Roles and Permissions

Continual uses role-based access control (RBAC) to manage what users can do within the platform. Each user is assigned a single role that determines their level of access.

Role Hierarchy

From most to least privileged:

1. Owner
2. Admin
3. Manager
4. Operator

Role Capabilities

Owner

Owners have full access to everything in the organisation:

• All admin capabilities
• Manage other owners (promote, demote, remove)
• Delete the organisation
• Transfer ownership

Admin

Admins can manage most aspects of the organisation:

• Configuration: Create, update, and delete factories, Lines, Groups, machines, and format definitions
• Operations: Create, update, and delete checks; change line formats; submit check results and line outputs; reorder checks
• Team: Invite users, manage member roles (except owners), remove members (except owners)
• Tenant: Update organisation settings

Admins cannot:

• Manage owners (promote users to owner, demote owners, or remove owners)

Manager

Managers can handle day-to-day operational tasks but cannot modify system configuration or manage team members:

Can do:

• Create, update, and delete checks
• Reorder checks on machines
• Approve or reject proposed check changes
• Change the active line format for production lines
• Edit line format change history timestamps
• Create, edit, and resolve manual actions
• Submit check results
• Submit line output data
• Complete or skip check instances
• View all data (dashboards, insights, check instances, stats, user lists)

Cannot do:

• Create, update, or delete factories, machines, Lines, Groups, or format definitions
• Invite users or manage team memberships
• Update organisation settings

Operator

Operators execute checks from the mobile app. Operator accounts cannot use the portal — signing in there redirects to a page directing them to the mobile app.

Can do:

• Complete check instances (mark as passed)
• Fail check instances (mark as failed/defective)
• Skip check instances with a reason
• Submit photo evidence for checks
• Propose changes to checks (reviewed by a Manager, Admin, or Owner)
• Change the active line format
• View operational data in the mobile app

Cannot do:

• Access the portal (mobile app only)
• Create, update, or delete any configuration (factories, Lines, Groups, machines, formats, checks)
• Approve or reject proposed check changes
• Create, edit, or resolve manual actions (Managers and above only)
• Submit line output data
• Manage team members or organisation settings

Read Access

All authenticated users, regardless of role, can read all data within their organisation:

• View dashboards and insights
• See check instances and their completion status
• View check statistics
• See the list of users and their roles
• Access historical data

There are no read restrictions — the role hierarchy only affects write operations. (Operators read this data in the mobile app; they cannot sign in to the portal.)

Kiosk-Only Users

Users created for shared kiosk devices (those without an email address) can only hold the Operator or Manager role. They cannot be promoted to Admin or Owner — those roles require an email address for portal login. See Kiosk Mode for setup.

Best Practices

Role Assignment

• Owners: Limit to 1-2 trusted organisation leaders
• Admins: System administrators and technical leads who manage infrastructure
• Managers: Production supervisors, shift leads, and team managers who oversee daily operations
• Operators: Floor workers, technicians, and line operators who execute checks

Security Considerations

• Use the principle of least privilege — assign the lowest role that allows users to do their job
• Regularly review role assignments, especially for owners and admins
• When someone's responsibilities change, update their role promptly
• Avoid creating too many owners or admins to minimize security risk

API Enforcement

All role-based permissions are enforced at the API level using JWT-based authentication. The API validates the user's role on every request and returns a 403 Forbidden error if the user lacks permission for the requested operation.

Frontend applications (web portal and mobile app) also implement role-based UI gating to hide actions that would be rejected by the API, providing a better user experience.

Permission Matrix

Action	Owner	Admin	Manager	Operator
Configuration
Manage factories, Lines, Groups, and machines	✓	✓	✗	✗
Manage format definitions	✓	✓	✗	✗
Operations
Create/edit/delete checks	✓	✓	✓	✗
Reorder checks	✓	✓	✓	✗
Propose check changes	✓	✓	✓	✓
Approve/reject proposed changes	✓	✓	✓	✗
Change the active line format	✓	✓	✓	✓
Edit format history	✓	✓	✓	✗
Submit line outputs	✓	✓	✓	✗
Complete/skip check instances (submit results)	✓	✓	✓	✓
Create/edit/resolve manual actions	✓	✓	✓	✗
Team Management
Invite users	✓	✓	✗	✗
Manage member roles	✓	✓*	✗	✗
Remove members	✓	✓*	✗	✗
Manage owners	✓	✗	✗	✗
Organization
Update tenant settings	✓	✓	✗	✗
Delete organisation	✓	✗	✗	✗
Data Access
View all data	✓	✓	✓	✓

* Admins cannot manage owners