I write on this blog because I want to share what I try, what I learn, and how we all can grow together. So if you want to share any thoughts or experiences, let me know. This post is something completely new to me because I have no idea how I will implement a custom app in ServiceNow. I never created a custom app for the company I’m working for nor in my free time. Inspired by the podcast from Jase Benson regarding side projects, I thought I give it a try.
Besides my side project with this blog, I wanted to do something where I can also learn some parts of ServiceNow. I’m coming from the ITSM world where processes are kind of clear (except for the requests and business services we offer). It is not much you have to decide from the beginning, you always have something to start. But based on what I learned with the ServiceNow platform, there are more than just out-of-the-box processes. It is promised that you can create any kind of workflow you have in mind directly on the platform.
So I wanted to give this a try, especially because the demand is getting huge right now to build a custom app for various departments in my company. Therefore I wanted to get prepared with my personal side project and custom app – Manage company bicycles.
What’s the background for “Manage company bicycles”?
The world is talking about getting greener. More and more companies (at least in Germany) are supporting their employees with bike leasing. And in addition to that, they also offer company bikes you can use similar to a company car.
And all of this needs some kind of managed workflow, ideally with some master data. I guess there will be specific tools for the requirements as well but I want to leverage the platform capabilities.
But before this…
I need to understand how I come from the rough idea to the final product. Therefore I started this blog post series to get through it step by step.
When you look at docs, training, or videos around custom app in ServiceNow it all looks so easy to do. After some analysis, I guess my biggest roadblock right now is to get a concept in place and don’t be too concerned about the technical implementation. So let’s get started with this.
Requirement considerations for my first custom app in ServiceNow
My approach for this custom app was to think about the various processes that I want to build first and then think about the data management and where to get the data from. The processes I have in mind that I want to setup:
- Order a company bike
- Rent a company bike (for a short period of time)
- Repair a bike
- My bike was stolen
- Renewal of a bike (maybe part of #1)
My next idea was to think about potential data I need to support those processes as well as data I need for reporting.
| Process | Process Data |
| Order a company bike | Models Manufacturers Costs Cost Centers Employee Configuration options Stockroom Location |
| Rent a company bike (for a short period of time) | Stockroom / Pool Rent policy |
| Repair a bike | Warranty Contract Repair Vendors |
| My bike was stolen | Insurance Contract |
| Renewal of a bike (maybe part of #1) | Lease Contract |
Of course, most of the process data of the first process will be reused in the other processes as well.
Now that I know what process data I need I guess I will:
- Start checking for existing ServiceNow tables
- Think about custom attributes for company bikes (e.g. technical features)
- Get some thoughts around the various requests and task forms
- Think about the technical requirements regarding table extension, relationships and workflows
Conclusion
The first steps are taken for a rough concept but there will be much more work on this. And usually, I remember that when I get started on something I will find additional requirements I want to build into the solution. We will see where it all goes at the end.
Have you ever built a custom app? How was your approach to it?
