Configuring groups in Workforce Optimization for ITSM
Summarize
Summary of Configuring groups in Workforce Optimization for ITSM
Workforce Optimization for ITSM enables managers to efficiently manage and optimize their workforce from a single centralized location. The core of this capability is organizing employees into groups that reflect different teams or organizational levels, allowing managers to route work, set schedules, provide training, and analyze workforce performance effectively.
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Key Features
- Groups as Assignment Groups: Groups correspond to assignment groups in ServiceNow. Each team member can belong to multiple groups but must have one primary assignment group to access schedules and perform activities like coaching and approvals.
- Team Identification and Setup: Managers must define teams as groups in the User Groups [sysusergroup] table. Users see only their teams and related information upon login.
- Primary Assignment Group Assignment: Essential for enabling team members to view their schedules in Service Operations Workspace and access KPI metrics.
- Manager Assignments: Each group requires a primary manager who directly oversees the team, and can also include additional managers who need visibility but do not directly manage the group.
- Regional Group Configuration Example: Teams can be segmented by regions (e.g., Americas, Asia-Pacific, EMEA) with distinct assignment groups and associated managers for each.
Practical Guidance for Implementation
- Identify and configure all teams as groups before implementation.
- Ensure every team member has a primary assignment group assigned to enable schedule visibility and participation in workforce activities.
- Assign a manager to each group and add additional managers as needed for broader oversight.
- Understand that without a primary assignment group, team members cannot access schedules in Service Operations Workspace.
Additional Considerations
To tailor access rights within the Workforce Optimization for ITSM manager workspace, consider excluding or including specific groups using extension points. This allows refined control over what managers and team members can view and manage.
As a manager, you can manage and optimize your entire workforce using Workforce Optimization for ITSM from one central location. Organizing your teams, for example, different levels of employees in your organizational chart, into groups is the foundation on which Workforce Optimization for ITSM operates.
Therefore, after you set up your teams as groups in Workforce Optimization for ITSM, as a manager, you can route work, set up schedules, train your teams, and analyze all aspects of your workforce from one location.
Planning for your Workforce Optimization for ITSM implementation
- Identify your teams
Define the different teams within your organizations that you want to manage. Each of these teams will be configured as a group in the User Groups [sys_user_group] table. When a user logs into Workforce Optimization for ITSM, the workspace will only display the logged-in user's teams and information related to those teams.
- Assign a primary assignment group for each member of your team
A team member can belong to multiple groups but you must identify one group identified as the primary group for each team member and assign it to them. This determines which assignment group's team calendar that the team member can view in the Schedules module in Service Operations Workspace and also determines activities such as coaching and approvals. For more information on setting a primary assignment group, see Assign a primary assignment group for each agent.
The image below shows a representation of assigning a primary group to a team member who belongs to more than one group.
- Add a manager to each group
Each team must have a manager assigned. This manager is someone who would directly oversee the team.
- Add additional managers to each group
For each group that you create, you can also add managers who don’t directly manage the group but need visibility into those groups. These managers are known as additional managers.
If you have three teams in different regions and the first team is in Americas (AMS), the second one is in Asia-Pacific (APJ) and the third one is in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), you must create an assignment group for each one of them and also associate each team member to one of the groups as their primary assignment group. You can also associate more managers to a team although they may not directly manage that team. These managers are referred to as additional managers who have visibility into the what the team does.