The Man Behind the Curtain: Why Transparency Matters in Your ServiceNow Journey

One of the most memorable moments in The Wizard of Oz is when Dorothy discovers that the powerful Wizard is, in fact, an ordinary man operating extraordinary machinery behind a curtain. That reveal has always resonated with me—especially in the world of ServiceNow implementations.

In many organizations, ServiceNow solutions are built behind a similar “curtain.” System Implementers design, configure, and orchestrate capabilities out of sight, unveiling them only during Sprint Reviews or User Acceptance Testing. Customers often see what the capability does, but rarely how it was constructed. And while experience, functionality, and usability are critically important, the lack of visibility into the underlying architecture can limit long-term success.

Curiosity Is a Competitive Advantage

Throughout my 15+ years working with ServiceNow customers, I’ve encountered a handful of teams with highly inquisitive stakeholders—people who wanted to understand what was happening behind the curtain. Whenever they asked, I gladly walked them through the architecture, design decisions, and configuration patterns. A few even requested hands-on training so they could begin building capabilities themselves.

Those were the most empowering engagements.

Even when training wasn’t explicitly included in the Statement of Work, it only required a few short sessions to help them build foundational knowledge. That early investment paid enormous dividends: they became more self-sufficient, more confident, and more effective at sustaining and scaling the platform long after the initial implementation.

Customers Should Expect—and Require—Knowledge Transfer

Transparency shouldn’t be optional. Customers should expect their System Implementers to educate them, not simply deliver functionality.

At a minimum, insist on:

• Structured knowledge transfer (KT)

• Design Specifications, configuration dictionaries, and technical documentation

• Clear explanations of why architectural decisions were made

You should never be left guessing how a capability works or how to maintain it.

Build Internal Capability, Not Dependency

The most successful organizations don’t rely solely on external partners—they build strong internal expertise. ServiceNow makes this easier than ever by offering a wealth of free learning resources.

Here are the top resources every customer should leverage:

⭐ 1. ServiceNow Learning Portal (Free & Paid Courses)

A perfect starting point for role-based skills. Many courses—especially fundamentals—are completely free. If you're implementing new capabilities (like HRSD, CSM, or ITSM Pro), your internal teams should take the corresponding fundamentals courses before go-live.

⭐ 2. ServiceNow Developer Portal (Free Developer Instances)

This is your playground.Spin up a personal developer instance, install plugins, test configurations, and experiment without impacting your production environment. It's the fastest way to build hands-on expertise.

⭐ 3. ServiceNow Documentation (Exportable, Searchable, Authoritative)

The platform documentation is extensive and exportable to PDF. You can download entire product areas or just the parts relevant to your team. Need only the Employee Relations section? You can export just that.

⭐ 4. ServiceNow Community

If you encounter a challenge, odds are someone else has faced it before. Community articles, discussions, and accepted solutions provide real-world insight. Many System Implementers rely on this same resource to validate approaches and solve problems—so customers should use it too.

Pulling Back the Curtain Is Empowering

If you ever feel like you're in a “man behind the curtain” situation—where solutions are being delivered but not explained—speak up. Ask to see what’s behind the curtain. Ask why a decision was made and how something was built.

Better yet, encourage your internal teams to become as knowledgeable as the “wizard” behind the scenes. Recognize and reward employees who pursue training, certifications, and hands-on learning. The more your team understands the platform, the more ownership they will take in its success.

And above all, insist that your System Implementers not only deliver capability, but also deliver understanding.

Transparency builds trust.Knowledge builds capability.And capability builds long-term success.