If you’ve ever tried to connect your IT projects to business strategy and felt like you were assembling IKEA furniture without instructions—congratulations, you’ve met SPM.
But seriously, as someone who’s spent years wrangling ServiceNow’s Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) into shape for clients, I’ve discovered two truths: effective portfolio management is absolutely critical—and it doesn’t have to be soul-crushingly dull.
SPM: Herding Cats… with a Strategy
Let’s be honest, IT projects have a way of multiplying like rabbits at a carrot convention. SPM is all about making sure those furry little initiatives line up with your business strategy instead of running wild.
Imagine your business goal is to increase marketing reach by 20%. Instead of just tossing money at creative hats and hashtags, SPM lets you map every IT project—like new website features or mobile apps—directly to that goal. You’ll finally know not just what’s being done, but why, and how it gets you closer to your targets. Aligned IT and business strategies? Chef’s kiss.
Building Your Portfolio Family Tree
SPM loves structures (the more branches, the merrier). Say you’re a global brand looking to grow both products and services. With SPM, you set up:
- A “Grow Sales” portfolio.
- Under that, Products and Services programs.
- Beneath each, collections of projects—maybe “Streamline Delivery Widget” for products, or “24/7 Customer Chatbot” for services.
It’s like building a family tree—except instead of tracking eccentric uncles, you’re tracking project investments and business impact. If you enjoy order, you’ll love this.
“But What About ITSM?” you ask
Good question! ITSM and SPM are friendly neighbors, but don’t go to the same block parties. ITSM is focused on IT service delivery (help desk, anyone?), while SPM lives up in the penthouse, connecting furious IT activity to genuine business outcomes. Sometimes, costs from IT services like the help desk are rolled up into portfolios to show their strategic value, but SPM’s perspective is always that big-picture, why-are-we-here viewpoint.
SPM in Action: My War Stories
Before becoming VP of ServiceNow Delivery at SDI – during my BPC days – I helped organizations like Hilton Hotels, Ferguson Home, the NFL (yes, that NFL), Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, and Bank United in Miami conquer the SPM challenge. Here’s what I’ve learned:
- Preparation is key. The most successful clients (looking at you, Hilton and Bank United) came in with clear, defined business strategies and goals—they knew what “winning” looked like before the game even started.
- SPM quantifies value. For all clients, SPM didn’t just deliver pretty dashboards; it enabled them to see, line by line, how much IT spending was actually moving the needle on business goals. “Keeping the lights on” is a legit portfolio—nobody likes working in the dark! But now, you can see exactly how much budget and number of projects are going to maintenance versus innovation.
- Not all demands are created equal. The PPM (Project Portfolio Management) part of SPM acts as a bouncer outside the club of your IT department. Requests must align to business strategy. If they don’t, you have my permission to show them the door (politely, or with interpretive dance—your call).
Pro Tips: Making Your SPM Journey Less Hair-Pulling
- Bring your strategy to the party: If your only strategy is “be awesome,” we’ll need to talk. Quantified, board-approved business strategies make SPM magic possible.
- Visualize the structure: If you can picture your organization’s strategies, portfolios, and projects as a tree—roots firmly in business priorities—SPM will make perfect sense.
- Accept some chaos (but catalog it): Not every project will fit perfectly at first. That’s normal. SPM helps you answer tough questions, like “Should we really be doing this?” or “Is someone else already doing this?” (And sometimes, “Who asked for this custom spreadsheet add-on anyway?”)
- Find a partner who’s been there: Implementing SPM isn’t just a technical task—it’s part therapy, part strategy, part “cat herder.” (I may or may not have the scars to prove it.)
Final Thoughts
ServiceNow SPM isn’t about just getting organized—it’s about showing your stakeholders exactly how IT is driving real, measurable outcomes for your business. And let’s have some fun while we’re at it: process improvement is always better with a few laughs and some great company.
Ready to turn your IT chaos into business clarity? Or curious about how to make your SPM project a success (with less hair loss)? Reach out—I’m happy to share a funny story or two and help get your SPM journey started.
Charles Williams Vice President, ServiceNow Delivery SDI Presence
(If you want to discuss SPM strategies or swap implementation horror stories, connect with me on LinkedIn. It’ll be fun—I promise!)
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