Impersonation and Delegation

There are situations where administrators must walk a mile in a user’s shoes—either to test permissions, mirror a problem, or verify user-specific settings. And that’s when impersonation is needed.

On the other hand, when a person is away from the office or only available for a brief time, ServiceNow enables you to delegate roles or tasks to another user. These features are all about flexibility without sacrificing security or control.

This chapter discusses impersonation and delegation in ServiceNow, how they work, when to apply them, and how to apply them properly.

What Is Impersonation in ServiceNow?

Impersonation lets a user with the appropriate role temporarily login as another user—without needing their password. This is especially helpful for testing access, UI visibility, or workflow behavior from the perspective of that specific user.

It’s commonly used by admins or support teams to troubleshoot issues reported by end users.

The impersonated session behaves exactly like the user’s actual session:

• Menus, modules, forms, and data are filtered by their roles and permissions
• Any action taken is logged as if it were done by that user

This ability makes impersonation a powerful and sensitive function in ServiceNow.

How to Impersonate a User in ServiceNow?

To impersonate a user:

1. In the banner frame, click your profile icon or name
2. Select Impersonate User
3. Choose from recently impersonated users or search by name
4. Click Impersonate User

The header will now indicate you’re impersonating another user. To stop:

• Click your name again
• Select End Impersonation

This takes you back to your own account instantly.

Roles Required for Impersonation

To impersonate users, you need to have the impersonator role. Administrators (admin) typically have this role by default.

Without the right role, you won’t see the Impersonate User option in the UI.

For organizations with strict compliance policies, the impersonate user role can be restricted to certain users or environments, such as test and dev instances only.

How to Check Impersonation Logs in ServiceNow?

Every impersonation session is recorded in the system. This ensures full traceability and accountability.

To check impersonation logs:

1. Navigate to System Logs
2. View records showing:
   • Who performed the impersonation
   • Who they impersonated
   • Start and end timestamps
   • Session duration

This audit trail helps maintain transparency and is critical for security reviews and compliance checks.

What Is Delegation in ServiceNow?

Delegation allows users to assign their responsibilities—like approvals or task ownership—to another user for a temporary period. This is especially useful during vacations, sick leaves, or role transitions.

Delegates can:

• Approve or reject tasks
• Access records on behalf of the delegator
• Receive email notifications for delegated tasks

Delegation does not mean giving away full access—only specific functions are delegated based on defined rules.

Setting Up Delegates in ServiceNow

To set up a delegate:

1. Go to your user profile

2. Scroll to the Delegates tab

3. Click New

4. Fill out the required fields:

• Delegate – the user who will act on your behalf
• Start Date and End Date – the time window during which delegation is active
• Select what to delegate by checking the relevant boxes:
  • Approvals – forwards your approval requests to the delegate
  • Assignment – sends your assigned tasks (like incidents or requests) to the delegate
  • All Notifications – ensures the delegate receives all system-generated messages you would get
  • Meeting Invitations – forwards calendar invites to the delegate

5. Save the record

Once active, the delegate will begin receiving tasks and approval notifications.

Delegation Rules and Use Cases

ServiceNow supports different types of delegation based on what the user needs to hand off:

Delegation rules can be viewed and edited in the user record or through the Delegates module in User Administration.

You can configure fields like:

• Time-bound access
• Task types to delegate
• Optional notifications to both parties

Delegation fields are tracked for transparency and auditing.

Best Practices for Impersonation and Delegation

• Use impersonation only when necessary and always end the session promptly
• Never impersonate users in production without proper authorization
• Grant the impersonator role only to trusted admins or support staff
• Use delegation for planned absences or process continuity—not as a workaround
• Set clear time frames for delegation and regularly review active delegates
• Ensure impersonation logs are part of your audit review processes

Both features are helpful but powerful—so they should be used responsibly.

End of Module Recap

With this final chapter, you’ve completed the User and Role Distribution module. Now, you now know how to:

• Create and manage users
• Build and maintain groups
• Assign and structure roles effectively
• Use impersonation to troubleshoot
• Set up secure delegation for continuity

These foundational skills will help you manage users and permissions confidently as a ServiceNow Administrator.

Up next, you’ll move into more advanced administrative concepts—like access control, workflows, or ITSM configurations, depending on your learning path.