ServiceNow Development Best Practices: Optimizing for Success
Imagine this—it's 2024, and you’re leading a team to roll out a major IT Service Management upgrade using ServiceNow. Expectations are high, timelines tight, and the stakes? Immense. But wait, what if I told you that most teams fail because they focus on the wrong thing? Instead of coding and customization, they should prioritize scalability, maintainability, and governance.
Why do even the most skilled developers stumble? It's not because they lack coding skills; it's because they fail to understand how to harness the true power of the ServiceNow platform. The secret? Follow best practices religiously. Let’s break them down:
1. Start with out-of-the-box functionality
Sure, it's tempting to customize everything. But did you know that 75% of ServiceNow capabilities can solve most business problems without customization? Each piece of custom code you add increases the complexity and makes future upgrades harder. Don’t build when you don’t have to. This mindset saves countless hours and headaches down the road.
2. Keep it modular
Your future self will thank you for writing modular code. ServiceNow isn’t just an app; it’s a living platform that evolves constantly. If you write tight-coupled code, you’re locking yourself into long, painful updates. The trick? Develop in small, reusable modules. This reduces code duplication and makes it easier to troubleshoot or upgrade later.
3. Leverage ServiceNow’s development tools
Ever heard of Application Scope? It’s a game-changer for developers. By ensuring that applications are separated by scope, you protect your instance from potential conflicts, ensuring that future development won’t interfere with what’s already in place. Always ensure your apps are developed in the right scope.
4. Testing is not optional, it’s mandatory
The best developers never test at the end. They test from day one. Automate testing with ServiceNow’s Automated Test Framework (ATF). This built-in feature is often underused, but it can save up to 50% of testing time in complex instances. The earlier you find bugs, the less they cost to fix.
5. Stay agile, but stay governed
Agile development is great, but without governance, it can become chaotic. Establish strong governance practices that align with the ServiceNow framework. This includes defining clear roles for development, testing, and deployment. Regularly review and audit your ServiceNow instance to ensure that you're following development standards and that no unnecessary changes have been introduced.
6. The power of update sets
Using update sets effectively can either make or break your ServiceNow development process. Developers need to focus on building clean, logical update sets that can be easily tracked and restored. Always remember to keep update sets small and manageable. And never, ever mix multiple features in one update set. It’s like playing with fire!
7. Stay up to date
With each release, ServiceNow provides new tools and features that can vastly improve your workflow. Yet, 40% of ServiceNow developers are stuck using outdated methods. Make it a practice to study the latest releases and incorporate the best new features into your development processes. This keeps your instance lean and prevents unnecessary bloat.
8. Avoid hard coding at all costs
If you hard code values into scripts, you’ll make the instance harder to maintain. What happens when a value changes? You’ll have to update multiple locations manually. Instead, leverage ServiceNow’s built-in properties and system settings. This simple practice can eliminate countless hours of future debugging.
9. Use GlideRecord wisely
GlideRecord is one of the most powerful tools in the ServiceNow developer’s toolkit, but it’s also one of the most misused. Always be cautious of running queries in loops, which can degrade the performance of your instance. Instead, leverage the powerful GlideRecord bulk operations to handle large data sets efficiently. It’s all about thinking smarter, not harder.
10. Security is non-negotiable
With ServiceNow handling sensitive data, security should never be an afterthought. Implement strict access control rules (ACLs) from the start and regularly review them. Use role-based security to ensure that users can only access the data they need. And don’t forget to audit data encryption settings to make sure that confidential information is protected both in transit and at rest.
11. Documentation isn’t boring—it’s critical
This might sound trivial, but proper documentation is often what separates elite teams from the rest. Keep a living document of everything—from process flows to code modules to update sets. This makes onboarding new developers easier and ensures that knowledge isn’t lost when team members leave.
12. Focus on performance optimization early
The time to think about performance isn’t after the system slows down—it’s at the design stage. As your ServiceNow instance grows, so do the demands on it. Invest in query optimization from day one and make use of tools like the ServiceNow Performance Analytics to monitor and tweak your system’s performance. Your users will thank you later.
13. Embrace the power of the community
One of the most overlooked resources for ServiceNow developers is the developer community. By sharing solutions, participating in forums, and contributing to open-source ServiceNow projects, you not only give back but also learn from the collective experience of thousands of other developers worldwide. The result? Faster development times, fewer mistakes, and better solutions.
In summary, the key to ServiceNow development success lies in simplifying processes, leveraging built-in tools, and following best practices that keep the system scalable and maintainable over time. With these strategies, your team can deliver on time, avoid costly mistakes, and stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving platform. ServiceNow isn’t just a tool—it’s a powerful framework for long-term digital transformation.
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