Who is more powerful ServiceNow Administrator or ServiceNow Developer

[neehas710]

Who is more powerful: a ServiceNow Administrator or a ServiceNow Developer? What is the role of an Administrator and what are their responsibilities? What is the role of a Developer and what are their responsibilities?

[folusho]

@neehas710 

Aspect	ServiceNow Administrator	ServiceNow Developer
Primary Role	Manages the day-to-day configuration, user access, and system health	Builds and customizes applications, scripts, and backend logic
Power/Influence	Broad system-level control (users, permissions, configuration)	Deep customization ability (can create/modify logic, APIs, workflows)
System Access	Often has full admin access to platform settings and security	Typically elevated developer access (may include admin for dev/test)
Responsibilities	- Manage users, groups, roles - Configure lists, forms, UI policies - Maintain schedules, SLAs - Monitor performance and upgrades - Control ACLs and data policies	- Design and develop business rules, UI scripts, flow logic - Build integrations (REST/SOAP) - Customize workflows and data models - Create/modify catalog items and portals - Work with APIs and server-side logic
Tools Used	- System Properties - Studio UI - Update Sets - Access Control Rules	- Script Editor - Script Includes - Flow Designer - Service Portal - IntegrationHub
Training/Certs (typical)	- Certified System Administrator (CSA)	- CSA + Certified Application Developer (CAD)
Who Is More Powerful?	Depends on context: Admins control platform access and system setup; Developers shape the behavior and logic	Depends on context: Developers can deeply customize platform behavior; Admins gatekeep access and security

Summary:

Admins are more powerful.

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @neehas710 

https://www.servicenow.com/community/servicenow-impact-forum/can-anyone-explain-roles-and-responsibi...

https://learning.servicenow.com/lxp/en/pages/journey-overview?id=journey_overview&journey_id=55f79b4...

https://learning.servicenow.com/lxp/en/pages/journey-overview?id=journey_overview&journey_id=cbdb13f...

As a ServiceNow Systems Administrator, you would be responsible for managing and maintaining the ServiceNow platform to ensure its smooth operation and optimal performance. Your day-to-day responsibilities would include:

1. Platform Configuration: Configuring and customizing the ServiceNow platform to meet the organization's needs. This involves creating and modifying tables, fields, business rules, UI policies, workflows, and other platform elements.

2. User Management: Managing user access and permissions within the ServiceNow system. This includes creating and updating user accounts, defining roles and access controls, and ensuring proper authentication mechanisms.

3. Incident and Problem Management: Overseeing incident and problem management processes within ServiceNow. This includes managing incident records, tracking problem investigations, and working to resolve issues efficiently.

4. Change Management: Handling change management activities within ServiceNow, such as tracking changes, evaluating risks, and ensuring proper approvals before implementing changes to the platform.

5. Service Catalog Management: Maintaining the Service Catalog, which involves creating and updating service offerings, managing workflows for service requests, and ensuring service delivery meets the defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

6. Reporting and Analytics: Creating and maintaining reports, dashboards, and data visualizations to provide insights into the platform's performance and usage. Monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify areas for improvement.

7. Integration Management: Integrating ServiceNow with other systems and applications to enable seamless data flow and automation between different platforms.

8. System Upgrades and Patches: Managing platform upgrades and applying patches to ensure the system is up-to-date with the latest features and security fixes.

9. Security and Compliance: Implementing and maintaining security best practices to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards.

10. Documentation and Training: Creating and updating documentation for system processes, configurations, and troubleshooting procedures. Providing training to end-users and other stakeholders on how to use the ServiceNow platform effectively.

11. Problem Resolution: Investigating and resolving issues and incidents related to the ServiceNow platform. This may involve troubleshooting technical problems, identifying root causes, and implementing solutions.

12. Continuous Improvement: Proactively identifying opportunities for process improvements and optimizations within the ServiceNow environment.

13. Vendor Management: Interacting with ServiceNow vendors for support, licensing, and other related issues.

CC: @aj2171 

[Edward Rosario]

I agree with Uncle Rob—“power” is definitely the wrong way to look at it. Both ServiceNow Admins and Developers have the skills to build, fix, and troubleshoot things on the platform. The real difference comes down to what each role is expected to do.

As a ServiceNow Admin, I’m usually focused on keeping the platform running smoothly day to day. That means managing users and roles, setting up access controls, tweaking UI policies, handling notifications, and making sure everything’s working the way it should. I’m also usually the first person people come to when something breaks, so I spend a lot of time troubleshooting, answering questions, and keeping performance on track.

Developers, on the other hand, are more focused on building out new functionality—like writing custom scripts, building integrations with other systems, and creating apps or automation that go beyond the out-of-the-box stuff. They tend to get involved when the business needs something more complex or when we want to scale up what the platform can do.

So really, it’s not about who’s “more powerful.” It’s more about different responsibilities that complement each other. Admins keep things running and user-friendly, Developers build the more advanced tools and features. Both roles are super important, and when they work together, that’s when the magic happens.

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