This documentation supports the 21.05 version of BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management. To view an earlier version, select the version from the product version menu.

Change management permissions

While implementing the Change Management application, it is important to identify the people in your organization who will need access to the Change Management application. Within the BMC Helix ITSM or the BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT application, there are the following types of roles:

Related topic

Entering data in the people.xslx spreadsheet


Important

  • To edit a change request, you must have a write license for the Action Request System.
  • To view existing change requests or to submit a new change request, you must have a read license for the Action Request System.
  • You do not need any specific permission to add new work info or edit a work info that is not locked. However, you must belong to one of the change permission groups.
  • Except for the Infrastructure Change Config user, all other users can access the Product Catalog console from the Applications menu on the IT Home page of BMC Helix ITSM.
  • A user with Infrastructure Change User permission and the Change Approver's functional role can modify a change request without being a member of the assigned group.

Permission roles

Service Management applications use the concept of permissions groups to control access to the various BMC Helix ITSM or Smart IT applications such as forms, views, consoles, and functions. Permission groups are defined within the applications with a prescribed hierarchy. For example, the Master permission supersedes the User permission, which in turn supersedes the Submitter permission, which finally supersedes the Viewer permission. So, if you want to give access to a user to change requests, give access to one of these four permission group types depending on the requirements.

In addition to the above permission group types, you can use the Config permission group type for application administrative purposes in conjunction with any one of the above permission group types.

Infrastructure Change Master

The following sections describe the specific permissions and the level of access related to the Change Management application.

Infrastructure Change Master is an administrator for Change Management. This level of permission is the highest access level for creating and updating change requests.

Important

Grant the Master permissions groups only to key personnel who own a process or who have full control over schedules.

Users with the Infrastructure Change Master permission can perform the following functions. For these functions, on the System Settings form, make sure that the value of Application permission model is set to Support group and company.

Functions

  • Create change requests.
  • Modify all change requests and tasks independently of any functional roles or support group affiliations. Only the user with Infrastructure Change Master permissions can modify the change request after the change request is closed. 
  • Create and modify approval mappings.
  • Create and modify change templates.
  • Edit tasks within the change request.
  • Execute the change request to completion.
  • Edit the change request after it is closed. The Infrastructure Change Master user cannot add new tasks or ad hoc approvers and also cannot change the class, status, and dates.

Additionally, users with Infrastructure Change Master permission can perform the following administrative functions (the same as the Change Config User):

  • Create and modify approval mappings.
  • Create and modify change templates.

However, if the Application permission model is set to Support group, any user with this permission can perform the same functions as that of a Change Manager or a Change Coordinator that belong to the assigned support groups.

Best practice

Limit the use of these permissions to users performing a Change Manager role or a Change process owner who require full access to all the change requests.

Application user license type?

Fixed and floating

Important: We recommend that you provide AR System Fixed and Change User Fixed licenses, because the Infrastructure Change Master is always monitoring and fixing change requests.

Infrastructure Change User

The Infrastructure Change Users perform the role of a Change Manager or Change Coordinator within the Change Management process. You should grant these permissions to users who perform the role of a support group lead within the Incident Management process or a problem coordinator role within the Problem Management process, or both, and who might need to modify changes that result from Incidents, Problems, or Known Errors. Additionally, these permissions should be granted to users who perform the role of a Continuity Manager. 

An Infrastructure Change User who does not have the functional role of a Change Coordinator or a Change Manager for the assigned support group can modify the change request only until the change request is in the Planning In Progress stage (excluding changing the status). To execute the change request (changing the status), the user must have a functional role of a Change Coordinator or a Change Manager for the support group to which the change request is assigned.

For example, Allen has the functional role of a Change Coordinator for the BackOffice support group.

  • When a change request is assigned to the BackOffice support group for the Change Coordinator Role, Allen can modify the change request and execute it to completion even if he is not directly assigned as the Change Coordinator for that change request. 

  • When a change request is assigned to the FrontOffice support group, Allen can modify the change request only until the change request reaches the Planning In Progress status. 

    Editing a change request implies that the change user can edit all the change attributes including the following: 

    • Relationships
    • Impacted Areas
    • Requested For User (Customer Company)
    • Change Location
    • Task
    • Operational/Product Categorization
    • Financials
    • Add Ad-hoc Approvers
    • Business Time Segment 
      The Infrastructure Change User can edit all the change attributes, if business rules allow them. For example, you cannot change the scheduled dates when the change request has reached the Scheduled status.  
    The Infrastructure Change User can edit tasks if this user belongs to the assigned support group for that task, even if the user does not belong to the assigned support group for that change. For example, if Allen does not belong to assigned support groups for a change request, but he belongs to a support group to which the task is assigned, he can edit that specific task (for example, he can add a CI to that task). A task can be edited by any change user if that user is a part of the assigned task group, irrespective of the status of the change request.

The following table lists the actions that the Infrastructure Change User can perform based on the permissions given to the user.

Permissions

Actions

The user belongs to the Change Manager, Change Coordinator, or the Change Requester's support group to which the change is assigned

The user has the functional role of a Change Manager or Change Coordinator for the assigned support groups

The user belongs to the Task Assignee support groups

The user can edit the change request till the Planning In Progress stage (before the Planning is completed)

The user can execute the change till the Completion stage (change status of the change request)

The user can edit tasks beyond the Planning In Progress stage

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

NA

No

No

No

No

No

No


Important

Users with the Infrastructure Change User permission and Support Group Admin functional role can create or modify support group change templates.

Users with the Infrastructure Change User permission can perform the following functions:

Functions

  • Create change request
  • Modify change requests and tasks (with restrictions) based on the following functional roles and support group affiliations:
    • A user with this permission and no Change Management functional role can only modify changes where the user is the Requestor or belongs to the Change Implementer Group.
    • A user with this permission and the Change Coordinator Functional role can only modify changes where the user is the Requestor or belongs to the Change Implementer or Change Coordinator Group, or both.
    • A user with this permission and the Change Manager functional role can only modify changes where the user is the Requestor or belongs to the Change Implementer or Change Manager Group, or both.

Best practice

Grant this permission to users performing the role of a Change Manager or Change Coordinator within the Change Management process.

Also, grant this permission to users who play the role of a Group Coordinator within the Incident Management or Problem Management processes, or both, because they might need to create and modify changes that result from incidents, problems, or known errors.

Application user license type?

Fixed and floating

Infrastructure Change Submitter

Users with Infrastructure Change Submitter permission can perform the following functions:

Functions

  • Create and query all change requests.
  • Add a new work info to the existing change request. 

Important:

  • Users with these permissions cannot modify change requests.
  • Unlike the Infrastructure Change User, a user with Infrastructure Change Submitter permissions does not need a license to submit the change request.

Best practice

Grant this permission to users who must submit and view change requests. Typically, these permissions are given to problem coordinators and IT specialists, who often create change requests.

Application user license type?

Read

Infrastructure Change Viewer

Users with the Infrastructure Change Viewer permission can perform the following functions:

Functions

  • Query all change requests.
  • View change requests.
  • Add a new work info to the existing change request.

Important: Users with these permissions cannot submit or modify change requests.

Best practice

Grant this permission to users who need read-only access to view change requests. Typically, this permission should be given to most BMC Helix ITSM applications users (that is, users who do not already have the Master, User, or Submitter permissions), so that they will be able to access information about changes being made to their infrastructure. This permission is also required to perform quick searches on existing changes.

Application user license type?

None

Infrastructure Change Config

Users with the Infrastructure Change Config permission can perform all change administration functions that include the following four components: 

Important

The application user license type for Infrastructure Change Config is fixed and floating.


Component

Functions

Change Management Configuration

  • Configure the Mid Tier Change calendar
  • Configure the change prioritization values
  • Configure the process flow next stage status transitions
  • Configure the change rules (general field enforcement and notification rules)
  • Configure the change risk factors
  • Configure the change templates

Foundation

  • Configure the approval process
  • Register applications that will use Command Automation Interface, or CAI (advanced feature)
  • Define commands, command parameters, and command parameter mappings for the CAI (advanced feature)
  • KPI—configure the Mid Tier Flashboards parameters
  • KPI—configure and register the KPI titles (advanced option)

Requestor Console

  • Create and update the summary definitions

Task Management System

  • Configure the task assignment mappings
  • Configure the task group templates
  • Configure the task templates
  • Configure the variable templates

Best practice
Grant the Infrastructure Change Config permission to users requiring access to configure the component functions described in the preceding lists. Typically, you grant these permissions to a user performing the role of an Application Administrator.

Change Management Dashboard User

Users with Change Management Dashboard User permission can view the Change Management Dashboard form.

Best practice
Grant these permissions to users performing the role of a Change Manager or Change process owner.

 

Tip: For faster searching, add an asterisk to the end of your partial query. Example: cert*