A couple of years ago I told another customer I could make Altiris/EPM automatically cadence patch group targets, in the same way other patch products can – sequenced rollout being considered best practice.
Attached is a zip file containing two automation policies, some sample targets and documentation that delivers that capability. Basically, it automatically adds a defined sequence of targets to a patch policy on a cadence schedule (after a set period of time). It also has the added feature of only doing this if the installation success at the current level has exceeded a success threshold and if it hasn't will stop the process. An email is sent to the administrator either way.
As issues are generally uncommon this essentially means you can set a new monthly policy to roll the latest patches to the first level target and everything then rolls out automatically to your different patch groups on a schedule, minimising administrator work but notifying at each stage. I've also added some patch reports, with documentation, that I created that I personally find useful.
Any questions or issues do contact me