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SAP Portfolio and Project Management vs ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP Portfolio and Project M...
Ranking in Project Portfolio Management
9th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ServiceNow Strategic Portfo...
Ranking in Project Portfolio Management
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Agile Planning Tools (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Project Portfolio Management category, the mindshare of SAP Portfolio and Project Management is 6.6%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management is 12.2%, down from 14.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Portfolio Management
 

Featured Reviews

Nalin Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
End-to-end project management capabilities and offers seamless vendor and client contract alignment
The system is old, so there are several issues that arise when we fetch data from integrated systems. Sometimes the data gets stuck, and there are instances where we need to access multiple pieces of information simultaneously. This creates problems that I have personally experienced. Therefore, these aspects need to be much more free-flowing and seamless. If something gets stuck, it takes time to resolve, and during the contract phase, we have Service Level Agreements (SLAs). If those SLAs are breached, it becomes problematic. Given that there are approximately 3000 projects running concurrently worldwide, utilizing the system with a vast database and numerous activities taking place. It could benefit from decentralization. Currently, it operates as a central system, but if it could be centralized for specific subsidiaries, it would be easier for us to manage.
Srinivasa Neelapu - PeerSpot reviewer
Strategies and goals are aligned with demands and partners, making it a strategic approach for the enterprise but the finance part needs improvement
SPM is definitely strong for project management, but its finance capabilities are not as robust. While there is a separate Financial Management product, it would be beneficial to have more out-of-the-box support for finance integrations within SPM. I’m not suggesting replacing systems like SAP for finance, but there should be better support for financial integrations. Currently, connecting to SaaS solutions is complicated, and getting into detailed financial calculations is challenging. Forecasting is manageable, but handling actual financials is not as straightforward. The finance area needs improvement, specifically making finance application integrations easier. Generic finance capabilities should be more user-friendly and integrated into SPM. Although they have started this journey, it hasn’t been fully released yet. There seems to be a roadmap, and once complete, it will be very useful. Additionally, incorporating a Q&A feature for entire strategies or project demands and enhancing text analytics within SPM would be beneficial.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The integration portion with SAP models is valuable."
"It improves productivity, cash flow management, and inventory control for clients."
"SAP is gradually introducing more flexibility and customization options to the system, allowing users to adapt it to their specific needs."
"The most valuable feature of ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management is its end-to-end processes, which enable us to manage strategies from start to finish. It covers idea management to implementation and beyond. Real-time analytics in ServiceNow SPM significantly supports our operational decision-making processes."
"The technical support is pretty good. ServiceNow has consistently provided excellent assistance."
"Information management is very beneficial for our customers."
"The most important feature of ServiceNow IT Business Management is flexibility."
"We like the status report feature. It is something really valuable."
"You don't need a lot of plugins."
"The feature I find the most valuable is the one that lets you see how much time has been used in processing a ticket. This allows us to better monitor performance."
"The PPM module is an excellent service."
 

Cons

"It would be valuable if SAP integrated seamlessly with some products like Jira and Bitbucket."
"The system is old, so there are several issues that arise when we fetch data from integrated systems. Sometimes the data gets stuck, and there are instances where we need to access multiple pieces of information simultaneously."
"The platform's support structure needs improvement."
"The main challenge we face with SPM is its flexibility, which can sometimes lead to lengthy discussions and slow down implementation. As for improvements, integrating IT finance management tools like AppTio or Nearos would be beneficial. We already have data mining capabilities, but continuous updates and enabling of new features would be great, considering the rapid pace of DevOps advancements in the market. In terms of forward-looking analytics and comparison to tools like Power BI, there are areas that could be enhanced, especially in drill-down reporting."
"The setup is a bit complex. It depends on the organizational needs, and sometimes, we make customizations based on those needs."
"It could be more user-friendly."
"Improving configuration activities and productivity would be beneficial, as fresh graduates using the system require training to adapt."
"The price keeps going up, and to remain competitive, it needs to have a competitive edge. I would like to see more of the latest innovations, in terms of AI, ML, and all of the latest cutting-edge technologies, included in the platform."
"We track salaries or paychecks of the resources. They change from time to time, such as every six months or every year. If they can come up with a default or out-of-the-box feature to manage those multiple payable costs so that we can automatically calculate the project costs rolled up. That would be the coolest feature that we can expect from ServiceNow. We would like to have an automatic feature to manage the payable costs. We should be able to manage or maintain multiple pay costs so that while calculating the project roll-up costs for individual projects, the respective pay costs in a particular period are picked up automatically from the backend. Currently, we have to customize that. It is doable. We have done it but through customization."
"The user interface could be more modern."
"The only issue for us is the pricing. It’s quite high in comparison with the competition."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product pricing varies based on whether the client is new or existing and the complexity of their business processes."
"We have a team of about 6,500 employees across the globe. So, the amount of money I'm going to save by putting the money on the table for the implementation and licenses is very high."
"The solution could improve by being less expensive and the pricing model is confusing. Many people are getting charged different amounts. There are additional fees that they are adding on."
"The licensing is based on metrics and is tailored to customer's needs."
"The solution is expensive."
"I would rate the cost as five out of ten."
"It's more suitable for larger companies as the licensing cost is relatively high. Not everyone can afford this tool."
"The tool is expensive."
"They sell some things in bundles, and it could be handier that some of those things could be sold in another way, like purity models and other packages. Another thing that I'm struggling with is the pricing of ServiceNow's FYE experience, which includes the tools that are positioned for supporting HR."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Energy/Utilities Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Retailer
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Healthcare Company
9%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for SAP Portfolio and Project Management?
We use it for end-to-end project management as per the received requirements. There is a customized module called the Project Management System (PMS) where we receive the requirements. Once a requi...
What do you like most about SAP Portfolio and Project Management?
SAP is gradually introducing more flexibility and customization options to the system, allowing users to adapt it to their specific needs.
What do you like most about ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management?
We mainly use the solution to support operations and align our ITSM operations with our business goals. This involves coordinating between our application development, support teams, and network en...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management?
If a company is prepared to get a return on the investment, the price is worth it. ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management is ready for a future organization, but if the organization isn't ready,...
What needs improvement with ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management?
The adoption of the Common Service Data Model in an organization to leverage best practices is where the challenge lies. It's not that the product lacks features, but rather organizations often ado...
 

Also Known As

Portfolio and Project Management
IT Business Management, ServiceNow IT Business Management Suite, ServiceNow ITBM Suite, ServiceNow ITBM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Joy Global Inc., Citrix, EMC Corporation, Concho Resources, Concho Resources, RZD Russian Railways, Family Dollar Stores Inc., Lenovo
Proximus, UNT SYSTEM, SAP SuccessFactors
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP Portfolio and Project Management vs. ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
848,476 professionals have used our research since 2012.