One form for all requests?

[DChandlerKy]

Hi everyone!

Recently, it was 'announced' that all IT requests for services will be entered and fulfilled through Service Now.   Yay!!

The fine print -- they want one form.   Zoiks!

Let me add a few numbers here... we have ... roughly 30 services that may receive a request at one point or another... and each of those services has a number of different requestables.   So you are looking at probably a minimum of about 150 different "items" that can be requested at any given point in time.   (Honestly, I think I am being conservative here.)

While all services have a small subset of data that they will all 'require'... one service will need to capture an additional data set, while the next service will have a different set of data, etc.

We have a pretty good start on a custom application for Voice and Data service requests.   While we can add additional fields to capture data needed for the other 130 requestables, I am not sure that's a good long term solution because let's face it - that's a LOT of fields!  

I am wondering how others are handling, or have handled a situation like this?   (Maybe we are on the right track here, maybe not.)

Are requests for (any/multiple) services handled via one form? (Think incident that is assigned/routed to one group or another - we can certainly have a workflow fire if/when needed)

How are you handling having certain fields available for certain requests? (I'm afraid that UI policies will only take us so far and things could not just get messy, but it will impact the experience our ITIL users and customers will have.   I am leaning towards views with minimized need for UI Policies.)

Any other tips, tricks, lessons learned that you can share?

We have made attempts at using catalog items - but reporting out of REQ/RITM, etc, is a big pain point along with the tiered set up is confusing.   There is also the desire to possibly have a way for the Service Desk to use the New Call form and then 'transfer' the request to an incident, or service request.

Thoughts? Comments? Lessons learned?

Thanks,

Diana

[DChandlerKy]

Hi Robert!

We are doing alright.   Keeping busy for sure!

We have started down one path and things are still evolving.   However, we are making progress.   Keep in mind, that this currently is our internal view - and while it could be the customer's view, I have other plans for that.   We do have a Request Committee with representatives from each area that's helping with a number of decisions for the request process.  

Right or wrong, the approach we took is as follows:

Created a new catalog called "Request Catalog"

Took our services, and as appropriate, combined them into some categories within the Request Catalog.  

        (i.e. The category Academic Technologies will include a way to submit a request for AV Services, Blackboard/eLearning, & Graphics & Multimedia Design to name a few.   The Communications category includes Voice service requests, Data service requests, & Estimates for Voice/Data services.)

We have a few form views that are shared among a number of services based on common required data needed for the request.   Then we have some view rules in place to make sure that those working the requests will see the request correctly.

The catalog categories have content items which basically is a URL that passes both the template and view for each request.  

We are slowly going through and populating the content items once a group submits their categorizations to us.   The groups that have their categorizations in production are already entering their requests and working them in the system.

Hope that helps.   If anyone has any quesitons, let me know.

Thanks,

Diana