Restoring Control Across Borders by Governing Platform Sprawl
A global telco stabilised fragmented international ServiceNow instances by enforcing clear governance and empowering regional teams to operate independently.
Context
Operating across international borders brought scale—but also unchecked complexity.
Within the organisation’s international division, multiple poorly governed ServiceNow instances had emerged alongside fragmented legacy architecture. Ownership was unclear. Costs escalated. Local teams were dependent on external vendors for even basic platform changes.
The result was operational chaos compounded by internal politics, with no clear path to stability or self-sufficiency.
Approach
Big House was engaged to stabilise the environment and return control—first through assurance, then through enablement.
Define
We began by isolating the problem.
The regional ServiceNow instance was strategically decoupled from broader enterprise complexity, allowing its scope, ownership and responsibilities to be clearly defined. This immediately reduced political noise and created a clean boundary for governance.
Align
Architecture and operating standards were then aligned to reality.
We implemented disciplined architecture governance tailored specifically for the regional environment—anchored on upgrade-safe design and a strict no custom code mandate. Every change was assessed against long-term maintainability, not short-term convenience.
In parallel, Big House delivered targeted enablement for regional staff—transferring the skills, confidence and authority required to operate the platform independently.
Govern
Governance was embedded through clarity rather than control.
Clear rules, simple standards and local ownership replaced external dependency. The platform became predictable, stable and far cheaper to run.
Outcome
The regional operation moved from disorder to disciplined independence.
External vendor reliance dropped sharply. Costs were reduced. Local teams gained confidence and capability. Political pressure eased as responsibilities became clear and governance consistent.
What had been a fragmented, high-cost environment became a stable, self-sufficient operation—aligned locally and governed globally.