Permission sets in Productive have grown beyond the default (system) permission sets. This allows you to customize permission sets by selecting specific permissions based on the scope of work and expected information access within Productive.
You can then assign these custom sets to individual users, ensuring that their access is consistent with their responsibilities.
Initially, only Admins can create new permission sets, but you can later delegate this to other users; through custom permissions ✅
Custom permission sets are available on the Ultimate subscription plan.
Permission Sets Overview
In the main Permission sets window located in Settings > Permission sets, you will see:
The names of all your permission sets, system and custom
The billing type for the permission sets (client permissions are free, while others are paid)
The permission set type (system or custom permission set)
The number of active individual permissions included in each set
The number of active users assigned to a permission set
The overview offers you information on how many users use which permission sets, how many permissions there are per set, allowing you to make informed decisions about which permissions to include or exclude based on access needs.
Note that before you start building your fine-tuned custom permission sets, you'll only see the system permission sets there.
These system sets cannot be edited directly, but you have the option to duplicate them. Duplicating a system set allows you to create a new permission set based on it, which you can then customize to suit your specific needs.
Tip: To sort your permission sets, simply click on the column name and select an option.
Setting up and Editing Permission Sets
To build a new permission set, follow the steps below!
1) Select "+ New permission set"
This option allows you to add a new permission set to your organization.
2) Choose a name for your new permission set
Give your permission set a descriptive name that reflects its purpose.
3) Select the base permission set that you will be editing
Choose the base permission set that best matches the permissions you want in your new set. This option specifies the initial permissions that will be available for modification.
4) Include a description for the permission set
Include a brief description of the permission set's purpose and scope. This description helps users understand the set's permissions and makes it easier to assign them to users.
5) Add and remove permissions
After you've entered the name, description, and base for your new permission set, proceed to add or remove permissions from the following main permission groups.
Administration | Decide who can manage workflows, holidays, time off categories, approval settings, resourcing, billing, overhead costs, as well as and organizational settings like SSO, revenue recognition, company info and invoicing. |
Automations | Decide who can view, add, edit, and delete automations. |
Budgets | Determine who can view budgets where a user is a member, view all budgets, and add, edit, and delete budgets. |
Companies | For companies, decide who can view, add, edit, and delete companies. |
Contacts | Decide who can view, add, edit, and delete contacts. |
Cost rates | Assign who can view all users' cost rates from the same subsidiary or for all users, as well as add, edit, and delete cost rates. |
Custom fields | Decide who can manage task custom fields or, add, edit, and delete all custom fields. |
Deals | Specify who can view deals where the user is a member, and who can view all deals, and add, edit, and delete deals. |
Docs | Designate who can view, edit, and delete docs where permitted, as well as add new docs. |
Expenses | Determine who can view personal expenses, view expenses on budgets where the user is a member, view all expenses, add, edit, and delete own expenses, add, edit, and delete all expenses, and approve expenses. |
Financials | Establish who can view billable details, financial item reports, and profitability. |
Imports | Manage data imports settings. This is a Superadmin permission! |
Invoices & Payments | Decide who can view invoices and payments where a user is a member on a budget, view all invoices and payments, and add, edit, and delete invoices and payments. |
Permission sets | Specify who can view permission set settings and add, edit, and delete permission sets (Superadmin). |
Placeholders | Decide who can view, add, edit and delete placeholders. |
Projects | Decide who can view projects where the user is a member, view all projects, and add, edit, and delete projects. |
Reports | Determine who can view created and shared reports, as well as add new, edit, and delete reports. |
Service types | Specify who can view and manage service types. |
Tasks | Specify who can view tasks and add, edit, and delete tasks, task lists, and boards. |
Teams | Decide who can view team settings and add, edit, and delete teams, as well as manage team members. |
Time entries | Determine who can view, add, edit, and delete their own time entries, view time entries on budgets where the user is a member, view time entries for everyone, add, edit, and delete time entries for other people, approve time entries, and manage locked time entries. |
Time off entitlements | Determine who can view their own time off entitlements, view all users' time off entitlements, add, edit, and delete time off entitlements, as well as manage approvers and subscribers for entitlement. |
Users | Specify who can view people custom fields, add, edit, and delete people custom fields, view clients, add and manage clients, view employees and contractors, add and manage employees and contractors (Superadmin). In addition, control access to view and manage sensitive custom fields related to individuals. |
Note: Start with a lower base permission set and add permissions as needed, rather than starting with a higher set and removing permissions, to avoid granting unnecessary or inadvertently unwanted access to users. 😎
6) Save the permission set
Once you have finished selecting the necessary permissions to include in your custom permission set, click on "Save changes".
Your custom permission set will then appear in the main Permission set window.
To edit the permission set, simply click on it, make the desired changes by adding or removing permissions, and remember to save the changes.
Tip: Use the Try Out feature to take your new permission set for a test drive! After saving, give it a go to ensure it meets your expectations and functions as intended.
Duplicating, Trying out, and Deleting Permission Sets
For easier management, to duplicate, delete, or try out a permission set from the main Permission sets window, click on the three dots next to a permission set.
Note that permission sets can only be deleted if there are no active users with that permission set.
Tip: to see which users have been assigned a certain permission set, click on the number of users in the "Active users with this permission set" column!
Assigning a Custom Permission Set to a User
To assign a custom permission set for a user, follow these steps:
Access User Profile
Navigate to the user's profile, either through CRM > Contacts or Settings > Users.Edit Permissions
Click on "Edit permissions" from the three-dot menu in the upper right or the current permission set listed under their name.
Select Custom Permission
In the Custom permission sets menu, you'll see a list of available custom permission sets.Choose New Set
Pick the custom permission set you want to apply to this user. You'll find all your custom permission sets listed under the "Custom permission sets" section for easy selection.Update Permissions
Finally, select "Update person" to apply the new permission set to the user.
For an overview of the permission sets builder, check out the video below!