ServiceNow GRC/IRM Drives Operational Efficiency for Private Research University

“As a PM, I work on other projects at the University with other consultant companies and I find myself wishing that they would be more like GlideFast. From your prompt response times and clarity of communication, to the quality of your development work and the thoroughness of the documentation you provide us, I greatly appreciate the projects where I am able to work with GlideFast!"

Summary

A Private Research University partnered with GlideFast Consulting to implement ServiceNow’s Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) and Integrated Risk Management (IRM) solution, centralizing data and enhancing risk-based decision-making. GlideFast streamlined processes by replacing manual methods with a centralized platform for managing policies and risk monitoring. Despite challenges, the project was successful, with stakeholders embracing the new system and training new team members independently.

Decentralized Processes and Risk Management Gaps

Before the project began, the client faced challenges that hindered system efficiency. One major issue was their decentralized method of managing policies, standards, and internal control procedures, which made coordination difficult and cost-ineffective.

Another challenge was the manual process of monitoring risk acceptance, risk mitigation, and risk avoidance. This manual effort prevented them from leveraging data to improve risk-based decision-making, hence they sought GlideFast’s expertise.

Leveraging ServiceNow to Centralize Compliance and Risk

The GlideFast team proposed a solution that would:

Implement a best-practice policy and compliance solution and a standard risk management solution utilizing ServiceNow based on vendor and industry best practices to support the University's Risk and Compliance team.
Provide a centralized method for managing policies, standards, and internal control procedures, integrating with the ServiceNow reporting module for data-driven decision-making.
Implement continuous risk monitoring methods, such as risk acceptance, risk mitigation, and risk avoidance, feeding into ServiceNow’s reporting module for improved decision-making.

As roadblocks and bottlenecks were identified, the client and GlideFast team worked together to refine goals and delegate responsibilities. Both teams had to adapt to changes in personnel and resources while collaborating to achieve project goals.

Achieving Stakeholder Empowerment and Long-Term Success

GlideFast successfully met the client’s objectives by providing a centralized system in ServiceNow for managing policies, standards, and internal control procedures, significantly reducing manual processes and improving data-driven decision-making. Continuous risk response monitoring was also implemented, allowing the university to effectively track risk acceptance, mitigation, and avoidance, leading to better, risk-based decision-making. The stakeholders not only embraced the new platform but also took full ownership of it.