Managing Strategic Planning with Project Portfolio Management, Agile Development 2.0, and SAFe

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Managing Strategic Planning with Project Portfolio Management, Agile Development 2.0, and SAFe

    This guidance ensures proper integration of Strategic Planning with Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Agile Development 2.0, and SAFe within ServiceNow. It focuses on maintaining data consistency and synchronization across alignment and execution tables during interfacing and imports.

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    Key Practices for Integration

    • Table Map Configuration: Always configure related field maps and choice maps when creating a table map. Avoid changing filter conditions after records have been interfaced to prevent data inconsistencies. If filter changes are necessary, manually update affected records.
    • Import Job Handling: Do not modify table maps or their field maps while an import job is running to avoid processing errors.
    • Reference Fields: For field types like reference or glide list where execution and alignment tables differ, ensure Lookup field and Lookup column values are properly set in the field map.
    • Data Synchronization Checks: In case of synchronization failures, verify integration error logs, filter conditions for alignment and execution tables, active flags on integration and table maps, and correct field and choice configurations.
    • Execution URL Management: To view or fix missing Execution URL fields on planning items, configure the alignment planning item record accordingly and use the “Fix execution URL(s) for planning items” option from the alignment integration record when available.
    • Primary Goal Field: A new Primary goal field supports syncing the Goal field between alignment and execution tables for projects, demands, and epics.
    • Project and Demand Sync: When importing or exporting projects, ensure associated demands are also synced to maintain data integrity.
    • Custom Table Maps: You can create table maps for any execution table. If the table map does not extend from delivered tables (pmportfolio, rmepic, dmndemand, pmproject), a supporting business rule must be created to enable interfacing.

    Practical Outcomes

    • Maintaining data consistency between Strategic Planning and execution tables during integration with PPM, Agile Development 2.0, and SAFe.
    • Improved visibility and traceability using fields like Converted to and Execution URL.
    • Streamlined error identification and resolution in data synchronization processes.
    • Flexibility to extend integration to custom execution tables while ensuring proper interfacing through business rules.

    Ensure that Strategic Planning is integrated properly with PPM, Agile Development 2.0, and SAFe with these guidelines.

    • Do not change the filter condition of a table map after the records are interfaced. The already interfaced records might not match with the new filter condition and any change in the filter condition can result in data inconsistency. If you need to change the filter condition, ensure that the relevant attributes on the interfaced records are updated manually to avoid data inconsistency issues.
    • Whenever a table map is created, ensure that the relevant field maps and choice maps are also configured.
    • When an import job for a table map is running (processing), do not modify the table map or its field maps.
    • Using the Converted to field on the planning item form, you can identify the original record from which it was converted.
    • Ensure that the Lookup field and Lookup column values are added whenever the execution and alignment tables are referencing two different tables, while creating a field map for field type of reference or glide list.
    • If there is a data synchronization failure, check if:
      • The Integration error logs related list within that Alignment integration record.
      • The Alignment table filter (for import) and Execution table filter (for export) conditions are met.
      • The Active flag in both the alignment integration and the table map is checked.
      • The appropriate fields and choices are configured for each table map.
    • If you want to view the Execution URL field, configure the alignment planning item record to view it.
    • If the Execution URL field in your synced planning item(s) is blank, navigate to All > Strategic Planning > Integrations and select the required alignment integration. If any of the execution URL is missing, select the Fix execution URL(s) for planning items related link. This runs a job and updates the execution URL field.
      Note:
      The Fix execution URL(s) for planning items related link is only available when the execution URL is missing for any of the planning item.
    • A Primary goal field is introduced to the projects, demands, and epics table maps to support the integration of the Goal field between alignment and execution tables.
    • When you are trying to import or export a project, ensure that the demands (that are a part of that project) are synced.
    • You can create a table map for any execution table. If a table map is not created from one of the delivered tables (pm_portfolio, rm_epic, dmn_demand, pm_project) or does not extend from them, you are required to create a business rule to support the interfacing of the table map records. For more information on creating a business rule, see Create a business rule to apply a custom table map configuration.