ServiceNow Project Management – 8 Steps to Successful Delivery: SPOC ServiceNow Experts Since 2010
Executing a successful ServiceNow project implementation requires each member of the project team to contribute.
This article outlines the principles and the steps SPOC’s project team takes to maximise a successful implementation for ServiceNow projects.
From the experience gained working with different clients on projects that vary in size and complexity, the team strongly feels that an Agile approach best suits ServiceNow projects.
One of the main reasons for this is the frequent issue of eliciting the specific requirements from stakeholders at the start of the project.
This means it can be challenging to identify all of the main functions required during the implementation. In addition, it’s not uncommon for the requirements to adapt as the stakeholder’s knowledge of the system and the possibilities of its functionality grows.
With an Agile delivery, you can compensate for these changes throughout the sprints. By using the MoSCoW prioritisation technique with a ratio of 60/20/20, it means that the ‘Must Have’s’ can be identified but there is the necessary room for adjustment.
The Key Steps
Taking a more granular perspective, we can identify the main milestones of the project. Irrelevant of the scope, these will stay fairly consistent.
The Agreement for the ServiceNow Project
All parties must agree on the model of cooperation; that doesn’t mean only the contractual elements but also other key elements.
This would include:
Project Governance is set
Roles & Responsibilities are clearly defined
Product owner has the appropriate decision power
The project exit plan is well defined
The proposed team will stay consistent
ServiceNow Scoping Workshops
Once the customer has communicated the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for the project, it’s time to cover the scope of the functionality and requirements.
Before starting, make sure:
Everyone is briefed prior to the workshops increasing interaction
The vision, roadmap and CSFs are understood so the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) can be defined
All the relevant people are involved
Functional and Non-Functional requirements are captured
The customer’s voice is heard – watch out for System thinking
Product Backlog for the ServiceNow Project
Once the requirements have been gathered, the product backlog can be drafted.
Check that:
All the requirements of the MVP are well defined
The MoSCoW prioritisation follows the 60/20/20 ratio
Estimations include development and non-development work
The estimation team consists of a mixture of profiles
The user stories are clearly defined and written in epics or user stories
The acceptance criteria are defined quantitively
Delivery Plan for the ServiceNow Project
The backlog is in place, you can now start creating the delivery plan.
Confirm that:
Project constraints and expectations are included in the plan
You are prepared for business change management
Communication plan and project marketing within your organization is defined
Schedule, budget, and team are agreed
Risks and issues are captured
Documentation requirements confirmed (technical documentation, user guides etc.)
Customer Acceptance
An initial backlog is prepared, project plan, deliverables and costs are defined. It’s time for a decision!
It’s important to make sure:
Any doubt is clarified
All parties understand and accept risks related to the project delivery model
Roles and responsibilities are clearly assigned
You start with a project kick-off
Backlog Refinement of your ServiceNow Requirements
The scope is agreed & the stories have the green light. Now you can plan the sprints and confirm the solution architecture.
Make sure:
You stay focused on the business priorities
Product owner and delivery team cooperate to define what should be delivered
Refinement isn’t causing scope creep
Estimation is done by the same team that is delivering
ServiceNow Project Sprints
Development starts and continues! You can expect incremental improvements and new value creation after each sprint.
Points to remember:
Backlog refinement is done frequently, providing an ability to easily pick-up fully defined and ready stories during sprint planning
You have full visibility of your delivery team’s work, including budget spending
Q&A tests are part of a sprint – customer UAT is a separate task
You have your ServiceNow Project Go-Live
If you’ve been consistent during the previous steps, it’s almost time to reap the fruits of your labour.
