Understanding User Roles

Learn about Waymaker's 4-tier permission system and what each role can do.

Permission Hierarchy

Waymaker uses a hierarchical permission system where higher roles include all permissions of lower roles:

Account Owner > Organization Admin > Team Admin > User

Role Breakdown

🏢 Account Owner

Who: The person who created the account or was granted ownership
How many: Only one per account
Can transfer: Yes, to any Organization Admin

What they can do:

• ✅ Delete the entire account and all data
• ✅ Transfer ownership to another user
• ✅ All Organization Admin permissions (billing, users, teams)
• ✅ Access all organizations within the account
• ✅ Override any permission restrictions

When to use:

• Primary business owner or CEO
• Technical lead with full platform responsibility
• Legal entity owner for compliance

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👑 Organization Admin

Who: Trusted managers who handle day-to-day admin tasks
How many: Multiple per organization
Assigned by: Account Owner or other Organization Admins

What they can do:

• ✅ Manage billing - view invoices, update payment methods, change plans
• ✅ User management - add/remove users, assign license tiers
• ✅ Team management - create teams, assign team admins
• ✅ View all organization data and usage analytics
• ❌ Cannot delete the account or transfer ownership

When to use:

• Department heads and managers
• IT administrators
• HR personnel managing user access
• Finance team members handling billing

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👥 Team Admin

Who: Team leads who manage specific groups
How many: Multiple per team (though typically 1-2)
Assigned by: Organization Admins

What they can do:

• ✅ Manage their specific teams - add/remove members
• ✅ Assign team roles - promote members to team admin
• ✅ Access team settings and configurations
• ✅ View team usage and activity
• ❌ Cannot access billing or organization-wide settings
• ❌ Cannot manage users outside their teams

When to use:

• Project managers
• Team leads and supervisors
• Senior team members who recruit others
• Subject matter experts leading initiatives

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👤 User

Who: Regular platform users
How many: Unlimited
Default role: Yes, all new users start here

What they can do:

• ✅ Use all core Waymaker features - projects, chat, documents
• ✅ Collaborate within teams they're members of
• ✅ Manage their personal workspace and settings
• ✅ Participate in shared projects and discussions
• ❌ Cannot manage other users or access admin features
• ❌ Cannot view billing or organization settings

When to use:

• Individual contributors
• New team members
• External collaborators or contractors
• Anyone who doesn't need administrative access

Role Comparison Table

Feature	Account Owner	Org Admin	Team Admin	User
Account Management
Delete account	✅	❌	❌	❌
Transfer ownership	✅	❌	❌	❌
Billing & Licenses
View billing dashboard	✅	✅	❌	❌
Manage payment methods	✅	✅	❌	❌
Add/remove user licenses	✅	✅	❌	❌
User Management
Invite organization users	✅	✅	❌	❌
Remove organization users	✅	✅	❌	❌
Manage team members	✅	✅	✅ (own teams)	❌
Team Management
Create/delete teams	✅	✅	❌	❌
Assign team admins	✅	✅	❌	❌
Manage team settings	✅	✅	✅ (own teams)	❌
Core Platform
Use Waymaker features	✅	✅	✅	✅
Create projects	✅	✅	✅	✅
Collaborate on teams	✅	✅	✅	✅

Checking Your Role

In the Interface

1. Look at your navigation - Admin features only appear for Organization Admins
2. Check permission messages - Error screens tell you what role you need
3. View your profile - Your role is displayed in account settings

Permission Error Messages

When you try to access something you don't have permission for, you'll see:

🔒 Access Denied

You don't have permission to access billing information.

Required Role: Organization Admin
Your Role: User

Contact your organization admin if you need access to this feature.

Role Assignment Process

Becoming an Organization Admin

1. Current Organization Admin goes to Admin Dashboard
2. Finds your user in the User Licenses section
3. Upgrades your role using the role controls
4. You receive notification and gain immediate access

Becoming a Team Admin

1. Organization Admin creates a team (or uses existing)
2. Assigns you as team admin during creation or later
3. You appear in team management with admin permissions
4. Can now manage that specific team

Best Practices

✅ Good Permission Management

• Start everyone as User and promote as needed
• Use Team Admins for department/project leadership
• Limit Organization Admins to trusted business stakeholders
• Regularly audit permissions and remove unused access

❌ Common Mistakes

• Making everyone an Organization Admin "just in case"
• Forgetting to remove access when people change roles
• Not understanding the difference between Team Admin and Org Admin
• Sharing Account Owner access without planning succession

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Next Steps:

• Managing Team Members
• Creating and Managing Teams
• Permission Troubleshooting