Enterprise Architecture (formerly Application Portfolio Management)– Start your EA Journey Toolkit

[mcastoe]

With our ServiceNow Xanadu release, Application Portfolio Management (APM) was renamed as Enterprise Architecture.  Most all this content refers to APM but is still relevant to Enterprise Architecture.  ServiceNow Enterprise Architecture does not remove any capabilities but instead seeks to broaden the horizons and embrace more than such an Application Portfolio.

The attached documents, videos and  links provided here have been developed to help you start your Enterprise Architecture (formerly Application Portfolio Management) practice using ServiceNow's Enterprise Architecture product.  This toolkit is referenced in the Start Managing Applications with Application Portfolio Management workshops listed below
 

• Mar. 21st 2024 - Workshop: Get started with Application Portfolio Management - March 2024
• old sessions
  • Nov. 16th 2022 - Workshop: Managing applications with Application Portfolio Management - Session 1
  • Nov. 30th 2022 - Workshop: Managing applications with Application Portfolio Management - Session 2

Workshop Presentation in PDF format

The intent is to help enable you to develop a minimal viable process for Application Portfolio  Management:

• Active Application Portfolio Management on your instance and create one or more groups for users that will use APM.
• Quickly establish at least a partial Business Application Inventory using a provided Excel Template and Written Instructions
• Configure your own Business Value and Technical Risk assessments
• Launch those assessment against your Application inventory 
• Gather the assessment scores as Indicators and generate a score for each of the Applications.
• Utilize those simple indicator and scores to run a simple rationalization in EA Workspace.
• Stretch Goal: Establish a Business Capability model based on APQC or other sources and align your application inventory to the business and manage those Capabilities in EA Workspace.
• Define a Roadmap for your Application Portfolio Management practice.

The toolkit contents are as follows: 

• APM Toolkit - Setup APM - v1.pdf - documents the activation steps
• Install APM and setup groups for APM Analyst.mp4.zip - a video demonstrating activation
• APM - Importing business applications from the toolkit template.mp4.zip - video demonstrating import of business applications.  
• business_app_import_template_v2.xlsx - a template for importing business applications
• APM Toolkit - APM Assessments and Indicators - v1.pdf - document describing how to configure the Business Value and Technical Risk assessment then launch them and gather indicator values.
• APM Toolkit - Creating Business Capability Imports - v1.pdf - document describing how to configure and load Business capabilities from APQC or other sources and align your applications.
• cmdb_ci_business_capability_import-example.xlsx - example business capability import template 
• APM Toolkit - Creating Business Capability to Application Imports - v1.pdf - how to use import to align Capabilities and Business Applications.
• Capability2Application.xlsx - a template for Capability to Application import.
• Configuring Business Value and Technical Risk Assessments then populating the indicators.mp4 - Coming Soon!  a video series demonstrating the configuration of assessments and generating the indicator scores. 

Additional Plugins to get all of the APM Capabilities

The APM setup guide attached here is primarily focused on the core APM functionality and only speaks to  install of the APM plugin itself.  As APM grows in functionality, we have several other plugins we recommend that you install.

Enterprise Architecture Workspace

The Enterprise Architecture Workspace is now the primary UI for APM activities for Enterprise Archietcts, IT Owners and other APM users.   It is a must to be installed.

1. Visit the ServiceNow Store and locate the Enterprise Architecture Workspace add-on.
   Enterprise Architecture Workspace 
2. Request the plugin.  It is included as a part of your APM subscription so there are no additional fees as long as you are an APM subscriber.
3. In your ServiceNOw instances, install the Enterprise Architecture Workspace.

Check the workshops and articles her in Community for EA Workspace:
Enhance your APM with Enterprise Architecture Workspace 

Digital Integration Management

Digital Integration Management allows you and your teams to document and manages your APIs, microservices and subscribing integrations.  This is a highly recommended plugin.

1. Visit the ServiceNow Store and locate the Enterprise Architecture Workspace add-on.
   Application Portfolio Management Digital Integration Management 
2. Request the plugin.  It is included as a part of your APM subscription so there are no additional fees as long as you are an APM subscriber.
3. In your ServiceNow instances, install the Digital Integration Management.

 See the following articles on Digital Interface and Integration management in APM:
Managing Digital Interfaces and Integrations in APM

Other Plugins

From the ServiceNow store, install the  Application Portfolio Management Cloud Assessment to add evaluation capabilities for your cloud migrations within APM.

Useful resources

• This page serves as a homepage for the session, toolkit and future updates
  
  
• APM Community Page
  
• A community article on configuring Assessment Indicators
  
  
• APM Success Map - 

  Success Foundations, Implement, Run, and Optimize and Expand—that show the processes and best practices you’ll need to implement, maintain, and get maximum value from APM
  
  

• NowCreate collateral

  Self-service model with no touch from ServiceNow, leveraging 

  Now Create content created by Customer Outcomes.
  •Individual Assets

  •Success Pack
  
  

• NowLearning
  • APM Implementer Learning Path
  • APM Fundamentals
  • APM Implementation
    
    

• Youtube

  •Delivering Value with APM

  •Demo – Application Portfolio Management

  •APM | Scores and Indicators

  •Technology Workflow – San Diego Release –
  Application(APM) and
  Digital Portfolio Management (DPM)

[Donna Olsen]

This post is so valuable!  This is extremely helpful for anyone to follow who is starting out and/or maturing their APM module. Thank you so much, I am grateful.

Any updates on the video release for Configuring Business Value and Technical Risk Assessments then populating the indicators ?

[aenaburekhan]

Any question sets templates for  Configuring Functional Fit and CSAT Assessments 

[BBH-MattWollman]

Thank you!

[PaulSylo]

Thanks a ton. this is valuable set of resources.

[Jeff Aldrich]

Lots of great information here!  Thanks, Mark!  I see that this post was edited on 8/1/23.   Does that mean that all of the resources have been updated to reflect the latest new features and changes in the Vancouver release?  If not, what release do these resources relate to?

[aenaburekhan]

Can someone point me to any supporting documentation to do with information Portfolio and how to setup

[mcastoe]

@Jeff Aldrich,  

all the content is still applicable.  Vancouver did add several attributes though.  I generate the Business Application import template by

• opening the Business Application list view,
• adjust the attributes in the list to those you want in your Excel template,
• then right click any column heading and select Import.
• In the Import dialog, it allows you to generate an Excel template.  Uncheck the All Attributes check box unless you really do want all attributes.  
• If you do not have the Import op[tion, you may have to request a PDI at developer.servicenow.com.

hope this helps.

[BDOWNING]

@mcastoe I am new to the service now community and looking for information on where we can track the programming language and other tech related attributes like Database, Release, etc. associated with the applications in the APM.    The overall goal of course being able to manage the applications in our environment.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

[PaulSylo]

Hi @BDOWNING 

YOu can still use APM. In APM, Look for fields like "Technology", "Database", "Released Version", and "Programming Language" within the application record. These fields provide specific details about the technology stack used for each application. APM also offers dependency maps that visually display the relationships between applications. These maps can help you identify the programming languages and databases used by connected applications.

[Sharon Geist]

I'm looking to start getting APM setup and using it. but I recently found out that there is an Enterprise Architecture Workspace that is to be the new "front end" view of APM.  Is this something that is going to be added to this article? Or is there another article like this that goes thru the Enterprise Architecture Workspace?

[Doron Orbach]

Hi Sharon,

Indeed the enterprise architecture workspace is the main new UI for APM, and I encourage you to start working with it.

There are standard docs around the workspace, and the video here discusses the workspace (though many features were added to the workspace since its release): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tkoY-duwWA.

This is a more up-to-date recording on the enterprise architecture workspace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYbKqQyhx0I

Thanks,

Doron

[mcastoe]

@Sharon Geist 

We just delivered a new version of the APM Start Your Journey Workshop and we are now updating here.  Yes, indeed, the EA Workspace is now included.   In addition to the links Doron has provided above, here is a link to the latest EA Workspace workshop: Enhance your APM with the Enterprise Architecture Workspace delivered last November.  

As you have noted EA Workspace is critical to APM and just keeps growing as APM grows.   Keep an eye out here on the community for our next update on the workspace.  Big changes are afoot!

[fibssy]

This page has been really helpful so far on our APM journey. We are now one year into this Journey and are now waiting for the first full results of the assemments and application scores. These are expected to come in at the end of Q1.

We are very excited to enter the the Evaluate and Take Actions stages to get value from that perspective.

It has been an interesting journey so far and more to come!!..

[mcastoe]

@fibssy ,

thank you for sharing and congratulations on your company's achievements.   

thanks,

mark

[PaulSylo]

Hi @mcastoe  - This is an awesome session to get started with APM. I went through this complete video of this get-started with APM and was able to replicate the same. but I have a few questions which I need your help to get answered, I posted them in the community as well.

[Timothy Twitche]

What a great way to start. Thank you for the post!