Need Step‑by‑Step Guidance for ServiceNow Upgrade to Zurich (First Time Managing Upgrade)

[si21]

Hi Experts,

I’ve been assigned to lead the ServiceNow upgrade activity for a new project with around 15,000 active users.
We are planning to upgrade our instances from Yokohama to the Zurich release.

This is my first time handling a full upgrade, and although I watched a few tutorials on YouTube, I am still not confident about the full end‑to‑end process.

Could you please help me with a clear, step‑by‑step explanation of:

1. What to do before the upgrade (pre‑checks, analysis, customizations, freeze plan, clone strategy, etc.)
2. Upgrade sequence across DEV → UAT → PROD
3. Testing requirements
4. Communication templates (freeze notification, UAT notice, PROD upgrade notice, etc.)
5. Timelines and how to plan dates
6. Post‑upgrade activities
7. Any important notes, risks, or best practices to be aware of for a large‑user‑base upgrade.

I want to ensure I follow the right process, avoid missing critical steps, and deliver the upgrade smoothly.

Any detailed guidance, checklists, or best practices would be highly appreciated.

Thanks In advance

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @si21 

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/release-notes/upgrades-planning-checklist.html

https://www.servicenow.com/community/servicenow-ai-platform-blog/using-a-cloning-plan-to-ensure-succ...

https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0547597

https://www.servicenow.com/community/s/cgfwn76974/attachments/cgfwn76974/developer-kb/4170/3/Post_Cl...

https://youtu.be/HItjqCC5kG8

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

1. What to do before the upgrade (pre‑checks, analysis, customizations, freeze plan, clone strategy, etc.)

Atul: You need to request for clone , take backup of update set.

1. Upgrade sequence across DEV → UAT → PROD

Atul: yes

1. Testing requirements

Atul: You can use ATF if available else plan a manual testing.

1. Communication templates (freeze notification, UAT notice, PROD upgrade notice, etc.)

Atul: You can check on Now create/ best practice for this.

https://mynow.servicenow.com/now/best-practices/success-packs/core-platform-upgrade

1. Timelines and how to plan dates

Atul: The above link will be

1. Post‑upgrade activities
2. Any important notes, risks, or best practices to be aware of for a large‑user‑base upgrade.

[Tanushree Maiti]

Hi @si21 

Here is my input:

What to do before the upgrade (pre‑checks, analysis, customizations, freeze plan, clone strategy, etc.)

Ans : 1.Analysis what major feature is getting added in zurich on the module which you are using.

      2. Prepare for Upgrade communication.

  3. Asking other to take their back up (including POC)

Upgrade sequence across DEV → UAT → PROD

Ans : If you have sandbox , I prefer 

Sandbox->dev>UAT->PROD

Testing requirements:

Ans: Hope it is not first upgrade of your instance. Collect the template  where regression test cases scenarios were added

-> Check all major integrations

Communication templates (freeze notification, UAT notice, PROD upgrade notice, etc.)

Ans: check on Now create/ best practice for this and prepare for your project

Timelines and how to plan dates

It depends on your project size.  Here is sample screen shot:

Post‑upgrade activities

Ans: sample activities:

• Review Upgrade Monitor: Analyze the upgrade history to ensure the upgrade completed successfully.
• Resolve Skipped Records: Review and merge or retain customizations in the "Skipped" records list (sys_update_xml) to resolve skipped update sets.
• Execute ATF Tests: Run automated tests to ensure existing features, integrations, and configurations still work properly.
• Validate Integrations & Email: Test inbound/outbound email and all API/IntegrationHub connections.
• System Validation (UAT): Perform user acceptance testing on core business applications (e.g., ITSM etc).
• Instance Scan: Utilize the Instance Scan feature to identify potential issues and ensure upgrade security.
• Communicate to Stakeholders: Inform users that the upgrade is complete and provide information on new features

Any important notes, risks, or best practices to be aware of for a large‑user‑base upgrade.

Ans : Check this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOkQoHLOYck