Roles in Service Operations Workspace for ITSM

reference brazil Updated Sep 21, 2026 3 min read roles-in-sow.md
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You can configure the user access for Service Operations Workspace (SOW) pages using various roles.

Important: Install and activate the ITSM Roles plugin (com.snc.itsm.roles) before assigning the SOW user roles. Without this plugin, role inheritance chains such as (sn_incident_read inheriting sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_list) may not function correctly and users may not be able to access the SOW workspace even with the expected roles assigned.

The following table lists the roles available in Service Operations Workspace for ITSM. Rows with a shaded sub-heading indicate role categories.

Role

Description

Inherited roles

itil

Provides access to all SOW pages.

sn_sow.sow_user

sn_sow.sow_user

Provides access to SOW. By default, the itil role contains the sn_sow.sow_user. In case a user has roles other than itil, ensure that sn_sow.sow_user role is assigned to the user to access SOW.

None

sn_sow.sow_home

Provides access to SOW home (landing) page.

sn_sow.sow_user

sn_sow.sow_list

Provides access to SOW list pages.

sn_sow.sow_user

SOW Admin Center

admin

Provides access to all the pages in SOW including SOW Admin Center.A user with this role can perform configurations for all modules in SOW Admin Center.

None

sn_sow_itsm_admin.sow_admin_user

Provides access to SOW Admin Center pages for SOW configuration. A user with this role can perform configurations related to Incident Management only.

None

sn_sow_admin.sow_admin_center_user

Enables change managers to access the SOW Admin Center page. Change managers can use configurations for change features like modern change adoption, change models, DevOps change automation, and so on.

sn_ace.ace_user

awa_agent

Provides access to inbox in SOW.

None

sn_sow.it_agent_dashboard_user

Provides access to IT Agent Dashboard.

None

Service desk agent[sn_service_desk_agent]

Enables gathering, and verifying information, as well as delivering quick resolutions for tier 1 service desk agents. This user role is available when the ITSM Roles plugin (com.snc.itsm.roles) is installed.

  • sn_incident_write
  • sn_problem_write
  • sn_change_write
  • sn_request_write
  • tracked_file_reader

With the installation of the ITSM Gen AI (com.sn.itsm.gen.ai) plugin, the following roles are also assigned:

  • knowledge_user
  • now_assist_panel_user

Incident Management

sn_incident_read

Provides the read access to incident record pages.

sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_listSo, users with the sn_incident_read role can access the SOW home (landing) and list pages.

sn_incident_write

Provides the write access to incident record pages.

sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_listSo, users with the sn_incident_write role can access the SOW home (landing) and list pages.

Problem Management

problem_task_analyst

Works on a problem task and manages it through its life cycle.

None

problem_coordinator

Works on a problem or problem task and manages it through its life cycle.

itil and problem_task_analyst

problem_manager

Responsible for the overall Problem Management process and can configure Problem Management settings, as well as act as a problem coordinator.

problem_coordinator

problem_admin

A problem manager who can also delete problems and problem tasks.

problem_manager

sn_problem_read

Provides the read access to problem record pages.

sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_list allow users with the sn_problem_read role to access the SOW home (landing) and list pages.

sn_problem_write

Provides the write access to problem record pages.

sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_list enable users with the sn_problem_write role to access the SOW home (landing) and list pages.

Change Management

sn_change_read

Provides the read access to change record pages.

sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_listSo, users with the sn_change_read role can access the SOW home (landing) and list pages.

sn_change_write

Provides the write access to change record pages.

sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_listSo, users with the sn_change_write role can access the SOW home (landing) and list pages.

change_manager

Provides access to configurations related to Change Management in SOW Admin Center.

  • sn_sttrm_attribute_read
  • sn_sttrm_condition_read
  • sn_chg_soc.change_soc_admin
  • personalize_decision_table_input
  • sn_sow_admin.sow_admin_center_user
  • itil

sn_devops.viewer

Provides access to view or add DevOps data to a change request.

None

Request Management

sn_request_read

Provides the read access to request record pages.

sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_listSo, users with the sn_request_read role can access the SOW home (landing) and list pages.

sn_request_write

Provides the write access to request record pages.

sn_sow.sow_home and sn_sow.sow_listSo, users with the sn_request_read role can access the SOW home (landing) and list pages.

On-call Scheduling

oc_read

Provides the read access to Schedules page.

Users with the oc_read role can access the On-call Schedules, Experts On-call, Escalation Tracking, and other On-call features in Service Operations Workspace.

rota_admin

Provides full access to manage on-call shifts, rosters, and schedules. Controls access to the on-call onboarding wizard.

  • sn_sow.sow_home
  • sn_sow.sow_list
  • sn_sd.success_dashboard_details_read
**Tip:** If the user has a role that inherits SOW access \(such as `sn_incident_read`\) but cannot access the workspace, verify that:
  • id="ul_access_troubleshoot"
  • The ITSM Role plugin com.snc.itsm.roles is installed and active.
  • The user was assigned the role directly or via group membership.
  • No custom ACL is overriding the default role-based access for SOW pages.
  • For ACL-level issues, contact ServiceNow Support.
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