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Introduction to User Rights

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This article describes the content, layout, features, and behavior of the Admin>Users & Rights>Rights page.

If you are unfamiliar with the meaning of assigning a right to a user (the permissions granted), see article Effects of User Rights.
If you need to know how to set and remove rights for users, see article How To Administer User Rights.

[Under Construction]

Overview

Users of ResourceFirst must be granted access rights to view or modify objects in the system and to have access to various system features. This article defines those rights and explains how to administer them.

A user’s rights define what data that user can see (access) and do with all the elements of that data. System administrators assign (associate) the rights that are appropriate for every user. The management of rights takes place on the Admin>Users & Rights>Rights page.

Users vs. Resources

There are two separate elements in ResourceFirst regarding people: Users and Resources. A person in ResourceFirst can be a User (of the system), a Resource (registered in the system), or both. People who do time tracking must be both.

  • Users are granted rights.
  • Users log into the system and can see data and execute functions they have rights to.
  • Resources can be assigned to projects.
  • A Resource can be associated with a User (only such users can record actuals on timesheets).
  • If a User does not have an associated Resource, then the user can login, but won’t see a Home page and won’t be able to enter time.
  • If a Resource does not have an associated user, then that resource cannot login, but can be assigned to projects and someone can enter forecasts and actuals for them.

Rights Page Layout

1 OBS filter for user list – select a resource OBS node to filter user list to those who are also resources in the node.

2 User List – list of all registered users of the system.

3 Right Types – list of all right types that can be assigned to users.

4 Objects to which the selected Right Type applies – list of project nodes, resource nodes, projects, or resources or empty.

5 Rights assigned to the selected user(s) – the rights assigned to the selected user or users.

6 Assign and Remove right icons for the selected user(s) – icons to add or remove assignments for the selected user or users.

Objects Rights Apply To

Some rights apply to OBS nodes: for example, all projects in a project OBS node or all resources in a resource OBS node.

Other rights apply to individual projects or people: for example, F1 and P1 apply to individual projects independent of project node.

Finally, “Financial OBS” is either the resource OBS (default) or the project OBS depending on a configuration variable in the license key for the ResourceFirst environment.

Rights Apply To

Miscellaneous Rights Page User Interface Features

All columns on the page are sortable; some can be hidden or filtered.

Column filters on the Rights page are text search type, not MS Excel type.

Checkboxes in Users and Assigned Rights lists:

Click in checkboxes is multi-select; click anywhere else in a row is single select (clear other selections and select the row).

Multi-select users to see common and unique rights

Note: The Right Types table has a vertical scroll bar; scroll to see additional rights.

Assigned To Objects

When a Right Type that applies to system objects is selected, ALL active objects registered in the database are presented.

There are several methods of filtering the objects down to a more manageable set.

Resource, Project, and Financial OBS Nodes: Levels 0 to 3 (except P1, F1, T0, and T2).

Filter with node name column control:

Note: The “Financial” OBS is the Cost Center OBS which is either the Resource OBS or the Project OBS depending on a configuration parameter in the ResourceFirst license key for the environment.

Projects: P1 and F1

There are three filter methods for individual projects when the Right Type is P1 or R1: the project name column control filter, the Project OBS filter, and the Filter based on Project Data checkbox (projects in the current data load).

Resources: T0 and T2

Filter with resource name column control:

Rights Defined

The following rights control access to ResourceFirst data and capabilities.

RESOURCE READ ONLY (R0)

  • Enables viewing of all records related to the resources in the OBS Node to which the user has R0 rights. Includes skill assignments and resource assignments in that OBS Node.
  • Right is applied to a Resource Node

RESOURCE DATA (R1)

  • Enables editing of resource capacity and assignment period data (not the resource or assignment attributes).
  • Enables the creation and update of skill and resource assignments to projects.
  • Right is applied to a Resource OBS Node

RESOURCE EDIT (R2)

Enables:

  • Includes all Resource Data (R1) rights
  • Editing of resource-specific attributes
  • Adding skills to resources
  • Adding Resources
  • Deleting Resources (as defined in the Admin>Settings>Portfolio right levels for Resource Delete)
  • Right is applied to a Resource Node

RESOURCE ADMINISTRATOR (R3)

Various system level configurations refer to this right and will grant access to the feature/functionality accordingly. These configurations include:

  • Admin>Settings>Portfolio configurations
  • Admin>System>Fields settings that grant Hide and/or Lock rights to a particular field

Said differently, this right provides a way to configure the system to behave differently for users who have various Right levels. For instance, a User with R2 may not be able to see something, but with R3 they could see and possibly edit a field or execute a certain function (such as deleting resources). Certain functions can be restricted to either R3 users, Admins, or other levels.

Inherently, the Resource Administrator (R3) right has:

  • A higher hierarchical position over the R0, R1, and R2 rights. In other words, if a capability is restricted for R0 or R1 or R2, the R3 right is un-restricted.
  • The ability to create a new Resource on the Resource>Data page.
  • Note: To create a new User on the Admin>Users & Rights>User page requires the Administrator right.

System level configurations that allow setting special privileges for the Resource Administrator (R3) right include:

  • On the Admin>Settings>Portfolio page (see the article Administration Settings for more details):
    • Project Initiation Approval right
    • Project Add right
    • Project Delete right
    • Resource Delete right
    • Assignment Delete right
  • On the Admin>System>Fields page for each of the object types  (Resource / Project / Assignment, etc.):
    • Hide Under Right
    • Lock Under Rights
  • Right is applied to a Resource Node

PROJECT READ ONLY (P0)

  • Enables view-only of projects.
  • Enables creating assignments if also granted Resource Data (R1) or higher resource rights level.
  • Right is applied to a Project Node

PROJECT MANAGER (P1)

Note: The user must have at least Project Read Only (P0) to the project node in addition to the P1 right. P1 does not automatically inherit P0 rights.

  • Enables editing of project information.
  • Enables creation of project events (e.g., risks, issues, etc.). Most companies configure Risks and Issues, Change Requests, and possibly other project related events in this area.
  • Enable contributions in the project’s Discussion threads.
  • Enables submission of project status information. Note: Project status submissions are done by pressing the “Submit Status” icon on the upper right of one of the Project Info forms (see screenshot below).

  • Right is applied to individual projects.

Note – Assigning Project Managers: If a user’s name is placed directly into the Manager field when in a project view page or a project form, this user will inherit Project Manager P1 rights, even if they have not been specifically granted P1 rights.

Navigation when granting Project Manager (P1) rights:

  1. In the Users section, select the User(s) to receive the rights.
  2. Select the Project Manager (P1) right
  3. Next:
  • Option 1: In the Project OBS section, navigate to and select the appropriate OBS Node. The resulting projects displayed in the Projects section will reflect those projects in the selected OBS Node. Only one OBS Node can be selected at a time, so repeat this step for additional OBS Nodes. This approach enables the User to grant Project Manager (P1) permissions to all existing projects plus future projects added to the OBS Node(s) selected.

  • Option 2: The check box Filter based on Project Data is used when you need to grant this right based on a specific subset of projects that you have already selected on the Project Data page. In other words, you will have used either the master funnel filter located at the top of the screen (on the User Settings toolbar) and/or applied column filters (on the Project Data page). The resulting projects displayed in the Projects section on the Rights screen will reflect those projects that appear on the filtered Project Data page. Select the project(s) for which the right needs to be granted.

  • Option 3: If selecting only one or a few projects is desired from the filter result set created by Options 1 and/or 2, go directly to the Projects section on the Rights page and select the project(s) for which the right needs to be granted.

  1. Once the projects are identified, press the right arrow to move the Rights over from the Right Types to the Assigned Rights section. The left arrow can be used to remove rights.

PROJECT EDIT (P2)

  • Enables the creation of a project, deletion of a project, or to begin a project initiation instance (depending on the access settings in Admin>Settings>Portfolio, which determines whether P2, P3, or Admin rights are needed for these functions).
  • Enables editing of project attributes.
  • Right is applied to a Project OBS Node

Note: To assign resources to a project, the User also needs Resource node rights greater than zero.

PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR (P3)

Various system level configurations refer to this right and will grant access to the feature/functionality. These configurations include:

  • Admin>Settings>Portfolio configurations
  • Admin>System>Fields settings that grant Hide and/or Lock rights to a particular field

Said differently, this right provides a way to configure the system to behave differently for users who have various Right levels. For instance, a User with P1 may not be able to see something, but with P3 they could see and possibly edit a field or perform other functions, such as delete a project. Via the Admin>Settings>Portfolio page, certain functions can be restricted to either P2 users, P3 users, or Admins.

Inherently, the Project Administrator (P3) right has a higher hierarchical position over the P0, P1, P2 rights. In other words, if a capability is restricted for P0 or P1 or P2, the P3 right is un-restricted.

System level configurations that reference the Project Administrator (P3) right include:

  • Found on the Admin>Settings>Portfolio page:
    • Granting the Project Initiation Approval right
    • Granting the Project Add right
    • Granting the Project Delete right
    • Granting the Resource Delete right
    • Granting the Assignment Delete right
  • Found on the Admin>System>Fields page on each of the View types, Resource/Project/Assignment for field level security:
    • Hide Under Right
    • Lock Under Right
  • Right is applied to a Project OBS Node

BASELINE

Enables the User to submit a baseline of the resource and financial forecasts for projects they have rights to.

Note: At a minimum, to save a baseline, the user needs P1 rights to the project, or P2 or above on the project node, and R1 or higher on the resource node.

PARTITION ADMIN

  • A Partition Administrator of a partition is enabled with the rights to share various settings, views, filters, and other attributes with members of their partition.
  • A partition member will find the shared items as options to select for their use.
  • A User can only be a member in one partition.
  • To create a Partition Administrator: The ResourceFirst Admin creates the partition names on the Admin>System>Partitions page. 2) Next, the ResourceFirst Admin goes to Admin>Users & Rights>Users to the partitions column and selects the newly created partition value for the User(s) who will be that partition’s administrator(s).
  • To create a partition member: The ResourceFirst Admin goes to Admin>Users & Rights>Users>Partition column and selects the newly created partition value for the User(s) who will be members of that partition.

For more on partitions, see Using Partitions.

FINANCIAL READ ONLY (F0)

  • Enables viewing of all financial records in the OBS Node to which you have F0 rights.
  • Right is applied to a Resource OBS Node or Project OBS Node depending upon your business practice. (Note: A setting in your License Key determines which OBS appears below the Rights pane, and therefore which OBS is used for granting Financial Rights). See License Keys and Codes – Appended Letters for more.

FINANCIAL PROJECT MANAGER (F1)

  • Enables edit of financial data and deletion of financial assignments on the specific projects identified when granting this right.
  • Right applies to individual projects.

Navigation when granting Financial Project Manager rights:

  1. In the Users section, select the User(s) to receive the specific Financial Project Manager rights you are granting.
  2. Select the Financial Project Manager (F1) right
  3. Next:
  • Option 1: In the Project OBS section, navigate to and select the appropriate OBS Node. The resulting projects displayed in the Projects section will reflect those projects in the selected OBS Node. Only one OBS Node can be selected at a time, so repeat this step for additional OBS Nodes. This approach enables the User to grant Financial Project Manager (F1) permissions to all existing projects plus future projects added to the OBS Node(s) selected.
  • Option 2: The check box Filter based on Project Data is used when you need to grant this right based on a specific subset of projects that you have already selected on the Project Data page. In other words, you will have used either the master funnel filter located at the top of the screen (on the User Settings toolbar) and/or applied column filters (on the Project Data page). The resulting projects displayed in the Projects section on the Rights screen will reflect those projects that appear on the filtered Project Data page. Select the project(s) for which the right needs to be granted.
  • Option 3: If selecting only one or a few projects is desired from the filter result set created by Options 1 and/or 2, go directly to the Projects section and select the project(s) for which the right needs to be granted.
  1. Once the projects are identified, press the right arrow to move the Rights over to the Rights section.

FINANCIAL EDIT (F2)

  • Enables edit of financial data on the specific OBS Nodes identified when granting this right. This right can be applied against either the Project OBS or the Resource OBS.
  • Enables executing the Post Labor Costs on the project workspace>Financials page.
  • Right is applied to a Resource OBS Node or Project OBS Node depending upon your business practice. (Note: A setting in your License Key determines which OBS appears below the Rights pane, and therefore which OBS is used for granting Financial Rights). See License Keys and Codes – Appended Letters for more.

FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR (F3)

  • The Financial Administrator right grants all the functionality of Financial Edit, plus additional privileges that can be configured by your System Administrator.
  • Right is applied to a Resource OBS Node or Project OBS Node depending upon your business practice. (Note: A setting in your License Key determines which OBS appears below the Rights pane, and therefore which OBS is used for granting Financial Rights). See License Keys and Codes – Appended Letters for more.

RATE READ ONLY (FR0)

  • Enables view only of the Cost Rate field/column. Applies to the data columns in the project/resource/financial views.
  • Right is applied to a Resource OBS Node

RATE EDIT (FR2)

  • Enables view and edit of the User Rate field/column via the Edit Rates option under Administration. This option only appears if the user also has R3 rights.
  • Right is applied to a Resource OBS Node

TIMESHEET APPROVAL (T0)

  • Enables the user to approve timesheets for individual resources.
  • Note: The User being granted this right needs to also be set up as a resource on the Resource Data page, with the “Key ID” field containing their User ID. This associates the resource to the user, so that when the user logs in, he or she will see a Time Tracking icon.  Only Resources will see that icon, which is where timesheets are entered, approved, and managed. Thus, anyone entering a timesheet must also have a Resource associated with their User ID.
  • Right applies to individual resources.

TIMESHEET APPROVAL (T1)

  • This right enables the selected User to approve timesheets for all resources in the selected OBS Node.
  • Right applies to a Resource OBS Node.

TIMESHEET AUTO (T2)

  • This right applies timesheet auto-approve status to the selected resource. The timesheets for the resource are automatically approved.
  • The selected User is ignored and has no effect.
  • Right applies to individual resources.

TIMESHEET AUTO (T3)

  • This right applies timesheet auto-approve status to all resources in the selected resource OBS Node.
  • The selected User is ignored and has no effect.
  • Right applies to a Resource OBS Node

If you need further assistance, please reach out to our team via email: support@pdware.zendesk.com

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