What is Process Center governance (governance process for snapshot installation) and how do I set up an approval before installation?

Question

Audit requires that nobody installs a snapshot to production without an approval. BPM 8.5+ / BAW have "governance" in Process Center. How does it work and how do I build the approval flow?

Answer 1

Process Center governance lets you attach a governance process - a BPD in a process app built from the System Governance toolkit - to the installation of snapshots on a server, or to snapshot status changes. When someone triggers the governed action, Process Center starts the governance process instead of performing the action; the action happens only when the governance process calls the toolkit's Install Snapshot service.

1. Create a process app with a dependency on the System Governance toolkit and start from one of its two templates: Installation Requested (governs installs) or Snapshot Status Change (governs status changes such as archiving).
2. Model the BPD: the start event carries the request (snapshot, target server, requester); an approval task goes to the release managers team (a coach showing the request and approve / reject); on approval the toolkit's Install Snapshot service flow installs on the requested server; on rejection the requester is notified. Add a timer for escalation.
3. Install the governance snapshot on Process Center and assign it: in Process Center's administration, choose the governance process for all installations or for specific servers (typically only production).

Governance BPD "Production deployment approval" (template: Installation Requested)
  [Start: installation requested]  ->  [Approve deployment] (team Release managers; coach shows snapshot name, server, requester, comments)
     approved  ->  [System Governance > Install Snapshot] (inputs from the request)  ->  [Notify requester: installed]
     rejected  ->  [Notify requester: rejected with reason]
  timer 2 business days on the approval task -> escalate to the team managers

Details worth knowing: the requester's install action returns immediately with a "pending governance" status; the request is an instance of the governance app (visible in Process Admin); since 8.5.0 governance also intercepts BPMInstall and the creation of offline packages with BPMCreateOfflinePackage, so the command line does not bypass it; governance process apps themselves must be exempt (or you cannot deploy the approver); and on containers / newer releases IBM marks the traditional governance service flows as deprecated - the supported alternative is an approval gate in the CI/CD pipeline that calls the Operations REST install only after approval (question on CI/CD). Both leave an audit trail; the governance process keeps it inside the platform.

References

• BAW documentation - governance processes and the System Governance toolkit
• Operations REST API - installation