Demand Governance for Large Enterprises

[Chris Pearson]

Large enterprises often operate a little differently. You tend to see mature and well defined processes, even if those processes seem to get in the way of acting swiftly sometimes. You might find full time demand managers are in place in addition to platform architects, platform owners, etc.

At a large enterprise, the goal should be to stand up the gold standard of demand governance as described by ServiceNow's published white paper on the topic of platform governance. I've pulled out the main points related to the demand portion of that detailed document.

A demand board governs the portfolio by prioritizing requests for ServiceNow projects and enhancements, ensuring alignment with the strategic roadmap. 

Stand up a demand board by taking the following actions:

1. Recruit a Chair: Choose a demand manager or platform owner to lead the board.
2. Create a Charter: Define the board’s role in assessing platform demand and ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
3. Recruit Stakeholders: Include roles such as platform architects, program managers, and demand managers to manage demand intake.
4. Define Responsibilities: Outline the board’s tasks, such as prioritizing demands and assessing fit with the platform.
5. Establish a Meeting Cadence: Meet every 1-2 months to review and approve demand requests, or as frequently as needed to maintain appropriate queue levels of unprocessed demands.
6. Support Decision-Making: Provide necessary reports and data to facilitate informed decisions.

Demand governance is one board of three which allows for complete and thorough platform governance. With the addition of a technical review board and an executive steering board, it sets large enterprises up for long-term success.