Configuration vs Customization: Which Is It?

Which is it?
Configuration vs. Customization
Sr. Architect,
GlideFast Consulting
Travis Toulson

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ServiceNow’s KB0553407
A Customization is any change to code
that is part of the baseline install of a
ServiceNow instance.

Examples
Customization
• Modify Service Catalog checkout page UI
Macro
• Building a new “custom”
feature into the product
(e.g., custom applications,
third-party widgets, etc.)
Configuration
• UI Policy to make fields mandatory
• Modifying the Form and List Layout
• Installing a Plugin
• Modifying System Properties

Would you like to play a game?
Configuration or Customization?

Is it a Configuration or Customization?
1 ServiceNow Admin adds the Description field to the Incident form

Configuration!
How we know
• No code involved
• Form and list view changes
are Configuration

2 A new customer on a Geneva instance builds new widgets using Jelly UI Macros
for their CMS

Customization!
On the other hand
• In Geneva, a baseline CMS without
Customization would have been broken
due to a Known Error with iFrame sizing
• This Known Error would not be fixed until
halfway through the Istanbul upgrade cycle
• Customers were still using the custom
iFrame resize script on CMS well into
Jakarta due to on and off errors with the
baseline fix
How we know
• Code change is required
• Jelly is XML-based code in ServiceNow
similar to the Catalog checkout page
example

3 A Service Portal Developer tailors a Theme and modifies cloned widgets to support corporate branding,
accessibility, and style guide standards

Customization!
On the other hand
• Service Portal was designed so that cloning
a widget does not cause skipped upgrades
• Can you really imagine only changing the
logo, the logo position, some text colors,
button colors, and the nav bar?
How we know
• Code change is required
• Portal Themes especially pose risk for
breaking between versions
• ServiceNow Docs encourage using CSS
Variables to override Bootstrap styles first

4
A ServiceNow customer implements Test Management in Jakarta as part of PPM;
as part of the implementation, the customer adds some form fields, builds out reporting, dashboards,
and notifications investing in the tool

Configuration!
On the other hand
• Test Management 2.0 was released in
London using a completely different set of
modules leaving
the customer in question as to future
support
• A hard decision was faced to remain on
Test Management or reimplement on Test
Management v2
• In this case, Configuration failed
to prevent reimplementation
How we know
• No code involved
• Once again we are configuring form views
• Additionally, we are building reports and
dashboards which are all supported
Configurations

Wow, this game got dark real fast!
Sorry about that…

Awesome framed poster in my living room
Everything in life that matters
requires risk.

Project Management Body of Knowledge
A risk is an uncertain event or condition
that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative
effect on a project's objectives

Step 1: Identify the risk
Opportunities (Positive Risk)
• Reduced costs
• Creation of additional revenue
• Mitigation or avoidance of other
organizational risks
• Increased process transparency
Threats (Negative Risk)
• YOU are responsible for maintaining the
code
• Delayed upgrades: Future ServiceNow
upgrades can be skipped or broken
• Unable to use new ServiceNow applications
or features
• Worst case: Z-Boot, Reimplementation, or
Multiple Instances

Identifying Threat Sources
• Changing out-of-box records (even the active flag)
• Changing newly implemented apps or behaviors
• Changing frequently updated apps or behaviors
• Using non-standard APIs
• Using APIs in non-standard ways
• Modifying default or designed behavior
• Imitating behaviors that exist in other application
• Remember: Any record that can be influenced directly or via dependency by both you and ServiceNow is a
threat to your implementation.

Step 2: Assess the risk
Rating Probability Severity (threat) Severity (opportunity)
1
Rare or very unlikely to
happen
Minimal maintenance is required to
maintain business operation
Minimal impact to users;
functionality is easily
replaced or ignored
2 Possible
Moderate maintenance will be required
or current business processes may
require change
Moderate impact to user;
functionality will noticeably
improve processes
3
Likely or almost certain
to happen
Severe maintenance required, potential
z-boot risk, or significant loss of business
functionality
Severe business impact;
functionality is likely mission critical
or of measurable impact to key
metrics

Step 3: Plan risk response
Strategies for opportunities
• Exploit: Take action to maximize the upside
of the opportunity
• Share: Work with ServiceNow or a Partner
to devise the best way of achieving the
opportunity
• Enhance: Take action to increase the
likelihood of successfully realizing the
opportunity
• Accept: Still do nothing and hope for the
best
Strategies for threats
• Avoid: Devise a different implementation to
remove the cause of the risk
• Transfer: Engage with a ServiceNow Partner
to collaborate on upgrades and
maintenance
• Mitigate: Take action to limit the probability
or severity of the risk
• Accept: Do nothing and hope for the best

• Use Scoped Applications
• Use new tables to compose behavior onto existing tables
• Extend tables if composition won’t work—provides better isolation than nothing
• If you have to, modify existing records in place
– Inactivate the existing and create a new record is no longer the published best practice
• Record your Customizations somewhere!
– Make customizations easy to identify
Remember: The keys to mitigating threats in ServiceNow customization are isolation and limiting
dependencies
Avoidance is not the only strategy!

Step 4: Make a decision
• For a given solution, assess the Risk Score for
Threats and Opportunities
• (Probability * Severity) / 3 = Risk Score
• Plot the Threat Risk Score vs. the Opportunity
Risk Score on the matrix
• You can average the Risk Scores,
use the Maximum of each, use a more robust
aggregate, or SWAG it
Opportunity
High
Medium
Low
Low Medium High
Threat

Your Risk Gradient may varyOpportunity
Threat
Opportunity
Threat
Opportunity
Threat

Risk Management Process Recap
Identify the risk
• Identify the risks
and risk sources
• Identify both positive and
negative risks
Assess the risk
• Evaluate the probability
(likelihood)
and severity
(consequence)
Plan risk response
• Take action to minimize
the negative risks
and maximize
the positive
Make a decision
• To implement or
not to implement, that is
the question

Key takeaways
1 2 3
Every ServiceNow choice involves
risk.
Debating Configuration
vs. Customization is of limited
use.
Use a Risk Management process
to make
better decisions.

Tell us what you think!
Find the app in the Apple App Store or
Google Play Store by searching for
ServiceNow Events.
Give us your feedback and
submit the survey.

Thank you
https://glidefast.com
https://codecreative.io

Configuration vs Customization: Which Is It?

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