Description / background info

To create an intuitive, GUI-driven console that abstracts the complexity of Kubernetes, allowing traditional infrastructure-focused administrators to effectively manage hybrid environments built on Red Hat OpenShift (OCP) and Advanced Cluster Management (ACM). The goal is to streamline the products to have familiar views and workflows, lowering the barrier to entry for managing their hybrid environments and reduce errors.

Goals and outcomes

The outcome aims to achieve is to deliver a unified and scalable way to help VI admins and cluster administrators find the information they need without needing to become experts in both products, and be able to see consistent information they dig down into. Along with that, the admin would benefit from an enhanced RBAC, as described in VIRTSTRAT-67, but we also should consider providing a more intuitive experience to understand how roles are scoping views and navigation items for their users. 

Customer input

• "I believe that they are click ops today, but I also believe they can change if we teach them, right, they come from an environment that encourages click ops, right? Was born click ops. I'm sure there Sphere has APIs, but they were never encouraged to use them. We are going to bring a different methodology. Sometimes they will follow us, sometimes they don't, they won't. I think that we should improve our UI to facilitate click ops more and that's valid number one there." - Internal consultants for Hitachi & HCSC, internal customer snapshots

• " I like, personally I do, again, like I would prefer everything in the same console. Let's say if we have like, like from my ideal scenario would be you guys are seeing my ACM console, right? Yeah. Have everything here. Like the major parts will be here, ACS governance, like graph, like that. And then stuff I can have in here. From here I can go to, if I can go to whichever cluster I want to go to, it'll be easier for me. Like at least cluster specific console, I think at least we have to go to managed cluster because it's managed cluster, right? At least some kind of governance activities. Like here you can see everything, right? Similarly, upgrades. If I can do detailed upgrades, like those kinds of stuff, governance activity. If I can see from my ACM console, it'll be more easy. For example, upgrades, right? I can see the upgrade. Like if there is some error I can have to go to over there, right? But if I know if, if I can at least like a general view here what's going on in console itself, it'll be easy for me to go and, but I can do multiple clusters at the same time." - Computershare, cluster and virtualization administrator

• Some interactions from Summit 2025 for feedback on the idea:
  • SRC: "It will be better because fewer clicks to get there. I think it will be better one console where we can manage the stuff [resources]"
  • Paychex: "Seeing all pods across all clusters is useful"
  • OneOK: Would use most of the sections - would love to see OCP, ACM, ACS in one console “that would be really good” 

Tracking success

We will track the success of these initiatives by determining the appropriate analytics, identifying key metrics, and prioritizing continuous customer feedback through surveys and usability testing.

Definition of done - Targeted for [estimate a timeframe once known/In Progress]

• Stakeholders have approved solutions for consistent resource views 
• Stakeholders have approved solutions for role-scoped views and improvements

Design artifacts

TBD