Top 5 Mistakes when Implementing a CMDB

We are Marcel Horn and Marcel Horn .

Yes, you read that correctly, we share the same name and profession. Despite living in two distinct cities, we met on LinkedIn. This unexpected occurrence gave rise to the idea of blending our knowledge from two separate paths to provide you with 5 tips that will aid you in avoiding mistakes during the implementation of a CMDB.

About Us

My name is Marcel Horn, currently serving as the Practice Lead ServiceNow at Contec-X. I am the Marcel residing in Cologne with identical twins. My journey with ServiceNow commenced at Yazaki as an internal ServiceNow administrator and took a major leap after transitioning to ins-pi, a software company that designs applications for enterprise architecture on the ServiceNow platform. These tools expand the CMDB into a comprehensive EA Solution and facilitate a strategic view of specific Configuration Items (CIs). Since December 2022, I've been working at Contec-X, leading the build-out of the ServiceNow Practice. Our primary expertise lies in Project Management and IT Service Management.

My name is Marcel Horn as well and currently working as a Manager IT ServiceNow Services. I am the Marcel living near Magdeburg, Germany. My ServiceNow journey began in 2018, working for the client, Novartis AG. I assisted in integrating the ServiceNow Platform to meet the client's needs. Since 2022, I've embarked on a new journey, engaging with the ServiceNow platform once again. My core competencies revolve around the design and integration of a service portfolio and service catalogue in line with company specifications. I leverage the ServiceNow standards with products like Digital Portfolio Management, Service Builder, and the Common Service Data Model (CSDM).

Top 5 Mistakes and Solutions

• Lack of awareness

There is often a lack of awareness and understanding of the CMDB initiative among senior executives.

Solution: Simply explain what a CMDB entails. Refrain from using technical slides. Highlight its relevance to the organization and the benefits it offers.

• Lack of processes and responsibilities

The organization often lacks defined processes and responsibilities.

Solution: Firstly, establish an Asset Management / Configuration Management process before implementing the tool. Assign ownership to relevant CI owners and concentrate on developing a robust foundation that gradually expands.

• Only include data that a user needs [consumer]
• Only include data that someone owns [owner]
• Only include data that someone commits to maintain [provider]

• Lack of accessibility

There's often insufficient accessibility and visibility for the data owner and data consumer.

Solution: Make the CMDB user-friendly and valuable to more than just your IT staff. Your CI Owner needs to manage their essential CI data. Other stakeholders may also require insights (e.g., finance).

• Lack of reporting

There's often inadequate reporting when it comes to maximizing data use.

Solution: Ensure your reporting reflects at least two personas: one is the [consumer], and the other is the [owner] of the data. Present your data in an attractive and user-friendly manner. This approach will significantly boost CMDB adoption.

• Lack of discovery tools

There is often improper use of discovery tools.

Solution: Optimize and automate the discovery of your critical assets and configuration items. Strive to identify and reduce as much manual interaction in the process as possible.