Understanding the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) in ServiceNow
The Common Service Data Model (CSDM) serves as a unified framework that helps organizations manage and illustrate their services and related data…
This public research university, part of a large statewide system, is comprised of six professional colleges as well as a college of arts and sciences. Altogether, after a recent merger with a sizable health science center, The University offers more than ninety academic degree programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels.
As the University expanded rapidly due to the merger, the Project Management Office (PMO) team faced a surge in project requests, from new technologies to app development. This influx strained their existing processes, leading to confusion and delays that impacted the entire organization. The reliance on manual tools like spreadsheets introduced errors and further complicated their efforts.
Leadership and PMO members encountered significant challenges in managing this influx without a clear, unified system. The inefficiencies made it difficult to prioritize projects effectively, leading to missed deadlines and extended timelines. The pressure to deliver results increased, but without a comprehensive solution to streamline their operations, the team struggled to maintain control. They needed a modern, efficient system to bring order to their work. PMO leadership identified ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management as the future-looking, enterprise platform they needed, and Beyond20 as the partner to guide their transformation on a tight timeline.
University students and staff members should not be held back by operational challenges.
For The University, our implementation of ServiceNow SPM was a strategic initiative aimed at resolving nagging operational challenges–most urgently as related to project intake–and setting the PMO team up for successful continued growth and service excellence for students, faculty, and staff. Our solution focused primarily on:
Demand and Project Management Transformation:
Central to our approach was the transformation of demand and project management processes, addressing the complexities of manual handling and disparate systems that previously led to errors and delays. We streamlined the intake, categorization, and evaluation of demands, enhancing decision-making for project prioritization and resource allocation. This systematic approach ensured that all initiatives aligned closely with the client’s strategic objectives, optimizing efficiency and clarity in their operations.
Enhanced Strategic Alignment:
In addition to improving operational processes, we implemented tools to enhance strategic alignment. Our solutions included an alignment planner workspace that provided a comprehensive view of goals, targets, and work alignment. This enabled better planning and prioritization, ensuring that resources were directed towards critical strategic initiatives with clear visibility and control over project portfolios.
Continuous Improvement and Future Readiness:
Beyond addressing immediate needs, our implementation prepared the client to leverage future ServiceNow upgrades effectively. This forward-looking approach ensures their SPM practices remain at the forefront of industry standards, supporting ongoing innovation and growth.
Streamlined Demand Management: Before partnering with Beyond20, the University struggled with disparate processes for handling project requests, resulting in confusion and delays in project initiation. Beyond20’s implementation of standardized demand catalog items, forms, and workflows streamlined the intake and assessment process. This alignment ensured that new initiatives were swiftly aligned with strategic goals, eliminating the previous chaos in demand handling.
Efficient Project Management: The University faced challenges in project execution, relying on manual task assignments and lacking standardized project templates. Beyond20 introduced structured project and program task assignments, along with configured Gantt charts and templates, significantly improving efficiency. Delays were reduced, and project tracking became more accurate, addressing the frustrations of missed deadlines and untracked progress.
Optimized Resource Management: Prior to partnering with Beyond20, resource allocation and planning were challenging, leading to under or over-allocated staff resources. Beyond20’s tailored resource management solution, including the resource workbench, user setup, and rate cards, enabled effective planning and allocation. This optimization ensured projects were appropriately staffed and managed, alleviating previous strains of resource shortages and misallocations.
Enhanced Reporting and Analytics: The University previously lacked visibility into their project pipeline, health, and portfolio mix, relying on manually compiled reports that were often outdated and incomplete. Beyond20 implemented real-time dashboards and comprehensive reports, providing unprecedented visibility. This empowered faster, data-driven decision-making and optimized overall portfolio performance, removing uncertainties and delays caused by inadequate project insights.
Our ongoing support included guided user acceptance testing and comprehensive ServiceNow systems training, ensuring the University’s stakeholders were confident in utilizing and maintaining their new platform. This continuous improvement framework enabled the University to fully leverage their enhanced operational capabilities, driving further efficiency and innovation in project and portfolio management practices.
