Roles let you classify people the way that fits your organization, such as by function, seniority, or skill set. Set up a role directory in Settings, then assign one role to each person so your resourcing and reporting reflect how your team is organized.
Role vs Permission Set vs Job Title
A role is separate from job title, which reflects a person's formal position, and from permission set, which controls what a person can access in Productive.
| Role | Permission Set | Job Title |
What it describes | What a person does functionally | What a person can access and do in Productive | A person's formal position |
Examples | Senior Designer, PM, Consultant | Admin, Manager, Contractor, Staff | Head of Design, Account Executive |
Where it's set | Settings > Roles, then assigned on the profile | Info tab > Permission Set | Info tab > Job Title |
Used for | Resourcing and reporting by function | Controlling access and permissions | Reference on the profile |
Creating a Role
Go to Settings > Roles
Click Add Role
Enter a role name
Click Save
The role appears in the list as Active and is now available to assign to people.
📌 Role names must be unique. You can't save a role with a name that's already in use.
Assigning a Role to a Person
You can assign a role to people in two ways, but keep in mind that each person can have only one role. Assigning a new role replaces the previous one.
From Settings
Go to Settings > Roles.
Click the three-dot menu next to the role.
Select Assign to Person.
Select the people you want to assign the role to.
This is quickest when you're assigning a role to several people at once from the Roles list.
From the Person's Profile
This works well if you'd rather start from your full employee list and assign roles one at a time.
Go to Resourcing > Employees.
Open a person's profile.
Go to the Info tab, under Employee Details.
Select a role from the Role dropdown.
The role now appears on the person's profile.
👉 Learn more in Viewing User and Contact Details.
Archiving and Restoring a Role
Archive a role when it's no longer in use, without losing historical data.
Go to Settings > Roles.
Click the three-dot menu next to the role.
Select Archive.
Archived roles:
Are no longer available to select on a person's profile
Stay visible on people who were already assigned that role
To bring a role back, select Show archived, find the role, and select Restore.
Where You Can Use Roles
Role appears on a person's profile and in the Resourcing > Employees list, so you can see it at a glance for each person.
You can also filter or group by Role in the Resource Planner.
For reporting, Role is available in the People Report, where you can group, add it as a column, or sort by it.
Permissions
Two permissions control access to roles:
Manage roles (Administration): create, edit, and archive roles in Settings.
Add and manage employees and contractors (Employees & Contractors): assign or change the Role field on a person's profile.
👉 See Permission Groups and Permissions for the full list of permission groups.