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

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Managing Strategic Planning with Project Portfolio Management, Agile Development 2.0, and SAFe

    This guide provides critical best practices and configuration guidelines for integrating Strategic Planning with Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Agile Development 2.0, and SAFe in ServiceNow. Proper integration ensures seamless data synchronization, maintains data consistency, and supports effective management of strategic initiatives across planning and execution stages.

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    Key Guidelines and Configuration Practices

    • Filter Conditions: Avoid changing filter conditions on table maps after records have been interfaced to prevent data inconsistencies. If changes are needed, manually update relevant attributes on existing records.
    • Table Map Setup: When creating table maps, configure associated field maps and choice maps to ensure complete data mapping.
    • Import Jobs: Do not modify table maps or field maps while an import job is running to avoid processing errors.
    • Record Traceability: Use the “Converted to” field on planning item forms to identify original records from which items were converted.
    • Reference Fields: For field maps involving reference or glide list types where execution and alignment tables reference different tables, populate the Lookup field and Lookup column values correctly.
    • Data Synchronization Troubleshooting: Check alignment integration error logs, verify filter conditions for import/export tables, ensure the Active flag is enabled, and confirm that all required fields and choices are properly configured.
    • Execution URL Management: Configure alignment planning item records to display the Execution URL field. If missing, use the “Fix execution URL(s) for planning items” function within the alignment integration to update these URLs automatically.
    • Primary Goal Field: A new Primary Goal field is introduced in projects, demands, and epics table maps to support syncing the Goal field between alignment and execution tables.
    • Demand Synchronization: When importing or exporting projects, ensure associated demands are also synchronized to maintain data integrity.
    • Custom Table Maps: For execution tables not derived from delivered tables (pmportfolio, rmepic, dmndemand, pmproject), create custom business rules to enable interfacing of those table map records.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By following these guidelines, customers can expect reliable and consistent data integration between strategic planning and execution frameworks within ServiceNow. This enables better visibility into project portfolios, agile epics, and demands, supports SAFe methodologies, and reduces errors during data synchronization. Proper configuration of table maps, filters, and integration settings helps maintain data integrity and supports seamless traceability across planning and execution stages.

    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.