--- sourceDocument: Australia IT Service Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-service-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia IT Service Management ft:clusterId : - itsm bundleId : - itsm workflow : - Technology --- # Configuring groups # Configuring groups in Workforce Optimization for ITSM {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated May 11, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Configuring groups in Workforce Optimization for ITSM Workforce Optimization for ITSM enables managers to oversee and optimize their entire IT workforce from a centralized location by organizing employees into groups. These groups represent teams or different organizational levels and form the foundation for managing schedules, work routing, training, and workforce analysis within the platform. Show full answer Show less **Important Note:** Starting with the Brazil release, Workforce Optimization for ITSM is being prepared for future deprecation. It will no longer be installed on new instances but will continue to be supported on existing ones. ## Key Configuration Steps * **Identify Teams:** Define your organizational teams and configure each as a group in the User Groups \[sysusergroup\] table. Users will only see information related to their assigned teams upon login. * **Assign Primary Assignment Group:** Each team member can belong to multiple groups but must have one primary assignment group assigned. This primary group determines the team calendar visible in the Service Operations Workspace Schedules module and controls activities like coaching and approvals. * **Add Managers to Groups:** Assign a direct manager to each group who oversees the team. * **Add Additional Managers:** You can assign additional managers who do not directly manage the group but require visibility into the team's activities, useful for regional or cross-team oversight. ## Practical Considerations * Ensure every agent has a primary assignment group to enable visibility into KPI metrics for their groups. * Groups in Workforce Optimization for ITSM are synonymous with assignment groups as used elsewhere in ServiceNow. * Without a primary assignment group, team members cannot view their schedules in Service Operations Workspace. ## Next Steps After configuring groups and assigning primary groups and managers, you can leverage Workforce Optimization for ITSM to route work effectively, create schedules, facilitate coaching, and analyze workforce performance all from a single workspace. For advanced control, consider using extension points to manage access for specific groups within the Workforce Optimization manager workspace. 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. Important: Starting with the Brazil release, Workforce Optimization for ITSM is being prepared for future deprecation. It will be hidden and no longer installed on new instances but will continue to be supported. For details, see the [Deprecation Process \[KB0867184\]](https://support.servicenow.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0867184) article in the Now Support Knowledge Base. 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 {#configuring-groups-wfo-itsm__section_rry_mrb_qwb} Before you start implementing Workforce Optimization for ITSM, make sure you do the following: Important: Groups are synonymous with assignment groups. A team member can belong to multiple groups but must have one group identified as their primary assignment group. If not, that team member cannot view their schedules in Service Operations Workspace. For more information on Schedules in Service Operations Workspace, see [Service Operations Workspace - Scheduling](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~Ykt1slQnzIiwlCtJBwWqw "Use Service Operations Workspace to manage your schedule."). 1. 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. 2. 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](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~Ykt1slQnzIiwlCtJBwWqw "Use Service Operations Workspace to manage your schedule.") 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](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/dZLAzZuLLHOXWoujNuoe~g "Associate each agent in your team to a primary assignment group to enable them to see the KPI metrics for the groups to which they belong."). The following image shows a representation of assigning a primary group to a team member who belongs to more than one group. 3. Add a manager to each group Each team must have a manager assigned. This manager is someone who would directly oversee the team. 4. 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. {#configuring-groups-wfo-itsm__ol_xlf_fsb_qwb} 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. * **[Assign a primary assignment group for each agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/dZLAzZuLLHOXWoujNuoe~g)** Associate each agent in your team to a primary assignment group to enable them to see the KPI metrics for the groups to which they belong. **Related tasks** * [Exclude access for specific groups in Workforce Optimization for ITSM manager workspace](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/sNOGvp~BX1UnuXujjWwfaw "You can remove access to assignment group data and display only the assignment groups that are relevant for the logged-in user in the Workforce Optimization for ITSM manager workspace.") **Related reference** * [Using extension points to include access for specific groups in Workforce Optimization for ITSM manager workspace](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~mFGVgvirPlu_v9ZPPcwCw "Use scripted extension points to add access for managers to view assignment groups data other than the default groups that they manage in Workforce Optimization for ITSM manager workspace.")