Roles and user-rights

Roles overview

The following picture gives a high-level overview of roles identified in LYNX and LYNX TameFlow:

User-rights are (automatically) assigned based on the role in which a new or existing user is invited within a workspace. Also external partners can be invited as a user within a workspace and granted user-rights. 

Role and object based user-rights

In addition to role based assignment of user-rights, user-rights are also granted by "object" automatically, like a specific project(s) or a specific task(s). 

For example, when a user is invited in the role of Task manager, they will be granted access as a task manager, but limited to the task(s)-object for which they were invited: the user can work only with the tasks for which he explicitly was invited. 

Similarly, a user with the role of project manager has access rights to their project(s) only. 

Please note that any user can have one or multiple roles at the same time! They can have the role of project manager for a particular project, but also have the role of task manager for tasks in another project (for which they are not the project manager).

Role definitions in LYNX

The following roles are defined via the Users/Logins table:

• Space owner: User has administrator rights in the current space
• Space contact: User receives system notifications
• Space reader: User has read access to all data contained in the space
• Project manager: User is allowed to add or delete projects they own
  
  • Assign a Project Manager via Project Properties

The other roles can be defined at different places within Lynx:

• Resource manager: User has the role of resource manager for one or more resources
  • Assigned via the Resource table
• Team manager: User has the role of team manager for one or more skills
  • Assigned via the Skill table
• Task manager: User has the role of task manager for one or more tasks in the system
  • Assigned or created via Task Properties in the project window for one or multiple tasks
• Resource: User has the role of a resource manager for one or more resources  
  • Assigned to a resource via the resource table
• Team member: User is part of a team skill resource requirement, assigned as a resource. 
  • Assigned to a Team skill of a specific workpackage, within a project (see the LYNX TameFlow articles addressing this process)
• Shared Project: 
  • In Project Properties you also have the option to share a project with other users, in which you have the option to give this users reading rights or give them the rights to update the project as well.

Inviting (new) users and role assignment

Who can invite (new) users?

The following roles have the rights to invite (new) users in a specific role:

• Space owner
• Project manager, specific for their project(s)
• Task manager, specific for their task(s)

Who can assign which roles?

The following roles can only be assigned by a Space owner:

• (another) Space owner
• Team manager
• Resource manager
• Project manager

Assignments that can be done by other roles are:

• Project manager:
  • Invite (new) users to become a task manager for (a) task within their project.
  • Invite other users in the role of team member for specific workpackages within their project.
  • Share projects with other users, with the option to give this users read & write or reading rights.
• Task manager:
  • Invite (new) users as task manager for the same task(s).
  • Invite Team members for a workpackage.
• Resource manager:
  • Invite an existing user (within the Users/Login table) to become a Resource user, which creates the link between a resource and its user.
• Team manager:
  • Invite/remove existing Resources as a team member for a team skill within My Activities.

How to invite new users and assign roles?

Via the User/Logins table

The Space owner can invite new users via the "User/logins" table:

Through + Invite new user the Space owner can create a new user and assign the roles of:

• Space owner
• Space contact
• Space reader
• Project manager

It is also possible to add a new user here, but without selecting any of the 4 roles, as is shown in the example below.  This creates a user account in LYNX. The user-role can be assigned later via an object, like a task or resource table. 

Invitation and role assignment via an "Object"

Assignment of other roles can be done via a specific object: in the table above "Mike Dempsey" has the role of Task manager and Resource manager. This role is set when Mike was invited as a Task manager for a specific task. The role of Resource manager was set via the Resource table. 

Assign roles via an "object" (and invite a new user)

Assignment of the role of resource manager via Resource Editor

In the example below the user Mike Dempsey is selected as Resource manager for the resource Barry Huberts. Resource manager can only be selected from the drop-down with the list of already existing users. 

Assignment of the role Team manager / Invite new user via Skills

In the example below Mike Dempsey is selected as the Team manager for the skill "Software developer". The Space owner, who is updating this table, may also invite a new user in the role as Team manager here by selecting invite others.

Team managers will see all tasks assigned to their team members on the My activities list. 

 

Assignment of the role of Task manager / Invite new user via Project Window

The role of Task manager can also be assigned by a project manager of the project concerned through the project window. Select the tab Task managers and assign a Task manager. Task managers can also be invited by a colleague to become a second Task manager for the same task. 

The Task manager can be selected from the list with already existing users, but also a new user may be invited. 

The invitation process also allows to choose from two levels of access:

• Read only access (default)
  • The Task manager can open the project and make changes to his task, but only view any other tasks in the project plan.
• Read & Write access
  • Choose this option if you want a task manager that can make changes to the complete project. They receive the same rights as the Project manager of the project.
  • This option is especially useful if multiple users need to be able to work with the project and make changes in the project plan. 

Assignment of the role of Resource User / Invite new user

The LYNX Resource Editor contains the list with available "resources". Depending on how task management is to be implemented, resources may not need to be a user or resource should become a user as well. 

If a resource should be a user as well, they can be "promoted" to a Resource user by linking a user to the resource via the "User" tab in the resource table. This will create a "Resource user". 

In the example below the user "Mike Dempsey" is linked to "Mike Dempsey" in the resource table. This gives Mike Dempsey the possibility to login into LYNX and for example see his tasks on the task list based on his role as "Resource user" 

Inviting a Shared user / Creating a new user

Via the "Project properties" of a project the "sharing box" is available.  Through this sharing box it is possible to invite a (new) user and share the project with read only or read & write rights by selecting add. 

A sharing user will not become a specific role, but will be listed in the user/logins table. 

In the example below a user can be granted "Read Only" rights for the D1 Product development project, which allows a user to view a project.  

Customize your Invitation Email

You may want to customize the Invitation Email that is sent to new users.  You can do this via the Space properties in the configuration section: