As we reported in our previous blogs - part 1 and part 2, one of our customers held a very successful hackathon that concluded today. After the event, I spent some time with Shiva Ramachandran(SR) their IT Director and the main sponsor for the event this year to get his thoughts on the event.

NS > Shiva, congrats on pulling off a very successful hackathon. I liked the super hero theme and how it blended creativity with fun. How do you feel?

SR> Very excited to see the energy and enthusiasm of all the teams and the creativity that has been exhibited.

NS > This is the second year your company is running a hackathon on ServiceNow — what was the original inspiration for this event and what value do you see for your organization?

SR> We have folks coming up with ideas all the time. We wanted to channel that creativity and provide a conduit by allowing a few days for them to work on some of the areas that they are very passionate about. As you can see all these ideas are areas where the teams are trying to solve the problems faced on a day-to-day basis.

NS > I was really impressed by the business value of these apps - these were not just apps that were cool for its own sake, the teams could articulate the cost saving or productivity improvements in quantifiable terms. What are your plans to take the promising apps that were developed in this event and actually roll it out in your environment?

SR> Many of the ideas that were created at the hackathon last year have already been implemented and are in production. We plan to do the same this year.

NS > Any best practices that you would want to share with others in the ServiceNow community that may want to hold their own hackathon?

SR> Planning and communication are the key. You need to start with leadership to champion this and have your customers and other stakeholders participate in it. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Make the team excited so that they can work on this. Clear their plate so that they can focus on this activity. Work with ServiceNow teams to have their support so that they can provide the instances and help with folks during the hackathon. Most importantly have some fun!

NS > That is great advice. Final question, what is it with the weather - it is always this hot in Phoenix? It is supposed to be fall and it is 102 degrees.

SR> Ha ha ha….. Not always. It starts to cool down in October and becomes good weather till April.

NS > Thank you Shiva for letting us be a part of your event and even letting me wear the superhero cloak. I look forward to seeing you at Knowledge 16 and attending your next hackathon!