ServiceNow upgrades down to a science: How the Pathways methodology works

As a ServiceNow Services partner since 2012, our team has had our fair share of experience when it comes to performing version upgrades for both ourselves and our clients. After spending years figuring out every last detail around the typical upgrade process, our team was able to establish a proven methodology that results in a smooth, successful go-live.

When a new ServiceNow release is launched, there’s an abundance of new features that can help an organize operate more efficiently. However, if an organization doesn’t have a solid methodology for performing upgrades, there are some common pitfalls that they may encounter.

The Pathways team has guided more than 40 organizations through common issues that arise when projects are paused, team members are repurposed, and technical debt begins to rise. During a recent upgrade, we assisted a major financial firm in not only upgrading their outdated instance in under three weeks, but also transferring 10 of their critical integrations onto a single-domain environment.

Instead of facing an abrupt series of steps and challenges during an upgrade, organizations leverage Pathways’ expertise as ServiceNow upgrade experts. The Pathways team steps in to answer any questions and ensure a smooth launch with existing and new functionality co-existing in an upgraded instance.

One of the first things the Pathways team does during the upgrade process is write up test cases to establish baseline testing documentation. This is to ensure different instances of ServiceNow (typically development, testing and production) are all in sync and are tested for functionality before going live. Our process includes this documentation so upgrades can be performed as efficiently as possible. With our “teach to fish” approach, this documentation also allows our clients to understand the new features, bugfixes and gives them their own expertise if they want their admins to handle upgrades going forward.

With Pathways’ help, we can get your upgrade complete in as little as three weeks. If you want to learn more about our methodology, come see us at Knowledge19 on May 5-9 in Las Vegas!

If you can’t wait until Knowledge, contact us today!