This is the 6th post in a series on Model Management. If you are just joining the discussion, be sure to check out the previous posts:
In the first post in this series, I indicated that Models support the Service Catalog and provide additional value when you begin the asset lifecycle with request through the Service Catalog.
With good Model information, you can generate catalog items for end users to request hardware and software in your environment. Some information in the catalog item is maintained in the Model record, such as the Short description, Description, and Picture. Simply click the Related Link to publish to the catalog. This creates the entry end users see in the catalog.
Because the request is tied to a Product Model, you can identify if you have any of the requested item in stock before you go through the process to procure more.
When you do need to procure, you can create Vendor Catalog Items to capture the details about the items from your vendors, such as the vendor's part numbers and prices. Then you can select which vendor to purchase from when you source the request.
As described in a previous post, the Model record represents the default configuration for a Model number. With the catalog record defined, you can then identify any options you want to make available as Variables. If the options are similar for different Models, you might consider creating a Variable Set to reuse. This allows end users to select options available for the model when they request it.
Bonus section for usability: Some manufacturers may have a different Model number for every type of configuration, though. Apple is an example of this, where every different iPhone or iPad configuration (color, size) has its own Model number. Rather than listing each of these for your end users to select from in the catalog, you could create an Order Guide in ServiceNow for the type of device to presents the various options. With the options selected on the first page of the Order Guide, it then selects the appropriate model of the device.
This post is not meant to be a primer in the Service Catalog, but to provide some thoughts on the benefits on how Models work with it. If you have questions about setting any of these up, please post in the comments.
In the next couple posts in the series, I will discuss fields in the Hardware Model record, their purpose, and how you can better leverage them in your processes. The first covers default fields and the second covers some new fields I recommend and how you can utilize them.
