In short: SAP Cloud ALM does not include full IT service management, so many organisations connect SAP Cloud ALM and ServiceNow. ServiceNow can run requirements, releases and changes, while SAP Cloud ALM handles the SAP-specific delivery. C³F connects the two and keeps the status in sync – either in depth with Strategic Portfolio Management or lean on top of your existing ITSM.
ServiceNow as the central platform
Moving from SAP Solution Manager to SAP Cloud ALM raises a new question for many organisations: how do SAP processes stay part of a central IT service management landscape?
SAP Cloud ALM covers implementation, development, deployment and operations of SAP solutions. What it does not include is the full IT service management many teams know from SAP Solution Manager.
ServiceNow can fill that gap and bring SAP processes into enterprise-wide service management. This goes well beyond incidents and changes: requirements, development tasks, releases and approvals can all run through one end-to-end process.
C³F (Cross Connector SAP Cloud ALM Features) links SAP Cloud ALM with ServiceNow and supports a single process across both systems.
ServiceNow steers, SAP Cloud ALM delivers
The two platforms do different jobs and complement each other.
ServiceNow can be the central place to capture and prioritise requirements, coordinate delivery and control releases and changes. Your existing ITSM processes, approval structures and responsibilities stay as they are.
SAP Cloud ALM takes care of the SAP-specific work. Features represent the planned changes there and carry them through development, testing and deployment.
What matters is an integration that connects both worlds without anyone entering information twice. A typical flow:
- A business requirement is captured, assessed and approved for delivery in ServiceNow.
- It is broken down into an actionable task or story and linked to a feature in SAP Cloud ALM via C³F.
- Development and testing happen in SAP. Relevant status information is synchronised between the systems.
- Once delivered, completed requirements are assigned to a release in ServiceNow.
- Go-live of the release is reviewed, approved and coordinated through a change request in ServiceNow.
- The approved SAP changes are deployed to production according to your defined deployment process.
That way you can always trace which requirement led to which production change.
Not every requirement needs its own change
A common approach is to connect SAP Cloud ALM directly to change management in ServiceNow. Technically that works, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect the process you actually want.
A feature in SAP Cloud ALM follows one specific change through development and testing to deployment. A change request in ServiceNow, on the other hand, can be used specifically to review and approve the go-live.
Several developed and tested requirements can be bundled into one release, and a single change request then controls its approval and go-live. Business requirement, technical delivery and production approval stay clearly separated – and still connected.
Two ways to set it up in ServiceNow
Not every organisation needs the same depth. The right route depends on the ServiceNow modules you have and the scope of process you want.
1. In depth with Strategic Portfolio Management
ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) adds capabilities to capture, assess, prioritise and plan requirements. Depending on the applications you use, this includes demand management, project and portfolio planning, and agile delivery structures.
SAP-related requirements are then managed alongside other IT initiatives on one platform. C³F brings the SAP features from SAP Cloud ALM into that planning, while ServiceNow’s release and change management handle bundling and go-live.
This route suits organisations that use ServiceNow not only for ITSM but also to plan requirements and delivery across the board.
2. Lean on top of ITSM
You can build an end-to-end process between ServiceNow and SAP Cloud ALM without SPM, too. Existing ServiceNow functions and suitable task structures represent requirements or delivery tasks. Release management bundles completed work, and change management approves it for go-live.
This option needs project-specific process design and possibly some extra configuration. In return, you steer SAP processes centrally in ServiceNow without having to roll out SPM first.
Which option fits depends on your ServiceNow licensing, the applications in use and the functionality you need.
What C³F connects
For the process not to create extra manual work, the relevant information has to flow between ServiceNow and SAP Cloud ALM. That is what C³F is built for. With it, you can:
- link requirements and delivery tasks in ServiceNow with features in SAP Cloud ALM,
- exchange information and status changes between both systems,
- bring SAP development activities into wider ServiceNow processes,
- cut double entry and improve traceability.
Which information is synchronised, and which system leads for each process step, is agreed during implementation.
SAP incidents in ServiceNow
Requirements and changes are one side; SAP operations are the other. SAP Cloud ALM already offers a predefined integration with ServiceNow Incident Management. Events from SAP Cloud ALM monitoring can automatically raise incidents in ServiceNow, which your teams then handle, assign and prioritise in their usual processes.
For production use, plan for customer-specific field mappings, assignment rules and feedback on closed monitoring events. The incident integration is a relatively direct way in.
From Solution Manager to SAP Cloud ALM
If you still run SAP Solution Manager, the transition phase needs planning too. CC4 connects SAP Solution Manager with ServiceNow today. For the connection to SAP Cloud ALM, there is C³F.
Your ServiceNow landscape stays the central platform, and the SAP connection is redesigned as part of your move to SAP Cloud ALM. The key is not just to replace the technical interface, but to decide how responsibilities will be split between ServiceNow and SAP Cloud ALM in future.
Process first, interface second
Which requirements are managed in ServiceNow? When is a feature created in SAP Cloud ALM? How are developments bundled into releases, and which approvals does go-live need?
Cross ALM combines ServiceNow consulting with experience in SAP application lifecycle management and its own integration products. Together with you, we define the right processes, design the system integration and implement it with Cross Connectors – in depth with SPM or lean on top of your ITSM.
Frequently asked questions
Can SAP Cloud ALM be connected directly to ServiceNow?
Yes. For monitoring events, SAP provides a predefined ServiceNow incident integration. To synchronise features in SAP Cloud ALM with ServiceNow, there is C³F.
Do I need SPM for the SAP integration?
No. SPM offers more for requirements, project and portfolio management. A leaner setup works with existing ITSM functions and suitable configuration.
Does every feature need its own change request?
No. In a release-based process, several features or their requirements can be bundled into one release. A single change request then controls the go-live of that release.
Does ServiceNow replace SAP Cloud ALM?
No. The two systems do different jobs. ServiceNow can steer the end-to-end process, while SAP Cloud ALM handles SAP-specific development, testing, deployment and operations.
Can CC4 connect to SAP Cloud ALM as well?
No. CC4 connects ServiceNow with SAP Solution Manager. For feature integration between ServiceNow and SAP Cloud ALM, there is C³F.
Looking to connect ServiceNow with SAP Cloud ALM?
Give us a short outline of your ServiceNow landscape and where you are with SAP Cloud ALM. In a first call, we’ll work out which of the two routes suits you.
