ServiceNow Upgrade Planning Checklist

To help ensure that you complete all the tasks for a successful upgrade, follow the step-by-step
instructions in this checklist to track and plan the upgrade.
For in-depth explanations about upgrades, refer to Upgrade to New York.
The process for completing steps for self-hosted customers may vary (for example, requesting an
instance clone or upgrades). These differences must be considered during planning.

Customer name:
Production instance name: https://[instancename].service-now.com
Other instance names: https://[instancename].service-now.com
https://[instancename].service-now.com

Description Yes No N/A Comments

Phase 1 – Read the release notes and plan your upgrade

1 Review the release notes for the target

ServiceNow feature release and patch, in
addition to product and release
documentation.
For specific upgrade considerations, see q q q
the Upgrade and migration tasks by
application or feature documentation
for your version.

Phase 2 – Prepare for the development instance upgrade

2 Confirm which ServiceNow instances

are in-scope for upgrade. q q q
3 Confirm the instance hosting model. For
example, ServiceNow cloud, off-premise,
or on-premise.
q q q
4 Based on the release notes for your
version and other release materials,
determine new functionality or notable
changes that need to be validated after
q q q
the upgrade.

5 Confirm plans to enable or disable

features introduced in the new product
release.
q q q

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6 Review the list of supported web
browsers in to determine browser
prerequisites. For example, versions and
types supported, and additional
requirements for new UI versions. q q q
Compare these supported browsers to
your corporate standard and identify any
gaps.

7 Create a project plan for cloning,

upgrading, and testing. q q q
8 Identify the core team of testers, power
users, and key stakeholders required to
validate functionality in the ServiceNow q q q
instances before and after the upgrade.

9 Confirm whether there are any internal

or ServiceNow change freeze windows
impacting the timing for environment
clones or upgrades. For example,
q q q
holidays.

10 Confirm which of the following situations

applies to your ServiceNow sub-
production instances:
1. Development and testing can be
frozen until the production
upgrade is completed.
2. Continued development (and
testing) activities need to
continue in a sub-production
instance while upgrade,
remediation, and testing activities q q q
are performed in parallel on
another instance.
3. Once the final upgrade to your
production instance is complete,
the cloning of your final
production instance to your sub-
production instance will wait until
after the production upgrade is
complete.

11 Confirm the availability of other systems

required for integration testing (key
resources and environments).
q q q
12 Confirm whether there are any
restrictions in which ServiceNow
instances can be used for integration
testing. For example, an interfacing q q q
system is only set up to access a
specific ServiceNow test instance.

13 Confirm the testing scope and approach.

q q q

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14 Create a comprehensive test plan
including test cases for all core instance
functionality and integrations.
q q q
15 Confirm the method for tracking any
defects identified during testing. q q q
16 Create a High Level Implementation
Plan that covers:
§ the sequence and timing to
upgrade sub-production and
production instances q q q
§ the instances to be cloned
§ the instance to be used for
integration testing.

17 Confirm whether there are any change

freeze windows impacting the timing for
environment clones or upgrades. For q q q
example, end quarter.

18 Determine whether existing internal

training materials, Knowledge Base
articles in the customer instance, or other
supporting documentation must be
updated to align with the upgraded
q q q
version. For example, changes in
functionality or user interface.

19 Optional: Schedule the ServiceNow

Configuration Review, which provides
recommendations to align the customer’s
configurations with ServiceNow best
practices. q q q
Note: There may be a service charge
and require professional services
engagement.

20 On your production instance, create a

system clone and select your
development instance as the Target
instance. Notify impacted users and
internal stakeholders of the scheduled
date/time for cloning (from production)
and upgrade of the sub-production
instance.
Note: It is important to test on a system q q q
that reflects the production instance as
closely as possible. If your sub-
production and production instances are
the same size, include the production
audit log and the attachment data, and
ensure that you have deselected the
exclude options.

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Phase 3 – Verify your upgrade configurations and schedule the development instance
upgrade in HI
21 Check the configuration of the Upgrade
scheduled job to view how often and
when it runs.
q q q
22 Verify that the Upgrade sys_trigger is set
properly for upgrading. q q q
23 Verify that the Check Upgrade Script
sys_trigger is set properly for upgrading. q q q
24 Schedule the upgrade in HI.
q q q
25 If applicable, request a version
entitlement. q q q
Phase 4 – Upgrade and validate the development instance

26 Using the Upgrade Monitor, monitor the

upgrade to your instance and validate
that the upgrade to your development q q q
instance is complete.

27 After the upgrade for your development

instance is complete, process the
skipped records list in the Upgrade q q q
Monitor.
28 Identify your update sets.
q q q
29 Before and after upgrading, conduct
smoke tests on your development
instance. Use your comprehensive test q q q
plan to perform functional testing.

Phase 5 – If applicable: Upgrade and validate your other sub-production instances, such as
your test instance
30 On your production instance, create a
system clone and select your
development instance as the Target q q q
instance.

31 Schedule the sub-production upgrade in

HI and verify your upgrade
configurations.
q q q
32 Validate that the upgrade to your sub-
production instance is complete. q q q
33 Install any optional plugins that were
installed on your development instance. q q q
34 Install any custom applications and post-
upgrade fix scripts that you need. q q q
35 Install update sets.
q q q

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36 Perform functional testing and monitor
the performance of your instance. q q q
Phase 6 – Prepare to upgrade the production instance

37 Confirm sign-off from IT and Business

stakeholders that all sub-production
instance defects have been fixed and q q q
validated in update sets.

38 Confirm the core team of key

stakeholders required to validate
functionality in the ServiceNow instance q q q
after the production upgrade.

39 Confirm coverage for Day 1 support post-

upgrade. q q q
40 Create a Production Upgrade
Implementation Plan that includes all
upgrade steps, roles and responsibilities,
communication plans, key contacts,
q q q
support coverage for Day 1, and so forth.

41 Schedule a walkthrough and sign-off of

the Implementation Plan with key
stakeholders and the core team.
q q q
42 Submit and obtain approvals for change
records as required by the organization
change process.
q q q
43 Send a communication to key
stakeholders and end users with details
for the production upgrade outage, new q q q
features, and so forth.

44 Profile the performance of your instance

before upgrading. q q q
45 Use the ServiceNow Performance
homepage to document the performance
of your instance before the upgrade.
q q q
46 On your clone, perform functional testing
and monitor the performance of your
instance.
q q q
Phase 7 – Upgrade the production instance

47 Schedule the upgrade in HI.

q q q
48 If applicable, request a version
entitlement. q q q
49 Use the Upgrade Monitor to validate
that the upgrade to your production
instance is complete.
q q q

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50 Apply any update sets and post-upgrade
fix scripts that you have. q q q
51 Validate and test your instance by
conducting user acceptance testing
(UAT). Verify with all key stakeholders
that the system is performing properly q q q
after production upgrade, and key
functionality is available.

52 Celebrate! J
q