Implementing the SPM module within a U.S. federal agency’s pre-existing IT Service Management platform
A large federal agency did not have a uniform application to manage work intake, facilitate project prioritization, or provide a common place for managing projects. Its teams manually tracked and reported all project requests, which made for a disorganized and time-consuming process. The agency needed a tool that could automate the project request and approval process as well as assist in managing all approved projects.
To enable key stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and schedule the right work while aligning resources and responding to changing needs, Intact implemented ServiceNow’s Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) and continued to grow the already existing ServiceNow footprint.
Intact approaches implementations differently. Our solutions are:
Aligned to outcomes | We worked with the customer to clearly understand the drivers behind the solution:
Focused on people | We educated stakeholders using multiple workshops where we encouraged reviews and feedback to ensure the product would meet their specific needs. We planned and provided specific training to different user groups to drive adoption of the new capabilities.
Designed to scale | We focused on providing our customer with a tool that was powerful, user-friendly, and had potential to grow with their demands. We leveraged SPM standards, enabling automation to rapidly deploy additional processes in the future.
Built to last | We utilized out-of-the-box (OOB) capabilities with no or low code to ensure software upgradability and easy enhancements. This low-code/no-code approach positioned the agency to continue to standardize and reuse what was built to continue to grow and accelerate time to value.
The Intact team successfully released the SPM module within the existing ServiceNow IT Service Management platform, providing a sole space for the management and prioritization of demands, projects, and resources. The solution offered the agency a streamlined and automated workflow for demand requests, housing all information in a common place and providing visibility across multiple departments—ultimately unlocking sustained evolution.
The implementation set the groundwork for better decision making—allowing the client to track all requests in the platform, view more accurate reports of all projects and anticipated work, and plan, deliver and track value across different deployment methodologies.
This project enabled the following for the client:
A unified platform – The agency is now utilizing one platform for their IT Service Management, Demand Management, and Project Management.
Efficiency through automation – All project requests and demands are now streamlined into one workflow, reducing manual efforts and increasing productivity.
Visibility to make decisions with confidence – Data is in one place, making support and justification for decisions easily accessible.
Increased ServiceNow adoption – The use of the SPM module by different management offices helps drive the adoption of the ServiceNow platform.
Adding SPM in just 4 weeks for a major U.S. federal agency
A relatively new federal agency is in the middle of a multi-year process of transitioning operations from a shared services model to an agency-operated one. The deployment of their own ServiceNow platform became necessary to successfully transition while generating excitement, demand, and a multitude of projects across the organization.
With the demand for ServiceNow capabilities exponentially rising, the need for oversight, prioritization, and organization became critical. The customer struggled to gain visibility into the different inflight and planned projects, limiting the ability to plan strategically and accommodate resources to support their growth.
Intact approaches implementations differently. Our solutions are:
Aligned to outcomes | We worked with the customer to clearly understand the drivers behind the solution:
Focused on people | We worked with multiple stakeholders to understand their specific needs and determine the SPM capabilities to be delivered. To support the technical delivery of SPM, we built a repository of over 20+ training resources (videos, training recordings, user guides, Quick Reference Guides), providing comprehensive user support.
Designed to scale | By leveraging ServiceNow best practices, we delivered a strong solution that has the capacity to expand as the program and customer needs increase and evolve. We also built an enhancement plan to continue to add more features and capabilities.
Built to last | We utilized out-of-the-box (OOB) capabilities with no or low code to ensure software upgradability and easy enhancements. This low-code/no-code approach positioned the agency to continue to standardize and reuse what was built to continue to grow and accelerate time to value.
Based on the needs of the agency, the foundational release of SPM included 4 major capabilities:
Demand Management | This capability captures, assesses, and manages demands from the business in one location. The application started tracking all demands and optimized planning for future projects.
Project Portfolio Management (PPM) | We worked with the customer to upload all project plans into PPM. This process increased visibility into project specifics, such as timelines.
Agile Development 2.0 | We tracked stories and development work throughout the lifecycle from a unified backlog of tasks.
Test Management 2.0 | This capability allowed end-to-end test planning and monitoring for stakeholders and managed user acceptance testing (UAT), providing one location for documentation of test steps. This was a major improvement to the existing process of manually creating test scripts and tracking UAT across multiple SharePoint folders and files.
With the goal of continually delivering value, our operations and management team provides ongoing enhancements to all SPM capabilities and processes.
At the beginning of the project, the customer expressed multiple desired outcomes: increased transparency into the platform and projects at all levels of the organization (including executive); streamlined and well-defined processes with the ability to scale; and adoption of ServiceNow capabilities with buy-in and confidence from employees.
The ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) solution provided teams a central destination to house ServiceNow demands, projects, and development timelines. This resulted in visibility across the enterprise and equipped business leaders with the information they needed to make decisions and meet goals quickly.
The module currently supports the agency’s burgeoning ServiceNow program and has set the foundation for managing growth over the next several years—and connects strategy with delivery, provides full organizational visibility, and accelerates value across the agency.
Through Intact’s expertise and proven methodology, the customer gained a strong foundation for its ServiceNow program through the SPM implementation.
This project enabled the following for the client:
One source of data – Central location to document and evaluate new requests for ServiceNow capabilities. A single system of action for the enterprise for all ServiceNow efforts.
Visibility – Connects the lifecycle of a demand from start to finish, providing end-to-end visibility.
Effective analysis – At a glance view of all active development work and timelines to effectively analyze ServiceNow operational data.
High user adoption – Users are well-equipped to utilize the module with a library of training and support materials.
“I have been very pleased with the SPM implementation and communications. Due to this success, there has been significant interest shown by not only the Office of the CIO, but other divisions as well … I’m really looking forward to working with this team and showing the agency what we’re capable of.”
ServiceNow LeadU.S. Federal Agency
A Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) solution for a major U.S. federal agency
A large U.S. federal agency received a multi-billion-dollar congressional budget to invest in organizational modernization—and they needed a way to manage and report on it immediately. Legacy tools and processes, including the use of manually maintained spreadsheets, were not sufficient for an initiative of this size.
Intact approaches platform systems differently. Our solutions are:
Aligned to outcomes | We worked with the customer to clearly understand the drivers behind the solution:
Focused on people | We understood the critical priority this project represented for the customer and leveraged our processes accordingly. We worked to identify, through the exception-based design process, what functionality was needed most urgently and why it was important to their success.
Designed to scale | Although the initial development period was just one month, we knew that what we built was just the foundation for a much larger solution. We focused on providing immediate value to the customer that could be continually iterated upon for future growth.
Built to last | Utilized out-of-the-box (OOB) capabilities with no or low code to ensure software upgradability and easy enhancements. This low-code/no-code approach positioned the agency to continue to standardize and reuse what was built to accelerate time to value.
Working on a one-month deadline, Intact successfully delivered an initial implementation that leveraged ServiceNow’s Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) tool. This resulted in the customer gaining visibility into all development work required to modernize the agency, providing immediate value.
The 21-day SPM implementation allowed the agency to immediately manage a critical and highly visible portfolio and budget, while providing time and space to properly configure additional functionalities using a thoughtful, phased approach.
This has enabled the customer to:
Increase the speed and accuracy of complex portfolio management planning and decisions.
Reduce the cost and overhead associated with manual compliance and reporting efforts.
Reduce its legacy technology footprint.
Access the information that matters – Customized dashboards allow audiences to easily visualize and receive the data they need to do their jobs quickly.
Ease the burden of oversight – Immediate visibility across the portfolio reduces the time it takes to retrieve information and helps ensure compliance.
Make decisions with confidence – Data is in one place, making support and justification for decisions easily accessible.
Continue to build capabilities that work for them – Continuous conversation and a focus on enhancements has allowed the agency to continue to grow SPM and deliver value to its users and the agency.
“These dashboards and reports for the project and portfolio as well as the goals/targets we implemented in the Strategic Planning Workspace completely transform the way the agency can manage their portfolio, and in the future, IT as well.”
Project LeadFederal Agency