After Go-Live - Now What?

One of the most common questions I hear from customers after they go live with ServiceNow is, “What’s the right staffing model for our organization?” Whether your business is a startup or a global enterprise, structuring your ServiceNow team effectively is critical for driving adoption, managing the platform, and long-term success.

Having worked with dozens of organizations across various industries and managing ServiceNow in-house before that, I’ve learned what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to building and scaling a ServiceNow team.

Staffing your team

One of the major drivers of organizational adoption and retaining your key players is staffing a ServiceNow team correctly. Here are my recommendations for building a team after Go-Live:

Organizational Size: < 1,000 Employees

• 1 Product Owner/BPC
• 1 Architect
• 1 Developer
• Remote Services contract with a ServiceNow partner

Organizational Size: 1,000-3,000 Employees

• 1 Product Owner
• 1 Business Process Consultant
• 1 Architect
• 2 Developers
• Remote Services contract with a ServiceNow partner

Organizational Size: 3,000-5,000 Employees

• 1 Product Owner
• 2 Business Process Consultants
• 1 Architect
• 3 Developers
• Remote Services contract with a ServiceNow partner

Organizational Size: 5,000+ Employees

• 1 Product Owner
• 3 Business Process Consultants
• 1 Architect
• 5+ Developers
• Remote Services contract with a ServiceNow partner

Building Momentum After Go-Live: Key Processes for Success

Establishing an Intake Process

Once you’ve gone live, expect a surge in enhancement requests as user adoption grows and teams explore the platform’s potential. To keep things manageable and effective, it’s essential to have a clear and structured intake process. ServiceNow’s Demand Management module is a fantastic tool for capturing, prioritizing, and managing these requests.

Vetting Enhancement Requests

Taking on every enhancement request is a fast track to over-customization. To avoid this, implement a consistent vetting process. One effective approach is holding a daily review meeting with your Product Owner, Business Process Consultant, and Architect to evaluate new requests. This ensures alignment with business goals and prevents unnecessary changes.

Adopt an SDLC Process

Managing stories, defects, enhancements, and releases is crucial to staying organized and efficient. ServiceNow’s Agile Development application is a great solution that your team can leverage with minimal setup. It seamlessly integrates into other modules, enabling continued adoption over time.

Determine a Release Cadence

To manage the high volume of requests post-Go-Live, set a clear release cadence for updates. Start with weekly releases to address immediate needs, then transition to a bi-weekly schedule as your team finds its rhythm and reaches a steady state.

Ongoing Training for End Users

Regular training is key to maintaining platform adoption. Schedule quarterly “Tips and Tricks” sessions to help both new and existing employees better understand how to use ServiceNow effectively.

Create and Maintain a Roadmap

A well-defined roadmap is invaluable. It provides a clear vision for the platform’s future, aligns stakeholders on priorities, and serves as a guide for architectural decisions. Make sure your roadmap is updated regularly and communicated effectively across the organization.

Host Regular Governance Meetings

Frequent communication with your stakeholders is vital. Governance meetings help you understand their evolving needs, address concerns proactively, and prevent teams from seeking alternative solutions outside ServiceNow. These meetings foster collaboration and keep your platform aligned with business goals.

Showcase ServiceNow’s Capabilities

Many teams across your organization may not fully understand what ServiceNow can do. Actively promote the platform’s capabilities by hosting demos or roadshows for different business units. This is key to driving adoption and expanding the platform’s reach within your organization.