We see the transformational power of organizations through the continuous use of ServiceNow SPM daily. With the rapid progress made by generative AI, which the ServiceNow platform is also implementing and making available to its users, the competitive advantage of ServiceNow customers is becoming even clearer. But excellent technology alone is not enough. You need an equally good implementation partner.

In this blog post, we highlight what you can look out for when choosing your ServiceNow SPM consultant!

In the spirit of strategic portfolio management, your SPM implementation should also be goal-oriented: All process changes through the platform should pay towards achieving your business goals. Your SPM consultant should work with you at strategic eye level and with operational implementation power. Finding the right balance is the key to being a strong implementation partner.

The functional scope of ServiceNow SPM is extensive and affects a large number of critical business processes. Ideally, the customizing effort can be kept to a minimum and your organization benefits from the available ServiceNow best practices. Only in individual cases will adjustments prove necessary and useful. Your ServiceNow SPM consultant should be able to provide you with comprehensive information on alternative implementation options and guide you from concept to technical implementation and successful use within your organization.

With the start of your SPM development journey, enthusiasm about the digitization possibilities can sometimes gain the internal upper hand. That is positive! However, it should be the responsibility of your SPM consultant to guide you step by step and effectively through the transformation. You can recognize a customer-oriented implementation partner by the fact that they work methodically, focus on quick wins in the short term, but at the same time take into account the longer-term perspective of possible roll-out scenarios in your organization.

The quality of consulting increases with project experience. But in practice, the hundredth implementation project can also become routine without any further urge to innovate. If you want to benefit as much as possible from the diverse potential of the ServiceNow SPM platform, you should check your consultant for passion. If your implementation partner is heavily involved in the ServiceNow SPM community and constantly shares his knowledge with his prospects and customers, you have a good indicator that he is enthusiastic about the design possibilities offered by SPM!

The ServiceNow implementation requires a solid budget and commitment from your organization. Risks must be avoided: Choosing the right implementation partner must therefore succeed without compromise. Obtaining references is a tried and tested method; the high prioritization of personal chemistry is usually self-evident. The assessment of the size criterion of an implementation partner, on the other hand, is not always clear-cut. Large consulting firms offer scaling options, attractive prices and mitigate the risk of consultant failure. However, the intensity of personal support depends on your project volume. Smaller consulting firms, on the other hand, are not always able to respond immediately to rapid demand. In between, there is a variety of top regional, medium-sized consulting firms that get the best out of their clients and can communicate with you in your familiar working language. These consultants are characterized by steady growth or ongoing development, a recognizable focus on consulting quality and the involvement of management in the project business, which is the best quality control for your company.

Working with an SPM consultant should help you learn as an organization. But be careful of dogmatic approaches. A good consultant pushes towards productivity, efficiency and opens your eyes to innovative approaches, but also understands that corporate culture needs to be considered and appreciated in the change process. Someone who gently guides you from the waterfall principle towards agile working methods or strengthens the mechanisms of action between strategy and operations at your pace will prove to be a valuable addition internally instead of triggering resistance and manifesting it in the long term.

Good holistic project support should enable you to continue working independently with the platform in the medium term. Plan longer adaptation phases for your organization in your SPM strategy before proceeding with the roll-out of further features. The ideal implementation partner will support you at all times if required but will also enable your team to build up its own expertise and gain user experience. Proactively check at the outset whether the collaboration will lead to consultant dependencies or the desired degree of SPM autonomy.

At ADVVISE Consulting, we have built up an excellent reputation as SPM experts in Austria over the last few years. We have packaged our market access in the seven criteria for the right SPM consultant match. Convince yourself of our consulting approach, our project implementations and, above all, our passionate team and our practiced code of values. We look forward to getting to know you.