If you think setting up ServiceNow is as easy as flipping the switch, ask any developer who’s been in the trenches; they’ll tell you a different story.
The ServiceNow platform is the engine driving digital transformation for enterprises worldwide. It is a single-code, cloud-based structure, empowering developers to unite disparate business functions, like IT, HR, and customer service.
However, the path to a successful implementation can often feel more like a slog rather than a sprint.
In this blog, let’s decode the common challenges every ServiceNow developer faces and practical ways to solve them.
1. Lack of clear business objectives
Many organizations rush into implementing ServiceNow without defining clear objectives. Without specific, measurable goals, businesses face myriads of challenges. These include:
Lack of direction
Companies without a North Star metric for the ServiceNow implementation can quickly lose direction. This results in reduced tangible benefits and inefficient resource usage.
Disarranged priorities
A ServiceNow developer need to think about the larger goal, e.g., improved customer experience or cost reduction for the company. Furthermore, product owners, admins, and other stakeholders should be kept in the loop. Failing to do so can result in competing interests. Consequently, you fail to deliver the intended value.
Difficulty measuring ROI
Without clear objectives, projects often drift. This makes it difficult to quantify measurable outcomes. Teams, therefore, struggle to defend the entire ServiceNow investment.
The solution
- Before writing a single line of code, prioritise defining your organization’s most critical challenges. Each ServiceNow developer should design a clear roadmap supporting these objectives.
- Clearly outline your objectives. For example, reducing incident resolution time by 20% or increasing customer satisfaction by 40%. Then, document these requirements meticulously to prevent the project from becoming a collection of disconnected ideas.
- Begin with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This helps ServiceNow developers achieve targets in a high-impact area. Not only that, but it gives the project a triumphant kickstart, allowing the gradual scaling of features.
2. Choosing the right integration approach
To get the best results with ServiceNow, enterprises need to have a robust integration strategy in place. A poorly planned ServiceNow integration can lead to:
- Sunk costs
- Technical debt
- Wasted time
This is often a result of companies choosing to build an integration in-house without the proper technical expertise.
The solution
- ServiceNow developers should carefully plan the integrations to avoid sinking into the wrong ServiceNow approaches. Leverage ServiceNow’s native tools first. For example, the Integration Hub is designed to manage complex, secure data integrations without deep custom scripting.
- Organizations should consider the available resources, e.g., an internal ServiceNow developer and time available for team training, etc.
- When faced with highly proprietary or legacy systems, working with ServiceNow consultants helps immensely. It will put less burden on internal resources and help the integration scale over time.
3. Over customization
The ServiceNow platform is popular for its customization capabilities. However, the same quality can also be a curse if not used in moderation. With top ServiceNow modules like ITSM, ITOM, etc., ServiceNow developers often get tempted to deploy every functionality. However, when customizations are made to overcome short-term issues, they lead to long-term implications.
There are instances where custom ServiceNow apps like the Now platform offer technical advantages. But, this is not always the case.
Moreover, workflow customization is cost-intensive. It requires custom codes and processes for updates, along with ongoing maintenance. ServiceNow developers end up spending way more time on old, brittle code than innovating.
As a result, your organization is met with challenges like poor performance, technical debt, complex management, and user complaints.
The solution
- Implement a phased approach. This allows you to monitor outcomes at every phase of the process. Taking it slow will save you from the hassle of over-customization and disrupting workflows. You can also fix issues faster while minimizing risks.
- Analyze the impact. Examine the long-term implications of each customization on different parameters like scalability, maintenance, and integration with existing systems.
- Prioritize configuration. Before immediately relying on customizations such as custom codes and scripts, focus on leveraging the accessible configuration options. This approach naturally lowers risks and enables future expansion.
4. Lack of governance
An unstructured governance model introduces disorder. Lack of recognized stakeholders, clear roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes can result in a messy and fragmented platform.
Apart from that, projects get implemented based on individual preferences, leading to misalignment with business goals. In addition to that, projects become vulnerable to security threats and non-compliance issues because of unsupervised changes.
Companies without a structured governance funnel miss opportunities for leveraging the platform’s full potential.
The solution
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities. Specify the decision-makers for strategic, technical, and day-to-day matters. This prevents confusion and guarantees accountability.
- Establish a Center of Excellence (CoE). Set up a team or board of key stakeholders who oversee the platform, offer strategic guidance, and ensure all processes match with business objectives.
5. The talent gap
One of the major setbacks for organziations is the scarcity of experienced and skilled ServiceNow developers. Employing an unskilled team to carry out a ServiceNow implementation is the perfect recipe for failure.
It leads to project delays, increased costs, poor service delivery, and inefficiency. Overall, the process becomes way harder than it should be.
The solution
- Offer continuous training. Train existing employees for long-term skill development. Set a budget for upskilling, acquiring certifications, etc. The talent gap can be closed by providing mentorships and training courses.
- Engage ServiceNow consulting services. When looking to implement specialized modules like the ITSM ServiceNow application, partner with ServiceNow consultants. They can speed up project delivery without compromising quality.
- Use low-code and no-code strategies. The App Engine Studio is a low-code platform that solves business problems without the need for specialized developers.
6. Performance issues
Transferring large data volumes significantly impacts the ServiceNow implementation performance. As most of these integrations depend on web services or APIs, they rely on ServiceNow’s operational bandwidth.
This leads to a performance degradation. Usually, to solve this issue, a ServiceNow developer runs bulk exports. However, they are time-taking and can risk data loss.
Furthermore, the platform may become sluggish, negatively impacting the user experience.
The solution
- Monitor system logs. Regularly utilize the system logs and slow query log to pinpoint exactly which scripts and database calls are consuming the most time. You can enhance performance by breaking up large imports into smaller batches.
- Go asynchronous. Offload high overhead operations like complex calculations or updates to external systems and move them to Asynchronous Business Rules or Scheduled Jobs. This keeps the user interface responsive by safeguarding the user’s primary transaction thread.
- Develop a detailed migration plan. This should specify precise steps, timelines, and the resources required.
7. Integrating next-generation features
The ServiceNow platform’s rapid evolution, driven by features like Now Assist and the Next Experience UI, presents a persistent challenge: ServiceNow developers must consistently keep their skills up-to-date to avoid falling behind the latest innovation curve.
Enterprises generally delay implementing intelligent automation in their daily operations. Moreover, an internal resistance from employees can hinder the adoption of AI-powered tools. This blocks the digital ROI and erodes your company’s competitive advantage.
ServiceNow developers that are quick to adopt these changes are met with special challenges of their own. From navigating complex workflows to seamlessly employing high-tech features, it can be a major hurdle.
The solution
- Emphasize AI governance. Developers must understand the fundamentals of AI and data security within ServiceNow. In other words, they must become proficient in setting up AI-driven features to ensure that the output is precise, controlled, and compliant with corporate guidelines.
- Embrace modern tools. Encourage the use of the ServiceNow CLI and the Visual Studio Code extensions. These tools offer modern, user-friendly interfaces that speed up development and improve support for next-generation features and code creation.
- Target innovation. Start small by implementing AI in a high-impact, low-risk area, such as using Now Assist for automated incident summarization, rather than attempting a full, complex overhaul. This method provides quick gains and offers ServiceNow developers valuable hands-on experience.
Final Takeaway
In a year marked by AI acceleration and increasing operational complexity, the path for ServiceNow developers has become more arduous than ever. The key is to remain proactive and be open to change.
Who knows what the next year will bring in terms of AI shifts and technological advancements. But establishing a firm foundation can help you stay unfazed even during the most intense storm.
What will keep you afloat:
- Flexibility: The ability to adjust to changes without fear to continuously improve implementation.
- Comprehensive testing: Implementing a thorough testing plan that recognizes and resolves issues early.
- Continuous feedback: Listening to your users and enhancing overall satisfaction rates.
At Xavor, we offer top-notch ServiceNow consulting services. Our team of ServiceNow developers and experts specialize in implementation through a carefully planned roadmap. We provide ongoing support to meet your unique demands, positioning you on an upward trajectory.
Ready to transform your development challenges into business triumphs? Connect with the experts at Xavor Corporation at [email protected] to discover how our ServiceNow consulting services can accelerate the value realization of your platform.
