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Catalog Item Design Standards

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • Why items need a standard
  • SNWR’s rules for names and questions
  • What a variable set is
  • How to build SNWR Requested for

🔁 Quick look back: Last time: Catalog Taxonomy for SNWR. You learned how to build the SNWR IT catalog with four simple categories.

1 “Every item looks different”

Three people built the first catalog items.

  • One asks “Requested for”, another asks “User”, another asks nothing.
  • One form has 18 questions.
  • Names mix “Req.”, “Order” and “Get”.

🎯 The problem: Items without a standard confuse employees and are hard to report on.

👉 The fix: agree one standard, and reuse the same questions through a variable set.

2 SNWR’s item standard

Part SNWR rule
Name Starts with SNWR, then a plain verb: “SNWR Request a monitor”
Short description One sentence: what you get and how long it takes
Questions Ask only what the fulfiller needs. Aim for 6 or fewer
Requested for Every item uses the SNWR Requested for variable set
Picture A simple icon, not a product photo

Key term: Variable

One question on a catalog form, like Monitor size.

Key term: Variable set

A group of questions you build once and reuse on many items.

3 The shared variable set

The SNWR Requested for variable set. Variables: Requested for, a reference to the user, set to the person ordering by default. Location, filled in from the Requested for user. Business phone, optional. Notes: 1 Built once, added to every SNWR item. 2 Change it once, and every item updates. 3 Reports can use the same field on every item.
Figure 1. Build it once. Use it on every item.

💡 Good to know: Need a refresher? See Fundamentals › Service Catalog › Variables & Variable Sets.

4 Let’s try it: build the variable set

  1. Open Service Catalog › Catalog Variables › Variable Sets. Create a single-row set named SNWR Requested for.
  2. Add a Reference variable Requested for to the User table, with the default value set to the current user.
  3. Add a Location variable that fills from the user (use a catalog client script or the auto-populate option on your release).
  4. Add the set to SNWR Request a monitor. Remove any old “User” question.
  5. Order the monitor for Sam, and check Requested for shows on the RITM.

5 Quick recap

  • A standard makes every item look and work the same
  • Names start with SNWR and a plain verb
  • Ask 6 or fewer questions
  • A variable set is built once and reused
  • Every SNWR item uses SNWR Requested for

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 What is a variable set? Show answer

A group of questions built once and reused on many items.

2 How many questions should an SNWR item aim for? Show answer

6 or fewer.

3 You add a Business phone question to the set. What happens? Show answer

It shows on every item that uses the set.

4 Which name follows SNWR’s standard: “Req. Monitor” or “SNWR Request a monitor”? Show answer

SNWR Request a monitor.

Nice work! SNWR’s items now follow one standard. 🎉
Next up: Catalog Item or Record Producer?

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