Interviewing the Experts – ServiceNow Business Analyst 

Focus on ServiceNow are more than just recruitment specialists. We’re career coaches who know our stuff, and want to pass on our knowledge and insights to you – the professionals! 

This week we caught up with our first ServiceNow professional, Simon Barnard. Simon has experience on a variety of platforms including Workday, Remedy and most recently ServiceNow.  

Simon has experience working as an SME, Lead Tester and more recently a Business Analyst. Having an in-depth business mind, his broad experiences of implementations and various technologies lend themselves to a wide variety of roles. 

In his most recent role, Simon worked as a Business Analyst, post ServiceNow implementation. It involved gathering additional customer requirements and seeing these through to implementation, via stakeholder and customer management.  

So, introductions made, let’s dive into the life of a ServiceNow Business Analyst! 

What advice do you have for somebody wanting to start their career in ServiceNow? 

“Explore the application. Utilise all the training that is available via all mediums.  

Think broad, explore the incredible possibilities of the application. Design what is sensible and appropriate.  

Not all organisations require super complex configuration – the aim is to get the company working as efficiently as possible for its customers/users, not to over complexify processes and procedures.” 

Are there transferable skill sets from other systems, and does that offer a good route into ServiceNow? 

“I think a good knowledge of how your organisations works is vital.  

Past experiences of what went right/wrong is vital. Understanding how your core applications (Workday, SAP, Sharepoint, etc) work assists in the business analysis side of things, and therefore helps form your design solutions.” 

Which is the best type of organisation for gaining ServiceNow Experience? (Consulting-partner or End-user?) 

“Having worked with both, I think it's vital to have experience from both sides.  

Initially I worked as an end user, using the system daily, then moved into the implementation side – learning as you go. Where my background in testing was invaluable.” 

What were the most common queries you got about ServiceNow implementations? 

“End users/organisations seem to think that the application is the golden bullet solution. That’s not the case, the organisation almost always must develop alongside the implementation, and business processes must adapt to the application in many instances.  

I have worked in organisations that just lay ServiceNow over the application it is replacing, and configure it in a similar way, not focusing on how it’s a real opportunity to redesign outdated or cumbersome existing procedures.” 

How do you solve these? 

“I have always tried to (where applicable) demonstrate the values and efficiencies I have seen elsewhere; I have drawn on past experiences and highlighted major successes where ServiceNow has added benefits. Metric reporting is often key to this.  

I’d rather suggest potential solutions to organisations that may initially seem daunting, but once you overcome the change curve, and you educate and communicate via all available communication channels, the light at the end of the tunnel becomes visible.” 

Where do you think the biggest gap in knowledge is for a ServiceNow professional? And how can this gap be filled? 

“I have always found that it’s the initial understanding of how a business currently operates where the largest knowledge gap is found.  

This can be overcome by working closely with the business and end users to gain a clear understanding. 

 It's also important to keep up to date with the upcoming development of the system, and to understand what is coming down the pipeline with regards to future application development. 

Get all the training available to you. Look to develop yourself alongside the application.” 

How has the industry changed since the start of your career in ServiceNow? 

“It has changed massively! 

With the increase in AI technologies, BOTS, integrations, language capabilities, the world of ServiceNow is opening a whole new world of exciting possibilities.” 

If you want to hear more from our experts or want to be the first to know about our latest ServiceNow opportunities, be sure to like our LinkedIn page. You can also get in touch with one of our ServiceNow Recruitment Specialists for a confidential chat, whether you are looking for a new role or not.