In a normal project cadence, there are pre-scheduled workshops, either virtual or in-person. Requirements are gathered from business stakeholders and process experts over the course of several days or even weeks (if workshops are virtual). Stories are written. Stakeholders review and approve the stories. Depending on the size of the project, there are 2 to 8 or more weeks of development sprints. Each story is unit-tested by a peer followed by the stakeholders. UAT (user acceptance testing) then happens over the course of 1-3 weeks. Defects are remediated. Next is “Go-Live”. This process typically takes months.
Recently, one of our fantastic clients came to us with an extremely urgent request to have a new HR Service live in a matter of days – not months. The expectation was to define and configure a full HR Service in 1 week. The service needed to create hundreds of cases at once and kick-off an 8-step process with HR tasks and several custom notifications, while gathering documents from the task assignees.
Our team went on site with 2-days’ notice and, over the course of 5 days, we gathered requirements, learned their process, and configured an entire new HR Service. Our on-site team consisted of a Client Partner (CP), Project Manager (PM), Business Process Consultant (BPC), Technical Architect (TA), and Technical Consultant (TC). Supporting us remotely were 2 more TCs, another BPC, and Delivery Manager. The week became an exercise in teamwork, communication, and efficiency.
The luxury of time was absent in obtaining documented, approved requirements prior to configuring their service. As our BPCs guided the conversation to learn about their processes, our TCs started to build, based on what we heard and the shared notes documents. We were able to ask questions if anything was unclear and make adjustments in real-time. By the end of Day 1, we had the beginnings of an HR Service configured to the client’s specifications. We were starting to “build the plane while it’s flying.”
Day 2 brought more “unpacking” of their processes and by late-morning, some firm requirements/stories began to take shape. Our BPC, CP, and PM partnered to define what needed to be built. They documented in a shared Word file and laid out their process in a Visio diagram to show the client’s participants, which helped drive the discussion. This allowed our TCs to decipher how to configure the tasks and where to trigger each notification.
Day 3 was a day for the client to fine tune their notifications’ verbiage while our Process team further refined requirements that came out ot the previous days’ meetings. The development team continued to configure case fields, employee forms, “shell” notifications, and their flow as the requirements became more solidified. Creativity was a must when distributing the work amongst the TCs since two of them were remote. This included a shared Excel file with a list of the high-level configuration needing completion and role assignments. We reviewed the descriptions and referenced the Stories Word document and Visio diagram to interpret how each piece should be built.
Day 4 was another development day for TCs while our BPCs chased down answers to our questions, further documenting what we heard. By late afternoon, we were able to do end-to-end testing of their complete flow.
Day 5…it all came together. In the morning, we demoed the entire process for our primary contacts. Early afternoon, we demoed for the Senior Leadership team, which included three C-suite level executives. Both demos were well-received with extensive positive feedback and kudos.
When we received this request, it was a bit of a “deer in the headlights” type of moment. The expectations seemed daunting and almost unrealistic. It was an extremely intense week with long days, working at warp speed. However, in the end, it was a very rewarding experience as we tested our skill sets and collaborated well as a team. Our group was able to enjoy evening meals together and decompress after intense days. I’m blessed to be part of a team that cares about doing hard things for our customers and doing them well. All of us are proud of the outcome and our client is very appreciative.
The week was a true test of the adage “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. We proved to ourselves, and to our supporting Customer, that we were stronger as a team and could go both far and fast when we were oriented towards a common mission.
For more information or to schedule a call with our team, drop a note to [email protected]!
About the Author: Troy worked 10 years in Human Resources, prior to his 13 years of experience in ServiceNow. He’s been both a customer (2 years) and a partner (11 years). He’s collaborated with 50+ clients on projects in a variety of applications including HRSD, ITSM, and CSM. Troy is also a Certified Technical Architect.
