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New Planner user role

Release notes

We’ve introduced the new Planner role to give you tailored access to Agile planning tools like epics, roadmaps, and Kanban boards without over-provisioning permissions. This change helps you collaborate more effectively while keeping your workflows secure and aligned with the principle of least privilege.

planner_role

Summary

As explained in https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/13770, we are creating a new GitLab user role called Planner which contains a hybrid of permissions between Guest and Reporter (see full permission list here). This role is being created in response to feedback from customers and internal stakeholders who have identified gaps in the current user roles. The introduction of this role is a direct result of customer interviews, user research, and competitive analysis, which highlighted the need for more specific role-based access controls.

User Value and Purpose

The primary purpose of this role is to address specific user needs that are currently unmet by existing roles within GitLab. By creating a new user role, GitLab aims to provide more granular control over permissions and access, enabling organizations to better align user capabilities with their job functions. This is particularly important for teams that require a balance between accessibility and security, ensuring that users have the appropriate level of access to perform their tasks without overstepping boundaries.

  1. Enhanced security: By limiting access to only what is necessary for a user’s role, the new role helps organizations reduce the risk of unauthorized actions, enhancing overall security.
  2. Tailored access: The new role is designed to provide users with features specifically needed for planning workflows and the Product Manager's role within the SDLC. This ensures that users have access to the tools they need without unnecessary permissions.
  3. Cost-effective: The role is offered as an add-on to the Ultimate subscription at a discounted price. This allows organizations to provide appropriate access to team members involved in planning without the need for full Ultimate licenses, potentially reducing costs.
  4. Workflow efficiency: By granting access to features crucial for planning, such as creating and managing epics, issue boards, roadmaps, and OKRs, the role enables Product Managers and similar roles to work more efficiently within GitLab.
  5. Alignment with user needs: The permissions for this role have been carefully validated through user research to ensure they meet the expectations and requirements of the target users. This includes providing create/edit access to Requirements and Test cases, which are often part of PM workflows.
  6. Collaboration: The role allows for collaboration between planning-focused team members and development teams by providing appropriate levels of access to relevant GitLab features.
  7. Flexibility for organizations: This new role gives organizations more flexibility in how they assign permissions, allowing them to better match user roles to their specific needs without over-provisioning access.
  8. Support for Agile practices: The role is specifically designed to support enterprise agile planning, helping organizations implement and maintain agile methodologies more effectively within GitLab.

Technical Requirements

⚠️ Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/14835#requirements, please validate

  • A new default role added to both CE/EE distributions.
  • The default role follows the permissions outlined here.
  • The new default role is populated in role drop-downs for invite and membership pages.
  • The new default role name is populated in pills on component views (i.e. comments)
  • The new default role is populated for LDAP dropdown.
  • The new default role is populated for SAML dropdown.
  • The new default role can only view X, Y, & Z in the navigation.
  • The new default role is documented on the permissions table.

Additional reference

Edited by Amanda Rueda