construction built from the ground up

Buy versus Build

June 25, 2024Posted inPlatformNo Comments
How all those who work with ServiceNow should think about buying a solution versus building their own “Construction is the art of making a meaningful whole out of many parts.” — Peter Zumthor Introduction Buy versus build is a discussion perhaps as old as software itself. Certainly it has become more prevalent as software has evolved beyond canned (boxed) point solutions into development platforms. Modern platforms provide the ability to use existing components to develop new solutions and ServiceNow is no exception. In fact, ServiceNow was designed to do this from the ground up - it was the vision of…
architectural structure

Wherefore Architecture?

June 12, 2024Posted inArchitecture, Configuration, Custom Applications, Customization, Design, Platform, UpgradesNo Comments
If ServiceNow is built to support Citizen developers, why do we need ServiceNow architects? “Thinking about design is hard, but not thinking about it can be disastrous.” - Ralph Caplan Introduction For almost 14 years in the ServiceNow space, and across a rapid expansion of the exosystem, it has been interesting to observe and analyze various organization’s approaches to developing and maintaining their ServiceNow environment. Specifically, how do organizations manage the inflow of business needs, the distribution and velocity of development, configuration and administrative work, and the ongoing maintenance of the platform? As the footprint of ServiceNow has expanded conjunctionally…
platform part 2

It’s the Platform, Stupid* (Part 2)

February 20, 2024Posted inPlatformNo Comments
* - A play on the famous James Carville quote about the economy, not implying that ServiceNow folks are stupid It’s been a few years since I wrote Part 1 of this article, going through the history and evolution of the ServiceNow platform, and the morphing of the company strategy from platform to product. After working with multiple clients in the meantime, and reading lots of new marketing and going through many platform release upgrades, I thought it time to revisit the subject with new perspective and analysis. A quick recap: In the early 2000s, ServiceNow (nee “Glide”) was envisioned…
Improvement graph

PD (Platform Disfunction) is Treatable

April 14, 2023Posted inConfiguration, Customization, Out of the Box, PlatformNo Comments
The things ServiceNow should change or enhance yesterday "Continuous improvement is not about the things you do well — that’s work. Continuous improvement is about removing the things that get in the way of your work. The headaches, the things that slow you down, that’s what continuous improvement is all about." - Bruce Hamilton I’ve written previously about the power of the platform, and my belief in its terrific original design and flexibility. In recent years, in its push to create and sell products, ServiceNow has sacrificed enhancements to the platform which us architects, developers and admins have to work…