---
title: Plan your application development
description: The planning process is the most important step in building an application. Thinking through design and configuration before building has both immediate and long-term benefits for the application.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/application-development/plan-your-app-development.html
release: australia
topic_type: concept
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Exploring professional development, Building pro-code applications, Developing your application, Building applications]
---

# Plan your application development

The planning process is the most important step in building an application. Thinking through design and configuration before building has both immediate and long-term benefits for the application.

## Fit for the ServiceNow AI Platform

Not every application idea is a good fit for the ServiceNow AI Platform. During the planning stage, consider what makes an application a good or a poor fit for the ServiceNow AI Platform. Keep the good fit characteristics in mind while planning the application.

<table id="table_xf5_nmn_swb"><thead><tr><th>

Good fit

</th><th>

Poor fit

</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>

-   Simple forms
-   Task management
-   Request management
-   Spreadsheet-driven processes
-   Repeatable processes
-   Third-party integrations
-   Orchestration of multiple systems
-   Single experience from functions in multiple systems
-   Web and mobile access to the same apps and data simultaneously

</td><td>

-   Unstructured data
-   Unrepeatable processes
-   Content that needs graphics processing
-   Streaming audio or video
-   Highly customized user interface

</td></tr></tbody>
</table>-   **[Plan before you build](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/plan-before-you-build.md)**  
Essentially, an application is a digital program that supports user tasks. Some actions you take when building an application might be irreversible. Be aware of these actions and plan for them in advance.
-   **[Manage app development](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/manage-app-development.md)**  
Govern app development on the ServiceNow AI Platform.

**Parent Topic:**[Exploring professional development](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/exploring-professional-development.md)