Authority Manager App Gets New Look, New Features

Authority Manager, the Stanford-developed tool used to manage access to the university's many administrative systems, will get a new look and feel along with several new features starting June 21.

More efficient authority management

An updated user interface with new features and technology will make it easier to navigate and view authority and set up or adjust authority for employees moving into new roles. Robust searching and filtering capabilities will further enhance usability.

Anyone with the ability to grant authority will be able to:

• Copy privileges from one person to another
• Future-date authority requests
• Route requests to copy, edit, or revoke privileges to the appropriate grantor when they do not have the necessary grantable authority

While Authority Manager has a fresh new look and expanded functionality, those who use the tool can rest assured that the core functions of viewing, granting, and revoking authority will remain intact and feel familiar. 

Check out this video for an overview of the Authority Manager Enhancements Project.

Reasons for the enhancement

As the number of business applications in use at Stanford has increased, so has the complexity of managing access to our data and systems. Today, Authority Manager contains hundreds of unique privileges, many with their own set of limits and conditions. Campus users have communicated their desire for updated functionality to make the processes for managing authority more efficient, particularly in areas such as onboarding and offboarding staff. 

Partnership and collaboration

The Authority Manager Enhancement project represents a collaboration between University IT (UIT), Financial Management Services (FMS) and University HR (UHR).  Critical to the tool’s updates was its migration from the Java framework to the more current Oracle Application Express platform. 

“This upgrade enabled us to transform the user experience by adding many new and useful features and solutions within the tool,” said Nirmala Balasubramanian, senior director, Research Administration & Middleware Services.

The Authority Manager Enhancement Project team worked with stakeholders from across the university to identify pain points. 

“With these significant improvements, we’ve been able to address many common requests shared by campus users to improve efficiency and introduce a more intuitive user interface,” said Jamie Lutton, senior director, Financial Systems & Reporting

New features, such as being able to copy authority records from one person to another, will help managers complete authority management tasks more efficiently.

“These enhancements and new capabilities will be real timesavers, especially when employees move into new roles,” said Cindy Martin, senior director, UHR Client Services.

Learn more

• Visit What’s New in Authority Manager to get a sneak peek of the new interface
• Learn more on the Authority Manager Enhancements Project webpage 
• Register to attend a live system demo