Application design · SOULTWARE LLC
Planning roles and permissions for a business application
Application permissions should reflect what users need to do and what information they are allowed to see. Starting with real tasks is more reliable than copying a generic list of roles from another product.
List tasks before naming roles
Write down actions such as create, view, edit, assign, approve, export, and manage access. Note which records each action applies to and under what conditions.
Group users only when their responsibilities and visibility are actually similar. A role called “manager” is not a permission rule until its actions and data scope are defined.
Test organizational boundaries
Check whether users belong to a company, team, location, or project and how those relationships affect record access. Include a test where one user tries to access another organization’s record.
Validate permissions on the server for every protected action and resource. Hiding a button in the interface does not prevent a direct request from accessing data.
Plan changes and review
Decide who can grant or remove access, what happens when a person changes role, and how emergency access is handled. Record material permission changes when the business needs an audit trail.
Review role assignments periodically and test them with representative users before launch. Permission design should be part of acceptance testing, not a final visual check.