watcher vs requested participant vs additional viewers

[Ifat Keren]

Can u please drop some different use cases to each kind of option for adding people to an issue?

1. A watcher

2. Request participant

3. Additional Viewers

Thanks ahead

[Mikael Sandberg · Accepted solution]

A watcher is a user that have access to the JSM project from the backend and will be notified based on the notification scheme the project is using. This can be either a JSM agent or a Jira user that have access to the project.

Request participants are other customers that will see the same thing as the requester, and can only access the request from the portal.

Additional viewers is not a default feature in Jira/JSM, so that sounds like a custom field that your company is using.

[Ifat Keren]

@Mikael Sandberg thanks!
So in general, we can say that Watchers is for internal users and Request participant is for external/customers. right?

[Brant Schroeder · Accepted solution]

@Ifat Keren Just to expound on what @Joseph Chung Yin shared.

Watchers - Watchers would be used by the internal Service Management team (Licensed Users: Agent or Service Desk Team) to add other internal team members.  Example: Sally needs Samantha's help on an issue so she adds her as a watcher and begins communicating through internal comments with Samantha.  This way if the customer responds or other changes on this request Samantha will also be notified.

Request Participant - Customers have the ability to share their service requests with other individuals.  They can use a request participant to do so.  Agents (Service Management team members) have the ability to also share issues with customers by adding them as request participants.  Example: Nate is in HR and is having an issue with the HR application.  He is talking to Bob who is also having the same issue he can add Bob to the request so Bob can see the outcome or provide additional information.  Nate can also add Sarah his manager to the issue so she knows why he has not completed a specific task.  Example Two: Robert, an agent, is working on a request and is asked by his supervisor to confirm a change with the reporter's supervisor.  He can add the supervisor to the issue as a request participant and confirm with them on the request that they are OK with the change.

[Ifat Keren]

@Brant Schroeder thanks for this detailed answer!

[Joseph Chung Yin · Accepted solution]

@Ifat Keren 

In addition to what @Mikael Sandberg stated (I agreed), it is also my understanding that in JSM, one should use "Requested participants" instead of "Watcher" when sharing the issues. 

Hope this also helps.

Best, Joseph Chung Yin

Jira/JSM Functional Lead, Global Infrastructure Applications Team

Viasat Inc.

[Ifat Keren]

@Joseph Chung Yin you mean that I can also use the "Requested participant" field to notify an internal user?

[Joseph Chung Yin]

@Ifat Keren -

Yes, you can. Using this field, the users can be notified. 

Best, Joseph