putting the right leadership in place to manage requests and determine what should be undertaken and when. These leaders act as a filter to ensure that the system is used effectively and efficiently.
“You need to go through funneling all that demand and vetting it through the right process with governance and reviews,” Felix says. “And then, ultimately you get into the scenario where you have all of these requirements, all from competing areas of the business, and needing to come to consensus as to which one takes precedence over the other.”
Finding the right partner
Although there can be challenges and obstacles when implementing ServiceNow’s tools, businesses are not on their own in the process. Felix says that having the right partner to guide organizations allows them to overcome these obstacles and find success. A partner like Cask NX not only helps leaders address challenges but also proactively addresses them before they arise.
“Everything that we do within our services revolves around the Disciplined Agile framework and aligning that to your business needs to then deliver on operational services,” Felix says.
Whether a business needs a partner to guide them throughout the process or just needs supplementation in a few areas, Cask NX can meet them where they are to ensure that the organization achieves the maximum benefits of ServiceNow.
With the help of Cask NX’s operational services, businesses with a wide range of needs can get the full value from implementing ServiceNow’s systems. Cask NX’s experienced guides can help business leaders navigate through obstacles and difficulties to achieve success.
We’re with you for what comes next
You're working in a rapidly shifting environment.
Global dynamics, AI advancements, heavy competition–the only certainty is change.
We get it. And we’re here to help you harness the full potential of ServiceNow to simplify transformation.
Let's navigate the future together.
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We’re with you for what comes next
You're working in a rapidly shifting environment.
Global dynamics, AI advancements, heavy competition–the only certainty is change.
We get it. And we’re here to help you harness the full potential of ServiceNow to simplify transformation.
Let's navigate the future together.
LET'S INNOVATE
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