User Roles Reference
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* These roles are available with purchase of their respective features.
Click here to view a visual representation of the user roles required to complete standard tasks within Accolade.
A user role is an attribute assigned within a user account that determines what pages the user can see and what tasks the user can complete within Accolade. A user role determines:
- The default Home page displayed when first entering Accolade. The default home pages listed in the descriptions below are the Home pages that display if only that role is assigned. Administrators and Process Designers have the ability to set different home pages for different user roles using Global Links.
- The menus available in the menu bar.
- Tasks the user can complete.
Note: Role names within Accolade are configurable. The roles referred to throughout this documentation use the default role names provided in Accolade.
A user role does not determine which projects and documents users can see. That visibility depends on the user’s place in the access groups hierarchy and on the user’s security profile, if any.
Process Execution Roles
Role | Description |
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Document Reviewers review and edit deliverable documents through a structured process defined in a workflow. This role is required to assign someone as an action owner in a workflow process. This role is typically combined with other roles to allow users to review documents in addition to their other tasks. Document Reviewers can:
Access groups control a Document Reviewer's access to deliverables. The Document Reviewer role exists only if your company has purchased the Collaborative Workflow features. Default Home Page: All My Work |
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Executives monitor projects and serve as gatekeepers at gate meetings, and are typically upper-level management employees. Executives are people in the organization that make Go or No Go decisions throughout the Phase Gate process. Executives can:
Executives cannot modify data in the system unless they are assigned a role that allows them to do so. Default Home Page: Charts & Reports |
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Gate Managers oversee gate details and the creation and completion of gate documents. A user with the Gate Manager role receives the management rights over the data in a specific gate when assigned as the gate owner of that gate. Gate Managers can:
Default Home Page: Upcoming Gates |
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Idea Managers filter submitted ideas and guide idea projects through the evaluation process. Idea Managers throughout your company may have different responsibilities depending on their management rights. Idea Managers with sufficient rights can:
The Idea Manager role exists only if your company has purchased the Idea Submission or Accolade Idea Lab. Default Home Page: All My Work |
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Process Managers guide projects through the Phase Gate process from project creation to staffing to deleting the project when it is complete. Process Managers throughout your company may have different responsibilities depending on their management rights. Process Managers with sufficient management rights can:
Default Home Page: Upcoming Gates |
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Project Managers oversee the completion of one or more projects. Process Managers assign Project Managers to projects when the project is created. Users assigned the Project Manager role can be assigned as a Project Manager to a project. When assigned to a project, Project Managers can do the following within that project:
Project managers cannot:
Some members of a project team may have both the Project Team Member and Project Manager roles. However, if they are added to the project as a Project Team Member, they only have Team Member rights in that project. Default Home Page: All My Work |
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Project Team Members research and complete work on one more assigned projects. Team Members can:
Default Home Page: All My Work |
* These roles are available with purchase of their respective features.
Reduced Access Roles
Role | Description |
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Restricted Team Members work on deliverables or activities in projects. They are not able to see any project information other than the deliverables and activities they own, nor do they have permission to use reporting mechanisms. Assign this role to consultants or other outside experts (either outside the company or outside the project team) to produce a deliverable in a project without being given access to any other project information. Restricted Team Members can:
Default Home Page: All My Work |
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The Read Only role provides access for company staff who need to search for documents and information throughout the company, but do not have a need to update information. Read Only users can:
This role does not have any editing or reporting functions, and is restricted from adding or editing projects, related data and documents, creating or printing reports, or viewing dashboards. Important! If a user who was previously not set to Read Only is assigned as the owner of any deliverables or activities, removing their other assigned roles and assigning them the Read Only role does not remove their access from the project or the ability to update project information by uploading new versions of the assigned documents. To ensure a user is truly Read Only, the assigned Project Manager must remove the user as the document owner from any assigned documents in the project. Default Home Page: Search |
Administrative Roles
Role | Description |
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Administrators maintains Accolade users, access groups, templates, and configuration. Process Designers throughout your company may have different configuration rights. Administrators with sufficient rights can:
Administrators cannot access projects unless they are assigned a role that allows them to do so. In order to be assigned Admin Of an access group, you must have the Administrator role. See Granting Access Group Permissions to Users Default Home Page: User Administration |
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Process Designers manage the overall Phase Gate process of a company or division. Process Designers throughout your company may have different configuration rights. Process Designers with sufficient rights can:
Process Designers cannot access projects unless they are assigned a role that allows them to do so. See Granting Access Group Permissions to Users. Default Home Page: Models |
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Reference Table Managers update reference table values using new versions of existing reference tables that they own. This role is assigned with other user roles. Reference Table Managers can:
Only Administrators and Process Designers can create and upload new reference tables. Users assigned the Reference Table Manager user role can be assigned as the table's owner and can update new versions of the tables they own. Default Home Page: Reference Tables |
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Project Importers import data into Accolade from external files. Project Importers can import multiple projects, project links, matrices and related documents. Paired with the Process Designer role, the Project Importer can also import resource data including demands, pools, curves, and others. A user who imports projects may also need the Reference Table Manager role to edit the reference tables used in the import, and the Process Manager role, to confirm the results of the import. Default Home Page: Imports |
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The Service Account role is not intended for assignment to an actual Accolade user. Assign this role to the user account for the Accolade Autoloader Service, which uploads reference tables and related documents automatically from a designated drop box at a scheduled time. If Accolade is configured with Windows Authentication, this user account must also be a user account on the domain, although it does not have to be the account of an actual person. To ensure that reference tables assigned to a specific access group are uploaded successfully when enabled for automatic upload, assign the user with the System Service user role access to all access groups defined in the system. See Granting Access Group Permissions to Users. |
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The Data Analyst own the creation and maintenance of API keys that can access Accolade data to be used for queries and reporting. |
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The IT Manager has access to Advanced Administration. This role is generally given to IT or Administrative roles within a company. |
Planner Roles
Role | Description |
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Planners develop and maintain innovation plans in Accolade Innovation Planning. Users with the Planner role can see the Planning menu and access the Innovation Planning application. The Planner role can be assigned with the Process Manager role to allow Planners to create planning elements. In addition, a Planner can also be a Project Team Member to allow assignment to planning element teams, and the Process Manager role that grants administrative privileges based on assigned management rights. A Planner's additional rights within Innovation Planning are defined through Accolade security lists and access group rights. If your company does not run Innovation Planning, but uses Accolade's integration with Microsoft Project, assign this role to users for access to the My Project Gantt view. Default Home Page: Planning Board |
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Planning View Designers can share the planning views they create with other Planners by making the views public, and they can also update the settings in other public views to which they have access. Planning View Designers must also have the Planner role to access the Planning menu, and cannot change values within planning elements in a view unless they have the other user roles that allows them to do so. |
* These roles are available with purchase of their respective features.
Resource Planning Roles
Role | Description |
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Resource Planners maintain resource capacity levels for resources (both employee and material) throughout the company, and plan and assign the resources, personnel and material, that each project needs. They adjust resource assignments from stage to stage and balance resource requests against resource availability. Resource Planners can:
Default Home Page: Resource Planning |
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Resource Pool Administrators create and maintain resource pools. Resource pools group your resources by geographical region, job function, or any other grouping that fits into your organization. Resource Pool Administrators can:
Default Home Page: Pools |
* These roles are available with purchase of their respective features.
Time Tracking Roles
Role | Description |
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Timesheet Users can access timesheets, which is where users can track their time against various projects within Accolade. This role can be the only role available to users who are required to log their time, but do not require access to additional information within Accolade. The Time Sheet Approver role exists only if your company has purchased the Time Tracking features. Default Home Page: Timesheet Entry |
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Timesheet Approvers can access the Timesheet Approval page, where they can review timesheets for all employees who report to them. This role can be the only role assigned to users who are required to approve time worked, but do not require access to additional information within Accolade, or combined with any other role. Users with the Timesheet Approver role can be assigned as the timesheet approver for a resource pool. If combined with the Resource Pool Administrator user role, the timesheet approver can define and configure resource pools for time tracking purposes. Note: Project Managers have access to approve time for projects they manage, without having the Timesheet Approver role. Default Home Page: Timesheet Approval |
* These roles are available with purchase of their respective features.
General Roles
Role | Description |
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Template Access users can access the Template Library, which is where templates for documents created in your company are stored. This role is combined with other user roles, and the role combination determines what type of access the user has:
Default Home Page: N/A |
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Users with this role are able to delegate their assignments to another user for a specific time period; for example, while they are out of the office. Delegating assignments helps to ensure that project work, including workflows, continues while a team member is unavailable. This role does not determine who is available to delegate assignments to. Assignments can be delegated to any user with the Project Manager, Idea Manager, Project Team Member, or Document Reviewer role. Default Home Page: N/A |