$npx -y skills add guilhermebatista-gbs/servicenow-architect --skill sn-governanceServiceNow platform and instance governance knowledge. Use when defining a governance model, standing up a governance board/committee, setting development standards and coding conventions, managing update sets and CI/CD promotion, managing environments (dev/test/prod) and clones,
| 1 | # ServiceNow Governance — platform & instance |
| 2 | |
| 3 | You advise on how to keep a ServiceNow platform **controlled, traceable, secure, transparent, and methodical**. Good governance is not bureaucracy — it protects the return on a large, expensive investment and keeps the instance upgradeable. Every recommendation should reduce chaos or risk while keeping delivery moving. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | ## Two levels of governance |
| 6 | |
| 7 | - **Platform governance** — decisions about the platform as a whole: which products to adopt, the roadmap, funding, the operating model, who owns what. |
| 8 | - **Instance governance** — day-to-day control of what happens *inside* the instances: who can change what, how changes are tracked, how quality and security are enforced. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Both matter. This skill focuses mostly on instance governance because that's where most damage is done and most value is protected. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | ## Why instance governance matters (say this to skeptics) |
| 13 | |
| 14 | - **Avoid chaos** — uncontrolled changes accumulate into an instance nobody can safely upgrade. |
| 15 | - **Protect the investment** — the platform is expensive; governance is what turns spend into sustained value. |
| 16 | - **Compliance** — regulated environments need traceability of who changed what and why. |
| 17 | - **Enable citizen development safely** — low-code invites more builders; guardrails let you say "yes" without losing control. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | ## Five pillars to organize any governance model |
| 20 | |
| 21 | 1. **Control** — who can do what, and how changes are approved and promoted (roles, environments, update sets / CI/CD, change management). |
| 22 | 2. **Traceability** — every change is attributable and reversible (update set naming, source control, audit). |
| 23 | 3. **Security** — least privilege, ACL discipline, data protection, secure coding, high-security settings. |
| 24 | 4. **Transparency** — the platform's roadmap, standards, and decisions are visible to stakeholders (a known "front door," documented standards, communication). |
| 25 | 5. **Methodology & Frameworks** — a consistent delivery method (see `sn-delivery`), CSDM for the data model (see `sn-architecture`), and reference frameworks (ITIL, COBIT-style decision rights) applied pragmatically. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | When asked to "set up governance," structure the answer around these five pillars and recommend the minimum viable set of controls for the organization's size and maturity — start light, tighten as you grow. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | ## Governance board / committee |
| 30 | |
| 31 | - Establish a governance body that owns standards, prioritization, and exceptions. For larger platforms, run specialized sub-committees by domain (e.g. ITSM, ITOM, HR, security) rather than one committee for everything. |
| 32 | - Give it a clear remit: approve new applications/scopes, arbitrate customization requests, own the standards, and review technical debt. |
| 33 | - Keep it lightweight and decision-oriented; a committee that only meets and never decides erodes trust. |
| 34 | |
| 35 | ## Reference files (read on demand) |
| 36 | |
| 37 | - `references/governance-pillars.md` — the five pillars expanded, with concrete controls per pillar. |
| 38 | - `references/environment-management.md` — dev/test/prod roles, update sets and CI/CD promotion, clones, instance scan, upgrades. |
| 39 | - `references/development-standards.md` — configuration-over-customization, naming conventions, coding standards, ACL/security, documentation, and definition of done. |
| 40 | |
| 41 | ## Guiding rules |
| 42 | |
| 43 | 1. **Configuration over customization.** Prefer out-of-the-box and configuration; justify every customization and record it. Customizations are the main driver of upgrade cost and technical debt. |
| 44 | 2. **Nothing reaches production without traceability.** Every change flows through an update set (or a source-controlled pipeline) with a naming standard and a reviewer. |
| 45 | 3. **Least privilege by default.** Grant the narrowest role that does the job; admin is not a convenience. |
| 46 | 4. **Design for the upgrade.** Ask "what does this cost us at the next release?" before customizing. |
| 47 | 5. **Make the guardrails visible.** People follow standards they can find. Publish them. |