Pre-Kick-off Readiness

Learner-in-Prog
Tera Expert

3 weeks ago

We are planning to initiate ServiceNow HRSD Implementation, so need a checklist of activities we should initiate internally now for a smooth kick-off and execution. Also, what inputs, decisions, artifacts and resources must be in place before project kick-off.

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meghanakra
Kilo Guru

3 weeks ago

ServiceNow HRSD Implementation – Internal Readiness & Pre-Kickoff Activities

 

Internal Activities to Complete Before Project Kick-Off

  1. HR Process Readiness

Before workshops begin with the implementation partner, HR teams should review and understand their current HR processes internally.

This is important because if current processes are unclear, workshops become confusing and requirements keep changing later.

HR team should identify:

  • How HR requests are currently handled
  • Approval process
  • Escalation process
  • Manual activities currently done by HR
  • Current pain points
  • Regional or country-specific process differences

Common HR processes usually covered:

  • Employee onboarding
  • Offboarding
  • HR helpdesk/case management
  • Leave requests
  • Payroll queries
  • Benefits queries
  • Employee document requests

Recommended  Activities

  • Conduct process walkthrough sessions with HR teams
  • Understand current processes step-by-step
  • Prepare current-state process flows
  • Discuss future expectations
  • Capture SLA and approval requirements

Example

If onboarding currently happens through emails and Excel sheets, the BA should document:

  • Who sends requests
  • Who approves
  • What tasks are involved
  • Which teams participate
  • Where delays happen

Artifacts to Prepare

  • Process flow diagrams
  • SOP/reference documents
  • Approval matrix
  • SLA definitions
  1. Scope Finalization

One of the biggest reasons for project delays is unclear scope.

Many organizations start workshops without deciding what exactly is included in Phase 1. Later this creates confusion, scope creep, and delays.

So before kickoff, teams should clearly define:

  • What is included
  • What is not included
  • What will come in future phases

The organization should finalize:

  • Which HRSD modules are in scope
  • Which countries/business units are included
  • What is Phase 1 vs future phase
  • What functionalities are out of scope
  • OOTB (Out-of-the-Box) vs customization expectations

Common HRSD modules:

  • HR Case Management
  • Employee Center
  • Lifecycle Events
  • Knowledge Management
  • Document Management
  • Virtual Agent

Example

Phase 1 may include:

  • HR Case Management
  • Employee Center

Future phases may include:

  • Virtual Agent
  • Advanced integrations
  • AI capabilities

Expected Outputs

  • Scope document
  • Phase-wise implementation plan
  • Out-of-scope tracker
  1. HR Services & Catalog Preparation

This is one of the most important preparation activities.

Organizations should identify all HR services that employees request today through emails, shared mailboxes, phone calls, or spreadsheets.

These services later become HR catalog items/services inside ServiceNow.

Examples of HR Services

  • Employment verification letter
  • Salary/payroll inquiry
  • Leave request
  • New joiner onboarding request
  • ID card request
  • Policy clarification request

For each HR service, business should identify:

  • What information employee should enter
  • Required form fields
  • Whether approval is needed
  • Which HR team fulfills the request
  • SLA timelines
  • Notifications required

BA Preparation Activities

Business Analysts should:

  • Prepare service inventory
  • Conduct service review workshops
  • Remove duplicate services
  • Standardize naming conventions

Example

Instead of having separate services like:

  • Salary issue
  • Payroll issue
  • Payslip issue

The organization may combine them into one standardized "Payroll Support" service.

Artifacts Required

  • HR service catalog list
  • Form requirements
  • Fulfillment workflow details

 

  1. Data Readiness & Source Systems

HRSD depends heavily on employee and organizational data.

If employee records, manager hierarchy, department details, or location data are incorrect, then:

  • Approvals may fail
  • Security access may break
  • Workflows may not function properly

So data quality should be checked before implementation starts.

Internal teams should validate:

  • Employee master data quality
  • Manager hierarchy
  • Department structure
  • Location details
  • Active vs inactive users

Source systems should be identified clearly

Typical systems include:

  • Workday
  • SAP SuccessFactors
  • Oracle HRMS
  • Active Directory

Important decisions required:

  • Which system is the source of truth
  • How frequently data should sync
  • Who owns data corrections

Example

If employee manager data in HRMS is wrong, approval workflows inside ServiceNow may go to incorrect managers.

Artifacts Expected

  • Data mapping document
  • Source system inventory
  • Data quality issue list
  1. Integration Readiness

Most HRSD projects require integrations with multiple enterprise systems.

These integrations should be identified early because they usually involve:

  • External teams
  • API discussions
  • Security approvals
  • Additional timelines

If integrations are discussed too late, project timelines usually get delayed.

Potential integrations may include:

  • HRMS systems
  • Active Directory
  • Email systems
  • Payroll systems
  • DocuSign
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Slack
  • SSO/Identity providers

Organization should confirm:

  • Integration owners
  • API availability
  • Authentication method
  • Middleware involvement (if applicable)

Example

If onboarding requires creating accounts automatically in AD and sending documents through DocuSign, these integrations must be planned early.

Artifacts Expected

  • Integration inventory
  • API details/documentation
  • Integration architecture diagram

 

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