diff --git a/common/deploy-steps-tasks-step-0.j2.yaml b/common/deploy-steps-tasks-step-0.j2.yaml
index 9612045f2b..485807d4d8 100644
--- a/common/deploy-steps-tasks-step-0.j2.yaml
+++ b/common/deploy-steps-tasks-step-0.j2.yaml
@@ -7,8 +7,11 @@
 - name: Ensure /var/log/journal exists
   become: true
   file: path=/var/log/journal state=directory mode=0750 owner=root group=root setype=var_log_t
-- name: Populate service facts
-  service_facts:
+- name: Check cloud-init status
+  shell: systemctl is-active cloud-init.service || systemctl is-enabled cloud-init.service
+  failed_when: false
+  become: true
+  register: cloud_init_enabled
 - name: Wait for cloud-init to finish, if enabled
   cloud_init_data_facts:
     filter: status
@@ -18,9 +21,9 @@
     not res.cloud_init_data_facts.status.v1.stage
   retries: 50
   delay: 5
-  when: >
-    'cloud-init.service' in ansible_facts.services and
-    ansible_facts.services['cloud-init.service']['status'] == 'enabled'
+  when:
+    - cloud_init_enabled.rc is defined
+    - cloud_init_enabled.rc == 0
 - name: Create /var/lib/container-puppet
   become: true
   no_log: True
diff --git a/deployment/nova/nova-compute-container-puppet.yaml b/deployment/nova/nova-compute-container-puppet.yaml
index 5e735b872c..97ade8e583 100644
--- a/deployment/nova/nova-compute-container-puppet.yaml
+++ b/deployment/nova/nova-compute-container-puppet.yaml
@@ -1252,8 +1252,11 @@ outputs:
           - name: disable KSM on compute
             when: not compute_ksm_enabled|bool
             block:
-            - name: Populate service facts (ksm)
-              service_facts: # needed to make yaml happy
+            - name: Check for ksm
+              shell: systemctl is-active ksm.service || systemctl is-enabled ksm.service
+              become: true
+              failed_when: false
+              register: ksm_service_check
             - name: disable KSM services
               service:
                 name: "{{ item }}"
@@ -1262,7 +1265,9 @@ outputs:
               with_items:
                 - ksm.service
                 - ksmtuned.service
-              when: "'ksm.service' in ansible_facts.services"
+              when:
+                - ksm_service_check.rc is defined
+                - ksm_service_check.rc == 0
               register: ksmdisabled
             # When KSM is disabled, any memory pages that were shared prior to
             # deactivating KSM are still shared. To delete all of the PageKSM
@@ -1270,13 +1275,12 @@ outputs:
             - name: delete PageKSM after disable ksm on compute
               command: echo 2 >/sys/kernel/mm/ksm/run
               when:
-                - "'ksm.service' in ansible_facts.services"
+                - ksm_service_check.rc is defined
+                - ksm_service_check.rc == 0
                 - ksmdisabled is changed
           - name: enable KSM on compute
             when: compute_ksm_enabled|bool
             block:
-            - name: Populate service facts (ksm)
-              service_facts: # needed to make yaml happy
             # mschuppert: we can remove the CentOS/RHEL split here when CentOS8/
             # RHEL8 is available and we have the same package name providing the
             # KSM services
diff --git a/deployment/timesync/chrony-baremetal-ansible.yaml b/deployment/timesync/chrony-baremetal-ansible.yaml
index 5ef31fe5e2..0fb3653446 100644
--- a/deployment/timesync/chrony-baremetal-ansible.yaml
+++ b/deployment/timesync/chrony-baremetal-ansible.yaml
@@ -106,14 +106,19 @@ outputs:
           dport: 123
           proto: udp
       host_prep_tasks:
-        - name: Populate service facts (chrony)
-          service_facts: # needed to make yaml happy
+        - name: Check for NTP service
+          shell: systemctl is-active ntpd.service || systemctl is-enabled ntpd.service
+          failed_when: false
+          become: true
+          register: ntp_service_check
         - name: Disable NTP before configuring Chrony
           service:
               name: ntpd
               state: stopped
               enabled: no
-          when: "'ntpd.service' in ansible_facts.services"
+          when:
+            - ntp_service_check.rc is defined
+            - ntp_service_check.rc == 0
         - name: Install, Configure and Run Chrony
           include_role:
             name: chrony