Software user permissions determine what each person can see and do within an application. A receptionist, manager and customer may all use the same system while needing very different access.
Planning permissions early prevents the interface from becoming the only place access rules exist. Hiding a button is not sufficient if the underlying action remains available through another route.
List actions rather than job titles alone
Start with actions such as viewing a customer, changing a booking, approving an expense and exporting records. Then decide which roles need each action.
A role called “manager” is too vague unless everyone agrees what it includes. Some managers may supervise jobs without needing payroll, payment or confidential personnel information.
Consider the records each person can access
Permissions often depend on more than a role. A supervisor might view only their team’s jobs, while a customer sees only records belonging to their organisation.
Specify those boundaries alongside action permissions. Check searches, reports, downloads and exports as well as the individual record screens so information is not exposed through a secondary feature.
Plan account changes
Decide who can invite users, assign roles and remove access. When a person changes teams, the application may need to update both their role and the records they can reach.
Include a process for staff who leave and customers whose accounts close. Shared logins make it difficult to identify who performed an action, so individual accounts are usually more useful for accountability.
Test the boundaries deliberately
Create test accounts with different roles and try actions they should not be allowed to perform. Test direct links to restricted records and attempts to modify records outside their permitted scope.
Keep a clear record of permission changes and review unusually powerful roles. Digital Solutions can help define access around your working processes so people receive the functions they need without unnecessary access to other information.