What Does a ServiceNow Architect Do?
Posted on 3 Jul 2021 · 1 min read
When I started my ServiceNow career back in 2013, there were mainly three technical roles:
- System Admin
- App Developer
- Implementation Specialist
Perhaps those roles were enough at the time. However, as the platform continued to grow, ServiceNow introduced the Architect certification and placed greater emphasis on the architect role.
So — what does a ServiceNow Architect actually do?
The Core Responsibility
In my opinion, the main role of a ServiceNow Architect is to ensure that the solution is:
- Easy to understand and not complicated in nature
- Implemented with minimal customisation, aligned to out-of-the-box functionality
- Easily maintained over time
- Deployed smoothly without disrupting other business functions
These responsibilities suggest that the architect must be involved throughout the entire delivery lifecycle — not just at the start.
A Common Misconception
A widespread misconception about ServiceNow Architects is that they should pull back completely from implementation and app development, focusing only on high-level concerns.
This doesn't seem right to me.
ServiceNow Architects should still be counted as implementation specialists — in fact, the best implementation specialist in your organisation, with added understanding of platform and software architecture, is who your ServiceNow Architect should be.
You might argue: aren't you wasting an architect's time by involving them in development work?
Here is why you are not: ServiceNow Architects need to engage in the development and implementation lifecycle because they cannot do their jobs properly without seeing the problems that might result from architecture decisions. They also need to be ready to support the technical team whenever called upon.
Staying hands-on makes an architect better — not busier.