Managing unprepared client

[MajaR]

Hi guys, 

My question is: what are your go to tools when managing an unprepared client. 

Scenario: Contract is signed after 1 year of negotiation, we are about to do full ITSM implementation. In the first 3 workshops the client answers to most questions with "we don't know" - "we have to check" - "we have to ask another group" - etc. It becomes clear that the necessary answers to build flows, approvals, groups etc. are not available. 

What do you do?

[Dr Atul G- LNG · Accepted solution]

Hi @MajaR 

A client correctly raised an issue, and as a Business Process Consultant I have seen similar situations before. Often, the root cause is that what was communicated by the sales team to the client is very high-level, and when we start implementation, we encounter gaps and misunderstandings.

When the client says something “doesn’t work,/dont know” it’s important to first validate and understand the actual issue, as there could be multiple reasons, such as:

• The right people are not included in the process or access groups
• There may be a skills gap or lack of understanding of the business process
• Requirements / foundation may not have been clearly captured or aligned/ build

In such cases, what I usually do is:

• First identify what is actually missing—whether it is a ServiceNow knowledge gap, a process gap, or missing stakeholders
• Try to bridge that gap by bringing the right people together
• Ensure clear understanding of what is needed by organizing additional walkthroughs or working sessions if required
• Set up a structured discussion with the project manager and business stakeholders to validate findings
• Highlight these gaps as risks when necessary, so they are visible at a higher level and can be addressed properly

[Dr Atul G- LNG · Accepted solution]

Hi @MajaR 

A client correctly raised an issue, and as a Business Process Consultant I have seen similar situations before. Often, the root cause is that what was communicated by the sales team to the client is very high-level, and when we start implementation, we encounter gaps and misunderstandings.

When the client says something “doesn’t work,/dont know” it’s important to first validate and understand the actual issue, as there could be multiple reasons, such as:

• The right people are not included in the process or access groups
• There may be a skills gap or lack of understanding of the business process
• Requirements / foundation may not have been clearly captured or aligned/ build

In such cases, what I usually do is:

• First identify what is actually missing—whether it is a ServiceNow knowledge gap, a process gap, or missing stakeholders
• Try to bridge that gap by bringing the right people together
• Ensure clear understanding of what is needed by organizing additional walkthroughs or working sessions if required
• Set up a structured discussion with the project manager and business stakeholders to validate findings
• Highlight these gaps as risks when necessary, so they are visible at a higher level and can be addressed properly

[Tanushree Maiti · Accepted solution]

Hi @MajaR 

In many projects, we encounter business users who are not technically inclined. During requirement-gathering sessions, Business Analysts often receive responses such as, "We don't know," "We need to check," or "We need to ask another team."

This is where having strong functional knowledge or involving a technical expert in the discussion can make a significant difference. The gap between business requirements and technical implementation can often be bridged much more effectively when the right expertise is present.

For example, business users may request a catalog item where a field needs to fetch values from another table. When asked which table should be used as the source, the common response is often, "We don't know," "We need to check," or "We need to ask another group." This can delay requirement finalization and project progress.

However, an experienced ServiceNow technical consultant can often identify the appropriate table or data source based on the use case being discussed. By asking the right questions and leveraging platform knowledge, they can help clarify requirements in real time, reducing back-and-forth discussions and accelerating the overall design process.

This is one of the reasons why close collaboration between Business Analysts and technical team members is so valuable. Functional understanding combined with technical expertise leads to more productive discussions, better requirements, and faster solution delivery.