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Roles & Permissions

Porcia uses role-based access control to manage what team members can see and do in your workspace. This guide explains the different roles and their permissions.

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User Roles

Porcia has two main user roles:

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Role Comparison

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Admin Role

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Permissions

Admins have full access to all workspace features: Vendor Management:

• View, add, edit, and delete all vendors
• Upload and manage documents
• Configure vendor settings
• Merge duplicate vendors
• Archive vendors

Team Management:

• Invite and remove team members
• Change user roles
• View team activity
• Manage team permissions
• Configure team settings

Billing & Subscription:

• View billing information
• Manage subscription plan
• Add or remove seats
• Update payment method
• View invoices and receipts

Integrations:

• Connect email integrations
• Connect SSO providers
• Install browser extension
• Configure integration settings
• Disconnect integrations

Analytics & Reporting:

• View all team analytics
• See individual user usage
• Export all reports
• Configure analytics settings
• Set up custom dashboards

Workspace Settings:

• Edit workspace information
• Configure workspace preferences
• Manage notification rules
• Set discovery settings
• Configure security settings

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Responsibilities

Admins are responsible for:

1. Team oversight - Managing team members and access
2. Billing management - Ensuring subscription is active
3. Integration setup - Connecting data sources
4. Security - Maintaining workspace security
5. Compliance - Ensuring proper data handling

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Best Practices for Admins

1. Limit admin access - Only promote trusted team members
2. Regular audits - Review team access quarterly
3. Monitor activity - Check activity logs for unusual behavior
4. Secure account - Use strong password and 2FA
5. Document decisions - Keep notes on important changes

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Member Role

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Permissions

Members have standard access to core features: Vendor Management:

• View all vendors
• Add and edit vendors
• Upload documents
• Add comments and notes
• Tag and categorize vendors

Negotiations:

• View all negotiations
• Start new negotiations
• Assign negotiations to themselves
• Collaborate on negotiations
• Track negotiation outcomes

Analytics:

• View team-wide analytics (aggregated)
• View their own usage data
• Export their own reports
• See vendor spending
• View optimization insights

Personal Settings:

• Update their profile
• Configure their notifications
• Manage their browser extension
• Set their preferences
• View their activity

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Restrictions

Members cannot:

• ❌ Invite or remove team members
• ❌ Change user roles
• ❌ View billing information
• ❌ Manage subscription
• ❌ Connect or disconnect integrations
• ❌ Delete vendors or negotiations
• ❌ Edit workspace settings
• ❌ View other users’ individual usage (unless anonymous mode is off)

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Best Practices for Members

1. Stay active - Regularly use Porcia to track vendors
2. Collaborate - Add comments and notes for team
3. Report issues - Flag problems to admins
4. Follow guidelines - Adhere to workspace policies
5. Protect data - Don’t share sensitive information

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Changing Roles

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Promoting to Admin

To promote a Member to Admin: What happens:

• Member immediately gains admin permissions
• They can now access billing and team management
• They receive a notification about the role change
• Activity is logged in audit trail

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Demoting to Member

To demote an Admin to Member: What happens:

• Admin loses admin permissions immediately
• They can no longer access billing or team management
• They retain access to core features
• Activity is logged in audit trail

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Permission Scenarios

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Scenario 1: New Team Member

Situation: Hiring a new employee who needs access to Porcia Recommended approach:

1. Invite as Member initially
2. Let them get familiar with the platform
3. Promote to Admin after 30 days if needed
4. Provide training on their role and responsibilities

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Scenario 2: Contractor or Consultant

Situation: External consultant needs temporary access Recommended approach:

1. Invite as Member only
2. Limit their access duration
3. Remove when project is complete
4. Never promote contractors to Admin

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Scenario 3: Department Lead

Situation: Department lead needs to manage their team’s vendors Recommended approach:

1. Invite as Member initially
2. They can manage vendors for their department
3. Promote to Admin if they need to invite their team
4. Consider creating separate workspace for department (Enterprise)

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Scenario 4: Finance Team Member

Situation: Finance team needs to view spending but not manage vendors Recommended approach:

1. Invite as Member
2. They can view all vendor spending
3. They can export reports
4. They cannot modify vendor data
5. Promote to Admin if they need billing access

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Security Considerations

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Admin Security

Protect admin accounts:

• Use strong, unique passwords
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)
• Don’t share admin credentials
• Log out when not in use
• Review admin activity regularly

Admin account compromise: If an admin account is compromised:

1. Immediately change password
2. Review recent activity
3. Check for unauthorized changes
4. Remove suspicious team members
5. Contact support if needed

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Member Security

Protect member accounts:

• Use strong passwords
• Enable 2FA
• Don’t share credentials
• Report suspicious activity
• Keep browser extension updated

Member account compromise: If a member account is compromised:

1. Admin should immediately remove the member
2. Change password if account is recovered
3. Review activity for unauthorized actions
4. Re-invite member with new credentials

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Audit Trail

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Activity Logging

All role-related actions are logged: Logged events:

• Role changes (promotions/demotions)
• Team member additions/removals
• Permission changes
• Billing changes (admin only)
• Integration changes (admin only)

View audit log:

1. Go to Settings → Security → Audit Log (Admin only)
2. Filter by event type, user, or date
3. Export audit log if needed

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Compliance

Audit logs help with:

• Security investigations
• Compliance audits
• Access reviews
• Incident response
• Policy enforcement

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Future Roles (Coming Soon)

Porcia is planning additional roles: Viewer Role:

• Read-only access to vendors and analytics
• Cannot edit or add data
• Useful for executives or stakeholders

Billing Admin:

• Access to billing only
• Cannot manage team or vendors
• Useful for finance team members

Custom Roles:

• Define custom permission sets
• Assign to specific team members
• Enterprise plan feature

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Best Practices

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Role Assignment

1. Start restrictive - Begin with Member role, promote as needed
2. Regular reviews - Audit roles quarterly
3. Principle of least privilege - Give minimum access needed
4. Document decisions - Keep notes on why roles were assigned
5. Train users - Ensure users understand their permissions

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Role Management

1. Limit admins - Keep admin count low (2-3 for most teams)
2. Backup admin - Always have at least 2 admins
3. Offboarding - Remove access immediately when someone leaves
4. Role rotation - Consider rotating admin duties
5. Emergency access - Have a plan for admin account recovery

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Security

1. Enable 2FA - Require for all admins
2. Strong passwords - Enforce password policies
3. Regular audits - Review access logs monthly
4. Incident response - Have a plan for compromised accounts
5. Training - Educate team on security best practices

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Troubleshooting

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Can’t Perform Action

If a team member can’t perform an action:

1. Check their role - Verify they have the right permissions
2. Review restrictions - Some actions are admin-only
3. Check workspace status - Ensure subscription is active
4. Clear cache - Try logging out and back in
5. Contact admin - Request role change if needed

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Role Change Not Working

If you can’t change someone’s role:

1. Verify you’re an admin - Only admins can change roles
2. Check if last admin - Can’t demote yourself if you’re the only admin
3. Refresh page - Try reloading the page
4. Check permissions - Ensure you have team management access
5. Contact support - If issue persists

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Next Steps