The Dreaded C Word - Customization

[Chris Pearson]

I’ll give credit to ServiceNow for one thing: they’ve successfully convinced customers that customization is the ultimate taboo! But what does “customization” really mean in the ServiceNow context? If you ask five Master Architects, you’ll likely get six different answers. So, with a bit of boldness (and at the risk of stirring up debate in the comments), let’s dive into what you should truly be concerned about. Hint...it’s not just customization.

First, let’s define customization. In my view, customization means modifying an existing “out-of-the-box” (OOB) piece of CODE. With this definition, every customization results in a ‘skipped record’ during your next upgrade cycle. But here’s the kicker—not all skipped records fit my definition of customization. For example: changing the label of an OOB field, adjusting the default logic of a UI Policy, or tweaking form and list layouts; these actions generate skipped records but are generally safe and can be ignored during an upgrade. Another way to say that might be...I just don't care too much about those changes since they normally don't impact upgrade cycle times. Notice I did NOT include in my definition any net-new 'custom' code you may have added by writing your own business rules, script includes, UI Actions, etc.

<Let's pause here to see how much I'm getting lit up in the comments>

Alright, now that we’ve tackled that, let’s consider the bigger picture. When assessing maintenance costs for your ServiceNow platform, you can’t just focus on customization. You must also consider overall technical debt. I define technical debt as the combination of true customizations (as per the above definition) and any net-new capabilities you add to the platform: scoped apps, custom utilities, bespoke integrations, new tables, etc. This accumulation increases the workload for your ServiceNow admins and developers, ultimately driving up costs. And let’s be honest, quality ServiceNow developers don’t come cheap.

So, how does a platform owner manage technical debt? The answer lies in platform governance. In my next blog series I'll explain how to establish a best practices governance framework that fits for your organization.