IT professionals need to continuously enhance their skills and adapt to rapid changes

In a conversation with Prisila, Correspondent, Asia Business Outlook, Vijendra shares his views on Thesoftware companiesand how to get benefit from that. During the conversation he also discussed Service Now expert planning and the current and future prospects for IT professionals.

Tell us about a recent project or process about developing and maintaining a solution that you made better, faster, smarter or more efficient.

Recently, I have been working on developing and implementing cloud-based solutions for retail, logistics, and telecom industries. Our team has built order management tools that streamline the order processing workflow, reducing the need for human intervention and resulting in a 40% reduction in order fulfillment time. We have also automated the case creation process for one of our retail clients, incorporating automated decision-making, which has significantly reduced the time taken to resolve customer issues and close cases.

In addition, we addressed an inventory management challenge faced by one of our clients. By utilizing the discovery module of ServiceNowand integrating it with various tools the client used for managing assets, we were able to replace the manual maintenance of assets in Excel with a centralized asset management system in ServiceNow's CMDB. This helped the client bring all their assets under one central repository, enabling them to create key performance indicators (KPIs) to reduce hardware maintenance costs and effectively utilize unused hardware. The software asset management (SAM) module in ServiceNow also helped the client save a significant amount of money by properly managing unused licenses and avoiding unnecessary purchases, resulting in cost savings and improved license utilization.

Overall, these improvements in our solutions have resulted in better, faster, smarter, and more efficient processes for our clients in the retail, logistics, and telecom industries, leading to increased operational efficiency, cost savings, and improved customer satisfaction.

What is your approach to ensure that your team is surviving in the highly competitive Software Industry?

To ensure our team's survival in the highly competitive software industry, we focus on continuous learning, customer-centricity, embracing AI, fostering collaboration and innovation, and staying agile. We stay updated with the latest technologies and trends through regular training and certifications. We actively engage with customers for feedback-driven product development. We view AI as a tool to augment our work, not replace humans. We foster a culture of creativity and innovation, encouraging idea sharing and risk-taking. By following these principles, we strive to excel in the dynamic world of software development.

Do you think software companies would benefit from having more and more employees?

In today's fast-paced technological era, automation and artificial intelligence are promptly transforming the way businesses operate. With advancements in machine learning and robotics, companies are increasingly adopting automated processes to streamline operations and improve efficiency. In this context, the idea of having more and more employees may not necessarily be the key to success for software companies.

One of the main advantages of automation and AI is that they can replace repetitive and time-consuming tasks previously performed by humans, freeing up valuable time and resources for higher-level activities that require creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This allows companies to optimize their workforce and focus on generating higher revenue per employee.

"To thrive in the ever-changing technology landscape, IT professionals need to continuously enhance their skills and adapt to rapid changes."

Describe a new project that you have used recently. What did you learn from the experience and what would be your advice to another ServiceNow expert who is planning to develop a similar solution?

Recently, I worked on a project to develop and implement a cloud-based solution for a telecom, retail and hospitality companies using ServiceNow. The goals of the projects were to streamline their order management and inventory management processes to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs.

One of the main challenges we faced understood the complex order processing workflow and identifying areas where automation could be implemented. We spent a significant amount of time working closely with the business stakeholders to thoroughly understand their processes and requirements. This involved conducting workshops, gathering feedback, and documenting the existing workflows and pain points.

Once we complete the discovery phase of understanding the business processes, we leveraged ServiceNow’s out-of-the-box features to build order management tool that automated several steps in the workflow. This included creating automated decision-making processes to reduce the need for human intervention, resulting in a 40% reduction in order fulfillment time. We also integratedServiceNow with other tools to create a centralized repository for managing assets and licenses.

Thorough testing and iteration were key to ensuring the solution was robust and met the business requirements. We planned and conducted thorough training sessions forend-users and provided ongoing support during the implementation phase. We also established a strong communication channel with the business stakeholders to address any concerns and gather feedback throughout the project.

Finally, we focused on maintaining documentation and knowledge transfer throughout the project. This included documenting the solution design, configuration settings, and user guides for admin, fulfiller user and End User for future reference. We also conducted knowledge transfer sessions with the IT team to ensure they had a clear understanding of the solution and could provide ongoing support.

Based on this experience, my advice to another Service Now expert planning a similar project would be to:

● deeply understand the business processes, flow and requirements before starting the implementation.

● Leverage Service Now’s out-of-the-box features as much as possible to save time and effort.

● Conduct thorough testing and continuously based on feedback.

● Plan user adoption, including training and ongoing support.

● Build efficient documentation and knowledge transfer for future reference and support.

In your opinion, what are the current and future prospects for India's IT professionals?

In my opinion, the current and future prospects for India's IT professionals are promising. However, to thrive in the ever-changing technology landscape, IT professionals need to continuously enhance their skills and adapt to rapid changes. While keeping the client's requirements in mind, it is essential to utilize creativity and critical thinking while developing solutions. Using our past experiences to avoid potential mistakes in creating and implementing solutions can be crucial for success. Additionally, staying updated with the latest advancements in technology and being open to learning new skills will be crucial for the future prospects of IT professionals in India.