Every ITSM and digital transformation journey is different. When an organization finds itself at a crossroads, and technology needs to change, a trusted partner with the experience, expertise, and vision to lead the way is a critical ingredient in achieving success. Beyond20 has been a premier Cherwell partner since 2012, and we have helped hundreds of organizations implement, enhance, and maintain the platform through six major version upgrades, countless feature and content updates, and managed the transition from primarily on-premise to cloud and hosted solutions. And through it all, we have blazed trails and pushed the boundaries of what is possible with an ITSM platform. As needs evolve, many clients find their outcomes require a different solution. We understand that value comes from choosing the right technology to support those outcomes.
We also understand that change is not just about slapping a new logo on the front of the application and expecting fireworks. As a ServiceNow partner, our migration program was developed to ensure that not only will the transition from a legacy ITSM platform to the NOW Platform be as seamless as possible, but that the organization itself will be ready to make the leap when the time comes.
Beyond20 is more than just a technology broker. Our team of ITIL certified professionals have years of experience assessing and designing processes, in addition to developing and implementing those processes in technology platforms.
The first step to migrating from any legacy ITSM platform to the NOW Platform involves a deeper understanding of two major components: 1) organizational vision, and 2) current state of readiness to implement.
Our advisory team can facilitate stakeholder workshops to define and document the business objectives, critical success factors, and metrics to ensure that the right outcomes are achieved through migration. This effort includes discussing what features and components of the NOW Platform the organization intends to leverage, and it can help to set expectations for how work will change after migration.
This is a great time to consider the direction the organization wants to take. We can provide strategic guidance to help prioritize the puzzle pieces to ensure the greatest success in the shortest amount of time.
Assessing where the organization is today in its platform maturity and readiness to transform is a key component in establishing timelines, building requirements, and allocating the right resources for the migration.
Beyond20 will provide guidance for this ITSM assessment:
Additionally, we can help prepare the organization itself for this change. A new platform isn’t just about technology, organizational change management is a huge part of gaining the right traction and getting buy-in across the enterprise when introducing new tools and ways of working. Digital transformation is just that: transformation. Our team has the experience and expertise to garner champions up and down the org chart, improving adoption and easing the burden on the platform administration team.
Now that there is an understanding of where the organization stands, as well as where the organization wants to be, it’s time to get to planning the migration. This is one of those steps that is so easy to forget, but it is also one that can make or break a migration. There are probably many moving parts already inherent in the platform you are using.
It is likely that you have had Cherwell in place for years. There needs to be appropriate governance from leadership, project and portfolio management, and technical management to ensure success. This phase involves establishing a governance team to oversee the migration. Beyond20 will help build this team with the right stakeholders and help set requirements and expectations to plan and design a successful migration. We have been managing projects great and small for years. And our staff of experienced, knowledgeable project and program managers will get the transformation underway effectively, and they will guide the project throughout to keep everyone focused on successful migration.
Activities Beyond20 will undertake in this phase include:
This phase also includes the necessary steps to ensure that risk and compliance are addressed before design and implementation. We will work with the organization’s security and compliance teams to define the requirements and parameters that must be adhered to in order to successfully release the new platform. We have security specialists that can facilitate this discussion and our understanding and expertise in the areas of compliance and risk management can help guide the organization to ensure a secure system going forward.
It may feel like it has been a long journey to get to the place where designing the new system and building the migration processes are finally upon us, but the reality is that this phase needs its predecessors to create the valuable outcomes the organization wants to fully achieve with this migration. Design is a key component and the foundation on which this phase rests must be solid.
Our solutions architects will evaluate all the processes and data to be migrated and facilitate deep-dive design sessions to ensure that no stone is left unturned. Our design services are second to none in the industry, and our experts will define and document each user story to maximize the outcomes. This activity will include identifying one-steps and automation processes that will later be recreated as workflows in ServiceNow. If Cherwell has been in place for a long time, this list is likely long and complex. Rest assured that our architects understand and can offer solutions, even if a 1:1 migration is not 100% feasible. Where external system integrations are identified, appropriate processes and development tactics will be assessed and designed. Our solutions consultants are seasoned developers and have integrated everything from simple data imports from CSV to highly complex API configuration—and everything in between. The goal is to design the system such that no functionality is lost, and new efficiencies are discovered and agreed before a single configuration step is taken.
During this phase Beyond20 will:
Our design documents are thorough and provide the blueprint that the implementation teams can follow and refer to throughout the project. However, we also understand that needs may change, especially within the context of such a large and impactful migration. We work in an agile, iterative way to ensure maximum flexibility as we progress through the various phases of migration. Our project plans are broken down into two-week sprints, and progress is communicated before, during, and after each iteration to ensure that what is being built meets with the needs and desires of the organization. A detailed backlog is maintained by our project management team to capture evolving requirements, and we will work closely with the organization to continually set and meet expectations.
With a detailed design and plan for implementation firmly established, it is time to build the new system. This phase is truly where the magic happens. With each sprint review, the organization will see and can test each piece of functionality as it is built in ServiceNow. This experience can open doors to even greater functionality down the road, or even expose alternate ways of working that may be considered immediately. The flexibility of short, visible development cycles provides stakeholders the chance to improve on the fly and identify future state features in near real time.
Beyond20’s solutions consultants will deliver during this phase:
Throughout each iterative two-week development cycle, Beyond20 solutions consultants transform each user story into defined deliverables, which can be demonstrated as part of the sprint review meeting. This means that for every requirement, a development resource will create, review, and integrate the necessary records, attributes, processes, and automations to accomplish the requested functionality. All of our consultants are ITIL certified, and they are backed up by ITIL experts with decades of experience in the field, which means that your processes are in the best possible hands.
Inherent in all our development, configuration, and implementation projects is a testing and quality assurance component, which allows our team of skilled testers the time and opportunity to ensure that every user story not only delivers the desired outcome, but also that each new piece of functionality works with all existing configurations. This regression testing is a step that Beyond20 believes shortens the overall timeline necessary to develop the entire system. By injecting such tests directly into the development cycle, there is less need for a long period of QA and testing prior to go-live. This model allows for a smoother transition to production, and it affords the developers a shorter path to addressing issues, without the need to unravel weeks—or even months—of work to find solutions.
The moment of truth has arrived. The new platform has been fully developed and is ready for delivery. This phase is, without question, the most exciting time yet in this transformative journey. Before the final release, the project team, developers, governance team, security and compliance, and other key stakeholders will reassemble to determine timing, resources, and steps to finally launch the NOW Platform into production.
There are key steps that must be considered during this phase:
All the preparation in the world will be for naught if no one knows how to use the platform. This phase includes training modules for ServiceNow administrators, technicians, and end users. There will be, without a doubt, stakeholders that are not quite ready to let go of the existing platform. And we understand that this level of organizational change is disruptive. Our training programs are designed to ensure that not only are users ready to tackle the new system, but they are also fully prepared to shift to new ways of working.
There will likely be a period of transition where both systems are active. Our experience shows that this is a critical time for users to understand their role and embrace the new. We will continue to work with stakeholders to foster a culture of continual improvement and adoption of the NOW Platform. This is the stage at which the organizational change plan established during the discovery and preparation phases will swing into action. It is critical to keep the lines of communication open and encourage feedback from all stakeholders. Success depends on buy-in and acceptance of the new system at this point, and we have tons of experience guiding organizations of all sizes and in all stages of maturity through this period.
Now that it’s up and running, it’s time to dust off those critical success factors and metrics defined in the early phases. It is important to remember that there will absolutely be areas that will need improvement and remediation. This is why we measure, and this is why it is so important to engender a culture that embraces a continual improvement practice. Remember, this is about reaching business objectives, and there are bound to be changes along the way, so measuring against the vision is the key to understanding next steps.
This phase includes the following activities:
The business objectives that were defined in Phase 1 can help to define key performance indicators going forward. If one of the success factors was to reduce the amount of time incidents remain open, we can quickly identify that a reduction in mean time to resolve (MTTR) would be a great way to measure that goal. Beyond20 will help the organization define these initial KPIs, but an additional step is to understand how these metrics will change over time. All improvements should be tied to a business objective, and the vision is bound to shift as an organization evolves and matures. So, it is important to revisit what is being measured from time to time to re-align with those business goals.
This is also a great time to publicize your success. Migrating from one platform to another is no small feat, and it is important to celebrate, alongside all stakeholders, the accomplishment. Beyond20 can help designing and executing an awareness campaign, and we can ensure that the lines of communication and continuous feedback loops are established to keep the momentum going.
Fostering a culture of continual improvement, sharing success, and developing continual feedback loops are all important factors in developing a successful service management practice. Now that the technology has been adapted to meet the challenges of supporting the organization’s service needs, maintaining and enhancing the platform can continue as part of the evolution and maturity of the enterprise. Beyond20’s experience and expertise make us an excellent choice to guide you through your ServiceNow migration – from Cherwell or any legacy ITSM platform. Get in touch today and tell us about your project.
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