How do you take steps to actually present the business case to your CIO, where you say, “I want to replace a version of ServiceNow with the same version?”.
This is the dilemma faced by Rob Davenport, chief product leader of the multinational Shell ITSM, because the company hopes to replace the highly customized version of IT Guardian with the out-of-the-box ITSM (IT Service Management) and ITBM (IT Business Management). Will disrupt business and in the context of a global pandemic. He said this is similar to aerial refueling while shifting from cargo plans to smaller, more flexible, and faster aircraft.
Shell started working with ServiceNow about four years ago and he explained:
When we first started using ServiceNow, we had 32 tools distributed in IT, we had a lot of data problems, and we had a decentralized IT environment, which was really difficult for us to change, modernize and improve. We first replaced these 32 tools with ITSM deployment. ServiceNow ITSM was installed around 2018 and proved to be very successful. In fact, it proved so successful that we subsequently deployed IT business management modules, application management, resource management, requirements… in 2019. This also proved to be very positive and popular.
But at the same time, these launches emphasized that there are a lot of “glues” to hold things together-a total of 90 interfaces, connected to suppliers or other IT systems-and many based on the business requirements at the time. This created problems, Davenport recalled:
We can’t really easily implement automation and new features. Of course, like most companies, [Artificial] Nowadays, intelligence, machine learning, and automation are all higher requirements that our CIO puts on us. Fundamentally, we want to improve our reliable and safe operations. We want to have better control of our data and fewer data problems, and have some future in terms of data models. Most importantly, we want to improve the overall experience of the end user.
ServiceNow was introduced to help assess where things are now and where they need to be moved to. This is the time to show that the business case mentioned above comes into play. In fact, Davenport said, there are some clear main drivers that prove this:
First, we can reduce the workload, cost and time of maintaining and upgrading the platform. So can we transform an annual upgrade that takes three months into a two-year upgrade in less than six weeks? Can we issue tickets quickly? In short, can I send tickets from one support team to another faster and with fewer errors? So can I solve my data problem? So can I have a data model that considers products rather than applications or services? Finally, and most importantly, can I lay a good foundation so that I can quickly expand and enable new features? For us, this is indeed the biggest benefit we need to embark on the Shell journey in a modern IT-ready organization.
deploy
In the business case developed, it is still necessary to ensure that operations will not be interrupted during the introduction of the replacement system. Shell project manager Siraj Kabir explained that in this event, Shell ran two real-time environments at the same time and synchronized data through a two-way data replicator:
Once we set up the synchronization of data and mapping, we have a foundation for adding new processes, IT communities, and vendors in a series of waves, moving them from one environment to another. We started with only about 200 IT employees; now, about 10,000 IT employees and vendors have joined the new environment. As we go through each wave, we have also released more processes and new features. So far, this method has proven to be very successful, leaving only Shell customers to enter the new environment. In the next few weeks, after completing this operation, we can phase out the old legacy system and hope to fly with our new stylish, out-of-the-box system.
All the progress so far has been made in the shadow of COVID, and this factor has a major impact on the approach taken in change management. Kabir said:
Usually, for programs of this size and complexity, we will adopt the “big bang” change management method to bring every user into training, forums, and discussions. With the lockdown of COVID, this possibility was eliminated. So we consider applying a very agile change management approach. We decided that we would deploy the elements of the change management process and then adopt them as we proceed.
One of the main differences we really found in this change management approach is how do we train our end users? To this end, we recalled, we feel that ServiceNow has been running in Shell for about three years, and many end users are already familiar with ServiceNow. So our change management training really started to focus on developing content about the differences. We also decided to only use existing channels and forums. This has really helped us so far, starting with some early adopters and serving all our users when they show up.
King
Kabir said that many tangible business results have been achieved, including reducing the upgrade time from three months to four weeks:
We may now be able to do it twice a year. Our process is 10% to 20% faster. Compared to the previous weeks, we were able to enable new features within a few days. One of the things worth noting during the whole process was that there was no operational impact or unplanned downtime in the overall plan. Despite some strange bugs and data issues, the user experience is still very positive.
In other words, there are other challenges in the process, he admits:
The first problem we really face is how to maintain team spirit. In this COVID lock-in situation, we are a truly dispersed team. In order to be able to unite the team and maintain a high level of team spirit, we immediately considered putting the greatest attention on caring and ensuring that we take additional steps to build the team. From singing, to recitation of poems, to the crazy roar of tigers, to applause, we do our best to build this team spirit.
Second, with the onset of COVID, the industry has also experienced a downturn. Therefore, we have to make cash preservation a major consideration in our journey. In order to be able to do this, we must truly prioritize the scope. We really have to challenge effectively. Only the necessities will be brought on board, and all the “good things” need to be postponed. But it also means that we must continue to challenge ourselves without compromising quality.
Another problem is related to the desire to use it out of the box and enforce a strict non-customized system, which is resisted by some businesses:
We really have to learn to say no, not to be harsh, but to proactively engage with companies, tell them, tell them the value of the out-of-the-box, and show it, and then convince them to embark on this journey. One of the key factors in the whole process is that we have received comprehensive leadership support from the CIO to our business leaders, and established very strong governance in the process to ensure that we can reject customization requests.
He concluded that as far as the learning experience so far is concerned, if the non-customized mentality can take root, the importance of high-level support is almost the highest:
It must include your CIO, your business leaders, who are committed to zero customization. Our next learning is to make sure that we do small-scale adventures before we adopt it more widely. First, show it-prove it is effective, then adopt it. The other aspects we find in the learning process are that people with major obstacles are rarely technical, but usually organized. [such as having the] Correct resources, contractual agreements with suppliers, or team behavior.
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