Application Portfolio Management ServiceNow
APM uses the following Key Solutions (4):
- Application Classification - Applications Assessment Framework - Reports and Dashboards - Integration with other applications
Maturity level: Basic Rationalization
2 -Metadata is input manually -Category based optimization takes place -Coarse optimization of data is achieved
Guided Setup: Capabilities, Applications, and Business Services inventory
An itemized catalog of the enterprise business applications
Business Process/Capability Hierarchy
An ordered grouping of business processes in a hierarchical fashion. For example, L0 and L1 processes.
Application Classifications
Classifying applications into groups and categories. Identify relationships and redundancies between the applications more easily. Build a complete applications inventory and map the apps to the business functions
T/f: For business applications you can create only one scoring profile
False, you can create multiple
Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) tools are essential to digital transformation and ServiceNow just debuted as a leader in a new Forrester SPM Wave report.
Might be asked about this ServiceNow is the only vendor to provide all (PPM, APM, Agile) in a single platform
What is a Business Application
Software that is used by business users to perform a business function. It is a CMDB CI class
Demand Action
Strategic decisions that you want to execute for an application.
What do Enterprise Architects do
They take a companies business strategy and define and IT systems architecture to support that strategy. They must understand a company's business and be able to dive deeply into tech issues.
T/f: Email notifications are inactive by default.
True
T/f: For business capabilities you can create only one scoring profile
True
Tables Installed with APM
-Application Bubble Chart [apm_bubble_chart] -Application Service Risk [sn_apm_tpm_business_service_risk] -Application Category [aom_application_category] -Application Family [apm_application_family] -Indicator [apm_metric] -Indicator Score [apm_app_indicator_score] -Scoring Profile [apm_application_profile] -Profile Indicator [apm_application_profile_indicator] -CI Score [apm_app_score] -Business Application [cmdb_ci_business_app] -Application Service Software Model [sn_apm_tpm_service_software_model] -Goal Contribution Target [goal_contribution_target] -Demand Action [apm_idea_action] -Risk Parameter [sn_apm_tpm_risk_parameter] Risk Parameter Score [sn_apm_tpm_risk_param_score] Software Model Risk [sn_apm_tpm_software_model_risk]
Application Classification Attributes(5): all require apm_admin to create/edit
-Application Category (mandatory) = grouping attribute which can be used to make application rationalization decisions. -Category Group (optional) = Grouping attribute used for filtering and reporting app categories -Application Family (Optional) = Group applications by the manufacturers classification of their products into various suites -Business Process (Optional) = primarily used for filtering and reporting -Software Model = Specifications of software such as manufacturer, version, release date, and end of life date.
Steps to the APM Guided Setup
-Application Classifications -Users and Roles -Application Assessment -Capabilities, Applications, and Business Service Inventory -Reports and Dashboards -Technology Portfolio Management -Scheduled jobs -Community of Practice
6 Modules installed with APM:
-Application Portfolio -Application Portfolio Analysis -Application Ratings -Capability Ratings -Technology Portfolio Management (TPM) -Administration
Success Drivers:
-Applications that support goals -Keeping costs under control -Simplicity -Low Security risk -Fast Change
APM Portal consists of what 4 Sections:
-Business Architecture -Application Architecture -Technology Architecture -Opportunities and Solutions. 2 bonus: -Notifications -Recent Activity
The following plugins are required for specific features in APM module (2):
-Business Planner [com.snc.apm.business_planner] -Domain Support - Domain Extension Installer plugin (IS THIS RIGHT?) Thought it was bubble chart
Overcome business challenges with these APM processes (4):
-Classify -Measure -Analyze -Plan
Some Key Challenges:
-Digital Transformation -Volatile Business Demand -Changing Customer needs
Four main stakeholders in APM
-IT Leadership -Enterprise Architects -IT Operations -Application owners These are also the personas that would match the right people to engage for a process workshop
Add-on plugins, available on subscription (3):
-Performance Analytics - Content Pack - Application Portfolio Management [com.snc.pa.apm] -Performance Analytics - Content Pack - Application Portfolio Management and Change Management [com.snc.pa.apm.change_request] -Application Portfolio Management, Performance Analytics - Problem Management [com.snc.pa.apm.problem]
APM activates the following related plugins if they are not already active (3):
-Project Portfolio Suite with Financials [com.snc.financial_planning_pmo] -Fiscal Calendar [com.snc.fiscal_calendar] -Tree Map [com.snc.treemap]
With APM, you can address business challenges such as (5):
-Redundant applications for similar functions -Increasing cost of owning and maintaining applications -Increasing demand to upgrade the existing applications for new functions -Conflict between in-house legacy applications and that of the vendors -Inadequate performance because of outdated applications
Elements of the ServiceNow Platform that integration with APM
-Service Management (INC, PRB, etc) -IT Business Management -Customer Service -ITOM -Security Operations -Base ServiceNow Platform (Workflow, knowledge base, etc)
Success Blockers:
-Technical debt -Duplication -Security & Compliance risks -Increasing support costs -Slow change
Conditions to update or delete a capability:
-When you add a capability, the level of the new capability in the hierarchy is automatically assigned based on the level of the parent capability that is attached. -If a parent capability is updated in the hierarchy, then the levels of all its child capabilities are recalculated. Otherwise, a capability can only be updated of its name, description, or parent. -While adding or updating a capability the total number of levels cannot exceed more than six in the hierarchy. For example, the levels can be from 0 to 5, where 0 is the root level. -You can delete capabilities that are at the leaf node level only. Or, a capability that does not have a child capability of its own. -Do not create circular relationships. In creating a parent capability, a child capability cannot be its parent.
What are the two limitations of activating PA on instances that do not have licensed PA?
-You cannot create new indicators -You cannot collect data older than 180 days
Maturity level: Applications under management
1 -The application lifecycle process is defined -IT and Business Ownership are established -Applications are Categorized
What are the 4 increasing levels of Maturity in APM
1. Applications under Management 2. Basic Rationalization 3. Advanced Rationalization 4. Continuously Optimized Portfolio
5 Steps of the rationalization approach
1. Identify 2. Measure 3. Evaluate 4. Decide 5. Take action
Develop a phased approach with the following functionality phases:
1. Core functionality 2. Advanced functionality 3. Additional functionality
Final Implementation plans and phases are based on the following
1. Customers organizational and ServiceNow platform maturity 2. Customer's rate at which their organization can reasonably absorb change 3. Customer's management of change related risk and business impact.
What benefits can the customer expect to discover during APM implementation
1. Document expected benefits 2. Translate into Performance Measurements (KPIs) 3. Define Metrics needed to support (KPI) 4. Ensure data to support metrics 5. Document Metric Requirements (stories) 6. If possible, customer baseline of 'as is' metrics 7. On-going use of KPIs/metrics to document improvement
Tips to prepare for a successful workshop
1. Ensure system admins have been trained before implementation workshops begin 2. Ensure APM Process Owners have attended APM Fundamentals Training 3. Custom training for APM professionals may be conducted closer to the Go Live 4. Provide customers with checklists before the implementation workshop so that they may gather information from other stakeholders
ServiceNow Implementation Process Stages:
1. Initiate 2. Prepare 3. Create 4. Transition 5. Close
2 Challenges within APM
1. Lots of different applications between teams 2. Different Applications to track the portfolios
The three main navigation starting points in APM
1. The Application Portfolio Management Portal 2. The Application Portfolio Management Dashboards 3. The Business Planning Portal
3 Problems with organizations looking to do APM
1. Too many applications to Maintain and Support 2. Technical Gaps Supporting Business Capabilities 3. Identifying Technology Risks (in terms of what software supporting those applications may be coming to End of Life)
Maturity level: Advanced Realization
3 -Broadly sourced metadata is implemented -Multi-objective rationalization becomes possible -Business and IT demands are integrated
Maturity level: Continuously Optimized Portfolio
4 -Artificial Intelligence based recommendations play a role -Tightly integrated Demand processes are implemented -Regularly evolving criteria and use cases are utilized
In the ServiceNow framework, what is Technology
A specific software model deployed to create a business application
Guided Setup: Community of Practice
Access this link to stay abreast on the latest best practices
Application Portfolio Management Portal
Aligns with TOGAF, providing an approach for designing, planning, implementing, and governing an enterprise information technology architecture.
Components of the Application Inventory Architecture:
Application Inventory/Authoritative list: Strategic Outcomes: -Assess application health and value -Analyze technology dependencies and risks -Assess business capabilities and align applications Operational Outcomes: -Maintain Application Data -Align ITSM activities to applications -Map infrastructure to Applications
What is APM
Application Portfolio Management is a framework for managing enterprise Business Applications and software-based services
Which table links the The Application Services (Service mapped) to the underlying technologies?
Application Service Software Models table
What are the 4 levels of TOGAF?
Business Application Data Technology
Which models of TOGAF do the current implementation of ServiceNow's APM align to?
Business Application Technology *ServiceNow plans to add Data Architecture in a future version of APM
Personas governing capability based planning (3):
Business Owner: Importance is to perceive the existing capabilities and work out strategies to identify the areas that need investments to plan for better allocation of expenses on projects Application Portfolio Owner: Importance is to identify those capabilities that impact your business applications and address them, so that they business applications function effectively. Capability Planner: Needs to establish capabilities in the light of the industry norms of applying procedures that have been termed as best practice, being most effective and yielding best results.
Guided Setup: Technology Portfolio Management
Configure Risk parameters, product classifications, etc, for your business applications. Also where you configure your system to interface with SAM
Business Planning Portal
Create to provide a home for business planning activities. A starting point to understand IT from a business point of view. Use the portal to capture enterprise strategies, business unit strategies, goals and capabilities
Guided Setup: Scheduled jobs
Data certifications. Ensures your inventory and data are kept up to date.
APM Rationalization Process Step 4:
Decide: Propose Actions to transform the 'current state' to 'future' state. When complete, you are able to recommend actions to take for each application: replacement, retirement, consolidation, upgrade, modernize, etc.
Guided Setup: Reports and Dashboards
Enable you to get the current status of application data in a graphical format
APM Rationalization Process Step 3:
Evaluate: Should be done in the context of portfolio future state, not where it is now. When complete you will be able to recommend actions to take for each application
IT Business Management Suite
IT Financial Management APM PPM Agile Dev Service Management More: -Cost Management -Demand Management -Enterprise Release Management -Personal Task Manangement -Resource Management -Software Development Lifecycle -Test Management -Time Card Management -Rate Model
APM Personas
IT Leadership Enterprise Architects IT Operations Application Owners could be more... including periphery parties (audit, compliance)
APM Rationalization Process Step 1:
Identify: Use the CMDB and automated tools to identify servers and software applications installed on your network
What are the 4 increasing levels of maturity that we can break the Application Portfolio Management journey into
Level 1 - Applications under management Level 2 - Basic Rationalization Level 3 - Advanced Rationalization Level 4 - Continuously Optimized Portfolio
APM Rationalization Process Step 2:
Measure: Use base functionality indicators that source data from ITSM, PPM and Financial Management to assess applications across many dimensions
What are the two types of relationships between Business Capabilities and Business Applications
Provides By::Provides Provides::Provides by
Guided Setup: Users and Roles
Provides access to the instance, and facilitates automated processes, such as auto assignment of tasks
Governance recommendations to direct clients to follow:
Roles/Responsibilities: -Identify which roles are responsible for the application data -Delegate ownership of data to different stakeholders Periodic data certification: -APM OOB capability to assign data certification tasks to application owners -Using this, application owners get assigned tasks at a set frequency to validate application info.
APM Rationalization Process Step 5:
Take Action: Use the PPS suite to make the final decisions of what projects to fund, and produce a roadmap of projects, taking into consideration the demand and supply of resources.
TOGAF?
The Open Group Architecture Framework: A framework for enterprise architecture that provides an approach for designing, planning, implementing, and governing an enterprise information technology architecture.
Business Capability
The ability of an organization to do its business activity successfully and fulfill its business goals
Guided Setup: Application Classifications
The grouping of Applications based on their functionality
Guided Setup: Application Assessment
The indicators you set up here will allow you to assess the usability, cost, quality, performance, and risk of applications.
What role is required to view the APM Portal page
apm.analyst
What role is required to create a Business Application
apm_user
What role is required to create a business capability
sn_apm.apm_admin
What role is required to use the Capability Map
sn_apm.apm_analyst
Roles Installed with APM
sn_apm.apm_user = Access to create/update applications, view landscape, and roadmap sn_apm.apm_admin = Create or Update Application records and access administration activities sn_apm.apm_analyst = Access applications landscape, dashboards, roadmaps, strategy program workbench, and associated pages.
