Migrating from UI16 to Agent Workspace: An open discussion

[The SN Nerd]

Now that Agent Workspace has reached maturity in Paris, I'm having some challenges trying to work out a migration path from UI16 using Service Desk Call to Agent Workspace using Interaction. I am still struggling to form a Business Case in my head, given the activities that would be required:

• Refactor custom UI actions and client scripts
• Migrate Favourites to My Lists
• Migrate from Service Desk to Interaction
• Retraining
• Full regression testing
• UAT

From looking at the Ideas Portal, my understanding is that ServiceNow is no longer working on any enhancements to do with UI16. Agent Workspace appears to be the future.

My question(s) to the community is:

1. Are you planning to migrate to Agent Workspace after/with Paris?
2. Has anyone successfully migrated from UI16 to Agent Workspace? What are your experiences?
3. Is there any guidance from ServiceNow on how this can be achieved (white papers, best practice, lessons learnt)?

I'm keen to hear from our thought leaders and customers who like to be on the bleeding edge, as well as ServiceNow.

[DrewW]

I have not had a chance to try Workspace in Paris yet but in Orlando there are many issues that they would have to have resolved in Paris for us to consider using Workspace for more than the one app we built and setup to use it.

[The SN Nerd]

I'm also happy to be challenged on the statement "Now that Agent Workspace has reached maturity in Paris" - with all the new details on the NowExperience framework and inclusion of Change and Problem, it looks ready to go.

What issues did you face?

[Paul Curwen]

My main issues so far:

Not able to tab Sections

Not able to use Response Templates (ITSM)

Not able to implement ui macros e.g. assign to me 

Interface is slower than standard forms

I’m sure it will improve over time, and I’m still on a learning curve, but at the moment I find the standard form a better experience.

[DrewW]

Lack of documentation for API's so showing popups is problematic.

Dynamic creation for Reference fields does not work.

Dynamic reference qualifiers that work on the Platform UI do not work in workspace.

The workspace does not remember settings so when you close or shrink sections it does not remember it.

UI macros to not work so you have to build Components which has its own issues.

UI Scripts have to be duplicated and altered so that you can load them on Workspace which is not good.

You cannot create list UI Actions.

To filter the list requires you to click specific spots rather than just right click anywhere in a cell on the list.

Changing a filter for the list requires extra clicking that I'm not a fan of but others do not care.

You cannot tab form sections.

These are just the issues that I have come across while working on just the one app we have tried to use it with.  Also again this is in Orlando, we have not had a chance to try Paris yet.

[Deleted Profile]

Take the opportunity to address any outstanding technical debt and/or process changes that have occurred since the initial implementation.

Revisit, flatten, and simplify the process, reduce hand-offs and delays, find better performance indicators and new metrics. Take the lessons learned from your time with UI16 and design a new solution that can be pieced together over a few iterations as a proof-of-concept to show where it can go.

What ever you do, avoid going down the "Hey, this new toy is better than that old toy... now make it look and behave just like it" path!

Good luck.

[Tommy Jensen]

I just hate when customers migrating from a competitor to ServiceNow tells me "We want it to work like it does in xxx". 

[Deleted Profile]

Yep... I've been on the customer side of this on two different implementations. Managers think they are gaining value if they don't have to retrain their staff for a new system. This is a short-sighted perspective at best! The cost is often greater, but perhaps somewhat delayed. The system doesn't quite do what the old system does, they have to customize it to the point of adding risk during every upgrade, and they still have to retrain their staff to account for some behaviors that simply are different. In the end, their processes get band-aids (i.e. less efficient and stable) and their tools get broken for the sake of looking like the old system.

[chuckn]

We haven't really given Agent Workspace much of a look yet, but all of this is very helpful information! Thank you for sharing!

[BryanS413339635]

This is very helpful. We're about to move to Orlando from NY and were planning on moving to Agent Workspace now. It's sounding like we should give it some time and at least wait until the spring when we go to Paris.