Automation in ITSM in 2025: What Now?

How ITSM automation projects are built

Before automation begins delivering value, organizations must go through a structured preparation phase. Below is an overview of how ITSM teams typically approach the design and planning stage. From choosing the right platform to formalizing processes and securing stakeholder approval, these processes may help you implement a successful automation campaign in ITSM.

Stage 1: Selecting the system

The first step is choosing the platform on which automation will be built. At this stage, requirements are analyzed, solutions are compared, and the system that will serve as the backbone for future processes is selected (or nearly selected).

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Stage 2: Process design and implementation planning

Once the system is chosen, the actual process design begins — defining how service management will function inside the tool. This stage usually includes several steps:

Gathering and describing current processes

The implementation team moves to practical work: meeting with departments, identifying their tasks, and understanding existing workflows.

For example, they might visit the accounting department to learn what types of requests they receive and how they are handled today.

It’s helpful to use ITIL terminology at this point — for instance, agreeing to call certain types of requests “incidents” (instead of issues, questions, requests, or other random terms) so everyone uses a common language.

Formalizing the processes

Once all information is collected, informal descriptions are transformed into formal artifacts — flowcharts, transition diagrams or tables. This documentation establishes clear logic and prepares the foundation for system configuration.

Example of a workflow description table in Alloy’s software development process.

Stage 3: Stakeholder review and approval

The formalized process documentation is then reviewed and approved by key stakeholders. They validate the workflows, roles, and rules to ensure that implementation proceeds smoothly and without unnecessary redesign.

Stage 4: Actual implementation

Once the processes are approved, admins and implementation specialists configure them directly in the system—building workflows, automations, forms, SLAs, and integrations according to the design.

Key principles of successful automation in ITSM

Principle of simplicity. Do not create unnecessary entities or procedures. If a process or control mechanism (like an SLA) is not essential, do not implement it.

Principle of adaptability. Always expect the unexpected. Even the best-designed systems will face unforeseen cases. Build mechanisms to recover from errors or re-route misrouted tickets quickly.

Principle of least privilege. Provide access to features and high-level object operations only to those who genuinely need them. This ensures both security and process stability.

Principle of vertical implementation. Develop one service or process from start to finish before expanding to others. Validate, test, and refine it. Once it works well, scale the approach across the remaining services with confidence.