ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management Reviews

We have a lot of services and projects running, and our clients need to align these projects from the innovation phase. They start with an idea and align it with their strategy. Then, they orchestrate the teams performing these solutions or completing these projects so that they can finalize the projects and measure their performance.

The alignment feature between projects from the idea phase until it is finalized is highly valuable. The ability to measure efforts in terms of money and resources is beneficial. Moreover, aligning the portfolio with overall strategy and goals is essential for success. Resource management is another critical component. These features are instrumental in managing business investments effectively.

We define business strategic goals in the latest SPM. Last year, the new ITBM was changed to SPM, and we have updated to SPM accordingly. We align our demands towards the business strategies and goals. Additionally, we are integrating APM with SPM, linking our applications to understand the priority and business value of each application.

The new feature includes different lenses, like the organizational lens or project manager lens, allowing us to view data through various perspectives. Previously, the journey started with demand, project, and idea management. Now, strategies and goals are aligned with demands and partners, making it a strategic approach for the enterprise. What was once an operational tool focused on maintaining the project center has evolved into a strategic tool. The introduction of objectives and strategic goals is a game changer.

I have integrated Splunk with ServiceNow as part of my work. I am a ServiceNow expert, although my knowledge of Splunk itself is limited.

The best feature is the effective reporting system for project portfolio and program management. It allows us to track tasks easily, create cost budgets for individual tasks, and is aligned with AI features. 

It's a comprehensive strategic project management tool, Agile tool, and business continuity tool. The platform consolidates multiple offerings into one module, eliminating the need to invest in siloed applications.

We primarily use ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management for demand management, resource management, and Agile Management. It's integrated with another solution where our portfolio data resides, but ServiceNow supports our information and processes enabling seamless connectivity to our portfolio. We've utilized certain aspects of the platform during this time, although not the entire range of features, focusing more on specific functionalities rather than a comprehensive implementation across all areas from idea management to HR.

The most valuable feature is the end-to-end processes, which enable us to manage strategies from start to finish. It covers idea management to implementation and beyond. Real-time analytics in ServiceNow SPM significantly support our operational decision-making processes.

There were specific use cases. We focused on the technology portfolio, trying to understand how to reduce the impact of software end-of-life on various business services. We had to integrate the data structures associated with the technology portfolio with the CMDB to understand which applications or services would be potentially impacted if the particular hardware or software associated with them or supporting them wasn't upgraded or updated over the next few months or so, based on their technology life cycle. That's one use case that was prominent for one of our customers in the UK. We use it across programs to track and manage our requirements. The requirement management process is handled through the Requirement Application, and delivery is tracked via a separate classification.

Anything that has to do with the application and technology portfolio is important because it reduces part of your tech depth, as that is one of the parameters enabling you to identify technical depth in your organization. It has a helpful capability. The PPM module is an excellent service.

Currently, based on our scope, we are mainly using Customer Service Management (CSM) and the IT Service Management (ITSM) part.

There is room for improvement in customer service and support in terms of response time.

Another area of improvement is pricing costs.

In future releases, I would like to see more AI and machine learning concepts to make the processes easier and more efficient.

The product is quite convenient and user-friendly. It provides a lot of flexibility in portfolio and project management. Compared to SAP, ServiceNow is much more user-friendly and easier to handle. It is easier to implement new developments and customize them.

Test Management is not done at a granular level. I prefer using Jira. The product does not give us the freedom to capture all the instances, test cases, and evidence. There are multiple things that a tester has to capture for the test that is being performed. However, I think the product keeps improving. I spoke to a service person who told me that these features would be added to the next version.