The Service Management Platform Survival Guide

A candid field guide to navigating the messy reality of long-term service management rollouts and finding a faster, simpler way to reclaim your sanity.

How to endure 18 months of service management transformation' without losing your sanity.

Think of this as your field guide to navigating the gap between the glossy sales pitch and the messy reality of a never-ending rollout.

Welcome, Survivor.

If you’re reading this, you’ve likely been trapped in the endless jungle of a so-called service management platform implementation. You were promised a transformation and implementation in 90 days. What you got instead was:

• 42 consultants

• 18 months of status calls

• A “minimum viable product” that’s neither minimum, viable, nor a product

This manual is here to help you survive until rescue arrives; or at least until phase two 'goes live.'

Setting Expectations

Before you start, it’s vital to distinguish between the optimistic timelines in the PowerPoint and the reality of 'project drift.'

• The kickoff call fantasy is where the vendor tells you: 'You’ll be live in 3 months!' But in reality, you’ll be halfway through your third project manager before you even define 'live.'

• There is also the roadmap mirage. Where the deadline isn’t moving back, it’s just being 're-baselined.' Again.

Essential Survival Gear

To make it through the daily grind of implementation, you’ll need a specific toolkit to maintain your productivity and your pulse.

1. Post-it notes – because no one knows which process is actually in production.

2. Acronym translator – ITIL, CMDB, SLA, UAT, CAB. No one outside the room knows what’s happening.

3. Therapy budget – for when your CFO asks why 'automation' doubled headcount.

4. Coffee IV drip – because every meeting is a 'working session.'

Navigating the Implementation Jungle

The path to 'Go-Live' is littered with hidden pitfalls that can turn a straightforward upgrade into a multi-year expedition.

• The customisation trap: 'We just need one tweak…' Repeat until your simple ticketing system has the complexity of NASA’s mission control.

• Consultant survival strategy: Consultants are like Gremlins – if you give them budget, they multiply.

• Scope creep swamp: You thought you were implementing a workflow. Now you’re rewriting the entire business model.

Coping Mechanisms

When the timelines stretch and the complexity peaks, these mental strategies will help you stay focused on the light at the end of the tunnel.

• Patience meditation: Repeat after me: 'It’s not frozen. It’s processing.'

• Stockholm syndrome: After 2 years, you’ll begin defending the platform: 'Sure it takes 12 clicks, but that’s… our process.'

• Gallows humour: Laugh about it, because crying on a Zoom call isn’t 'professional.'

Signs You’ve Gone Too Far

It’s easy to lose perspective when you’re deep in the weeds, so watch out for these red flags that suggest the process has taken over the goal.

• Your IT team uses Jira to manage ServiceNow tickets.

• Your CFO thinks 'change order' is a revenue stream.

• You celebrated 'Go-Live' like it was a national holiday.

• You are secretly nostalgic for the days of Marval.

Field Notes / Survival Checklist

Run through this quick assessment to see just how deep into the 'Implementation Jungle' your organisation has actually travelled.

• The project outlasted your last CIO.

• You’ve had more steering committees than deliverables.

• Your 'MVP' has a 200-page training manual.

• You’re paying consultants more than your staff.

The Escape Plan

There is a way out of the complexity cycle that doesn't involve another eighteen months of 're-baselining' and budget requests.

• Option A: Wait another 6–12 months and hope phase two magically solves everything.

• Option B: Marval actually works out of the box—no armies of consultants, no endless change orders, no re-baselining your roadmap.

•  Our software is that escape hatch:

  • Deploys in weeks, not years

  • Minimal configuration, no PhD required

  • Works the way your teams already work

Stop surviving. Start thriving.

Warning Label: “This guide is not a replacement for professional therapy caused by service management software trauma.”

Talk to our team at Marval. Save your sanity.