Johnny Beverton
In this episode, Paul McNamara, Certified Master Architect (CMA), three-time ServiceNow Community MVP and ServiceNow Platform Owner at Ateko, joins Empiric Director Andrew Manion to discuss the realities of ServiceNow delivery and what it really takes to be ready for AI.
Paul brings more than two decades in IT and over 15 years inside the ServiceNow ecosystem, including founding PAMT Consulting before its acquisition by Ateko in August 2025.
Watch the full interview and read the full recap below.
TLDR: Key Takeaways from the Conversation
- Many organisations are paying for ServiceNow licences they are not actively using - finding and deploying that shelfware before renewal is one of the most overlooked value opportunities available.
- Technical ability is a baseline in ServiceNow consulting, not a differentiator - teams that genuinely understand client business objectives and build toward those outcomes are the ones that drive lasting value.
- Most organisations are not ready for AI despite C-suite enthusiasm - without clean underlying data and a properly matured ServiceNow estate, AI capabilities will not deliver contextually accurate or meaningful results.
- The CMA process reinforced that governance and organisational change management matter as much as technical architecture - and as AI Control Tower moves toward production relevance, articulating that value to the C-suite becomes critical.
- Certifications signal study discipline, not implementation experience - hiring should go deeper, prioritising candidates who have done real delivery, can navigate client pushback and know how to protect themselves when their recommendations are overruled.
Why Do Organisations Fail to Unlock Full ServiceNow Value?
Paul highlights businesses frequently paying for ServiceNow licenses that sit idle, "A lot of the time what happens is organisations will go and need ITSM or CSM or a specific SKU and bundled into that package or that deal will be more capabilities... What tends to happen if organisations don't have a plan to deploy that capability is it sits on the shelf.”
That moment of realisation often comes later. “Three years, five years in renewal, time comes up, someone with a C in their title says, ‘Hey, we’ve been paying for SecOps, or we’ve been paying for hardware asset management, but we’re not using it.’”
For Paul, finding and deploying that shelfware is a major opportunity many organisations miss.
Why Outcome-Based Consulting Matters in ServiceNow Delivery
Turning around difficult projects requires a team that prioritises customer outcomes over basic technical delivery. Paul views technical ability as a baseline - the real difference comes from a genuine interest in client success.
"Consulting is all about the people and finding and building a team of people who actually genuinely care about the outcomes that clients have is key to success... by truly getting in and understanding the business objectives of the organisation the people involved, what they care about, what their pain points are, we're able to drive value by delivering solutions tailored to the outcomes that they're looking for and to the people that are involved."
Are Organisations Ready for AI in ServiceNow?
At executive level, enthusiasm for AI is growing quickly, but Paul sees a disconnect between ambition and readiness.
"There seems to be a belief in the C-suite across the world that they're going to flip a switch, turn on AI, and all their problems will be solved... that would be like putting a roof on to a house with no foundation."
Without that foundation, expectations around AI quickly break down.
Why Data Quality Is Critical for ServiceNow AI
AI success hinges on data quality and Paul is candid about where most organisations stand today.
“Every organisation is trying multiple tools… they all know that they have to invest in AI or they’re going to be left behind.” The challenge, he explains, is structural. “What I’ve found with ServiceNow specifically is the maturity of the organisation is the quality of the underlying data… all of the things that are required for AI to truly deliver contextually accurate, valuable responses… that just doesn’t exist at large scale.”
For many teams, particularly smaller ServiceNow functions, that gap is difficult to close without first focusing on the fundamentals.
What Does the ServiceNow Certified Master Architect (CMA) Process Teach?
Achieving Certified Master Architect status tested more than Paul’s technical expertise. The board review forced him to reflect on how he communicates value at senior levels and he’s candid about the difficulty of the process, noting that he failed his first attempt.
“The biggest things that I took away from the CMA program is learning how to better articulate the value of governance.” As AI capabilities move closer to production, that governance becomes increasingly important. “AI Control Tower for governing your AI bots is going to be huge…”
But he's clear that governance alone is not enough. “…beyond that, you’ve got the importance of organisational change management and how you need to invest in bringing your team up to speed.” Those elements, he says, are what enable leaders to speak credibly to the C-suite about ServiceNow’s value beyond technical delivery.
Should Organisations Hire ServiceNow Experience Over Certifications?
“We have interviewed a significant number of people who have their certified technical architect… but they haven’t actually done any implementations.”
Certifications have value, Paul says, but they do not replace experience. “They’re good at studying and writing tests. Dig deeper. You want to find people that have done the work.”
To surface that experience, Paul often relies on situational questions rather than technical recall. He describes asking candidates how they would handle a client who is convinced of an approach that they know will introduce technical debt or unnecessary complexity. “How do you approach that customer? How do you get them to your side?” And if alignment cannot be reached, he looks for people who understand accountability as well as delivery. “What do you do to ensure that you’re not at risk… so that six months, twelve months later, when they come back and say, ‘you said this’, you can validate that you gave the right recommendation.”
Where experience is still developing, mindset matters most. “If they don’t have the real world experience, but they have those soft skills, you can teach the technology. The soft skills are harder.”
How Organisations Can Build Strong ServiceNow Teams
Looking ahead, Paul believes the strength of the ServiceNow ecosystem lies in its people and its community. He closes out nicely with his views on this collective knowledge sharing as the primary advantage of ServiceNow.
"I believe in the ServiceNow community. I think it's the biggest differentiator between IT and any of the other technologies out there... between the developer meetups, the SNUGs... it's a great place to be."
Our dedicated ServiceNow recruitment team connects organisations with leading professionals with proven track records who can drive your strategy forward. If you are looking to build out your team, hire ServiceNow leaders, or are a technology professional seeking your next role, get in touch with our team today – we'd be happy to assist.
Be sure to connect with Andrew Manion and Paul McNamara on LinkedIn to continue the conversation and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and sign up to our newsletter to stay in the loop on what’s next.
