Clear Governance, Full Roadmap, Can't Lose

Wait…no…it's “Clear eyes, Full hearts, Can't lose."

Sorry, Bryan was thinking about 2006-2011 again during the glorious 5-season run of Friday Night Lights. 

Every Fall without fail, most of us (Bryan) end up willingly reinfected by the football bug.  Some of us (Bryan) await the return of actual football by rewatching the football storyline of Friday Night Lights (fast-forwarding through the soapy teenage drama parts, so as you can imagine this only takes a few hours to watch the actual football storyline). 

“Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose,” is the epic, inspirational saying of the main character of Friday Night Lights, Coach Eric Taylor.

From the title of the article, you can see we have hi-jacked that and altered it just slightly to serve our ServiceNow-related purposes.

“Clear Governance, Full Roadmap, Can't Lose.” 

You might be thinking, “What the heck? You just took us on this ridiculously long, circuitous route to indulgently mention your favorite high school football TV show? For what? A play on words? To make people more aware of Kyle Chandler?”

Well…yes, yes to all of it! 

But wait!

There's more!

Stay with us! 

In the world of ServiceNow Advisory, there are many similar concepts between building a strong ServiceNow instance and a championship-caliber football program.

So, let's have some fun (fun they say, eyeroll) and compare the two!

Clear Governance = Clear Eyes

Football is by far the favorite sport of most of us. Bryan played it through high school, watches it religiously, and is in a fantasy football recovery support group. Allison was a football trainer (she thought she wanted to be a physical therapist…boy did she take a different route) and loves college football.  Tracy tolerates football because she lives in Oklahoma.  One commonality between all three of us?  BOOMER SOONER! 

We couldn't decide on the proper cheer for ServiceNow, but we would all agree on that! 2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate? Fred Luddy! Go ServiceNow!

One key to success on the football field is clear eyes or clarity. Clarity to see the field, clarity in understanding the play, and clarity on what the goal is as a team. Similarly, in ServiceNow Advisory, clear governance is exactly that. It's the ability to see across the organization's digital landscape with clarity and purpose.  It provides focus, a game plan, and key identified outcomes - hopefully a W in that column.

Every great football team has a philosophy that dictates its vision for the program. Do we establish the run, are we aggressive on defense? Our philosophy will influence the coaches we hire, the players we recruit, and the plays we call.

Governance framework is similar in that leadership defines the strategic vision for ServiceNow by aligning the platform with business goals, ensuring scalability, and managing risk. This governs how the platform evolves.

A solid playbook is key to the success of any team. You may recall the 1998 Adam Sandler cinematic masterpiece that was The Waterboy. Coach Klein, played by the iconic Henry Winkler, had his playbook stolen by a fellow assistant coach and with it – all his coaching and play calling mojo. That playbook wasn’t just a binder of plays—it was the foundation of his team’s identity and philosophy. His coaching life's work! Likewise, in our work, a well-crafted playbook gives us structure, confidence, and a shared language for success. It’s not just about having a plan—it’s about having the right plan, and making sure everyone knows it, believes in it, and can act on it.

That being said, you might also think of governance as your clear playbook. It defines roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and escalation paths. Without it, teams run in different directions, efforts get duplicated, and opportunities are fumbled. With the right “plays” in place, everyone knows their position, their assignment, and how to execute.

Just like a football team needs discipline and structure to avoid costly penalties, your ServiceNow instance needs governance to avoid scope creep, misaligned priorities, and wasted resources. This helps you maintain focus and clarity.

Full Roadmap = Full Hearts

Football is a game of passion, commitment, and belief — belief in the mission, in the team, and in the process. The goal is clear: to win. But winning doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a clear philosophy, a well-defined playbook, and relentless execution. In the world of digital transformation, your ServiceNow roadmap is that playbook. It’s the embodiment of belief — in your platform, your people, and your potential.

Just like a championship team doesn’t just show up on game day, a successful ServiceNow program doesn’t just show up at go-live. Champions show up every day — in the offseason, in the weight room, in film study, and on the practice field. They build muscle memory, trust, and alignment. Similarly, your roadmap is not just a list of features or delivery dates. It’s a strategic blueprint that connects every sprint, every automation, every integration — to a larger vision of enterprise excellence.

A full roadmap means:

• Everyone knows the game plan — from exec sponsors to platform owners to business users.
• Short-term wins (like automating a catalog task) are celebrated, but always in service of long-term goals (like enterprise-wide delivery optimization).
• Priorities are clear, and trade-offs are made with purpose.
• Stakeholders are emotionally invested — not just checking boxes, but believing in the journey.

When your roadmap is visible, shared, and aligned, it becomes more than a project plan — it becomes a rally cry. It says: We’re in this together. We know where we’re going. And we’re ready to go the distance.

It also helps with unexpected pivots. If you're familiar with FNL - Coach Tylor spent years of his life's work building the Dillon Panthers.  Overnight, he was ousted and had to start over with the far less talented East Dillon Lions.  His playbook?  Well known by with the Panthers.  He had to create a new strategy - one that worked for the Lions.  His commitment to build the right foundation took the Lions from a losing football team to a true competitor.  He analyzed the team, built around their strengths, and inspired a group to execute on their shared belief of success.  This is the same strategy you can use when looking at your organization and building your plan.  The roadmap allows these unexpected pivots.  Governance helps us through them.

Can't Lose = Championship-level Execution 

When governance is clear and the roadmap is full, you’ve got the foundation for championship-level execution. 

• You’re not just reacting — you’re anticipating. 
• You’re not just deploying features — you’re delivering outcomes. 
• You’re not just playing the game — you’re controlling the clock, dictating the tempo, and calling the winning plays.

ServiceNow advisory consultants? We’re your coaching staff. We help you scout the field, design the playbook, and make the halftime adjustments that turn good teams into great ones. We bring the reps, the film study, and the game-tested strategies to help you win — not just today, but season after season.

Because the best programs don’t just plan for one season. They build dynasties.

Dynasties aren't built overnight.  They are built with commitment, agility, and reacting to the ever-changing landscapes - the world as a whole, AI, and new technology.  In our experience, leading with advisory creates better adoption, better solutions, and a winning strategy.

Clear governance. Full roadmap. Can’t lose.

Let’s get to work.