With two major platform releases each year, ServiceNow moves fast – and for good reason. Every new release brings innovations in AI, automation, user experience, security, and industry solutions. But for many organisations, this pace can feel more like a treadmill than a competitive advantage.

The challenge isn’t just upgrading – it’s doing so without disruption, while also taking advantage of new features. So how do top-performing ServiceNow teams stay ahead?

1. Establish a Release Governance Framework

Build a repeatable process that kicks off with every new release. Key elements include:

• Release leads from platform, business, and testing teams
• A calendar with key milestones (preview instance, dev instance update, production go-live)
• Structured impact analysis on existing customisations, and integrations

2. Leverage the ServiceNow Release Notes Early

Don’t wait until your instance is patched to explore what’s new. Dive into:

• Release highlights from ServiceNow’s official docs
• Delta reports to compare current, and future configurations
• Community insights for real-world application of new features

3. Use the ServiceNow Upgrade Center

The Upgrade Center is your best friend. It:

• Detects skipped updates, and deprecated configurations.
• Highlights potential conflicts.
• Automates upgrade planning across environments.

Bonus: It even helps prioritise based on business impact.

4. Automate Testing Wherever Possible

Manual regression testing slows everything down. Use:

• ATF (Automated Test Framework) to test critical workflows.
• Test suites tied to each release cycle.
• Integrated CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) if you’re in an agile or DevOps environment.

5. Create a Feature Adoption Backlog

Not every feature should go live with your upgrade. Maintain a backlog of relevant innovations from each release that your team can explore post-upgrade:

• AI features like predictive intelligence or agent assist.
• New workspace UX components.
• Improvements in app engine or flow designer.

This allows you to innovate continuously without overwhelming operations.

6. Communicate and Celebrate

Upgrades are a team sport. Keep stakeholders informed throughout the process, and celebrate a successful go-live. It builds trust, platform visibility, and keeps momentum high.

Conclusion

ServiceNow’s rapid innovation cycle is a competitive advantage—if you can keep up. With strong governance, automated testing, and a smart adoption strategy, your team can turn each upgrade into an opportunity for improvement, and innovation.

Don’t chase the platform. Lead with it.