Overview
In Tropic, each user is assigned a user role. This role determines what the user can access and what actions they can take in Tropic. This article covers each user role, its permissions, and guidance on when to use each role.
Note: Before assigning roles, you must first create users in Tropic. For instructions on how to create users, please refer to the Add Tropic Users article.
User Roles
The following table outlines Tropic user roles, from most to least privileged.
| Role | Description | Recommendations | Recommended for Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner |
Primary contact for the account. Can access all features of the Tropic platform. |
High-level executives, procurement team members, implementation team, integration team members, Tropic buyer or signer of Tropic contract, Contract Owner of Tropic, main implementation points of contact. | Fewer than 100 employees: 1-2 Owners More than 100 employees: 2-3 Owners |
| Platform Manager |
Can access the Tropic platform and view data across departments. Cannot configure settings. Platform Managers have broader visibility than Standard Users. |
Signatories, Contract Owners, Cross-Departmental project leads. Users who need to approve requests should have the Platform Manager role. | Fewer than 100 employees: 2-5 Platform Manager More than 100 employees: 5-10 Platform Members |
| Department Admin |
Can access the Tropic platform but only view data for their department. Can add and edit users in their department. Department Members can see all requests and contracts within their department. |
Department heads, team leads, managers in larger organizations (typically more than 100 employees), budget owners, overseeing user management and tasks/requests within their department. Typically not needed in smaller organizations (fewer than 100 employees). | Fewer than 100 employees: Not typically needed More than 100 employees: As needed per department |
| Department Member |
Can access the Tropic platform but only view data for their department. Cannot add or edit users. |
Regular team members who need limited access to only their specific department data. | Fewer than 100 employees: Varies by department More than 100 employees: Varies by department |
| Standard User |
Can access all supplier intelligence and research tools, but only sees requests and contracts they own, created, or follow.
|
Individual contributors and team members who need access to intelligence and research tools without visibility into colleagues’ requests or contracts. |
Standard User is the recommended default role for most Tropic users. |
| Portal User | Designed for users who only need to submit and track requests in the Purchasing Portal and should not access intelligence features. |
Portal User is a limited-access role. In most cases, Standard User is recommended instead.
|
Use Portal User only when you intentionally want to restrict access to intelligence and platform features.
|
| View-Only User | Read-only access. No actions allowed. | View contracts, suppliers, requests, tasks, and existing intelligence. Cannot create, edit, comment, approve, complete tasks, access settings, download documents, or export data. | As needed. |
Changing a User’s Role
To change a user’s role in Tropic:
- Navigate to Settings → Users.
- Find the user whose role you want to update.
- Click the Edit icon next to their role.
- In the Permissions Roles section, select the new role from the dropdown
- If updating a Department Member or Department Admin, you can select one or both access levels.
- Users can have both Department Member Access and Department Admin Access for different departments.
- Click Save Changes.
Best Practices for Users and Departments
Bulk import multiple users at once:
- If you need to add a large number of users at once, bulk import the users using a CSV. Ensure you’ve set up departments for your organization and specify a department for each user. Bulk-imported users don’t automatically receive an email invite to Tropic. To send invites to these users, see Invite users to Tropic.
Use department roles to limit access in larger organizations:
- Department admins and department members can access the Tropic platform. However, they can only see and manage information for their department.
Permissions by Role
The permissions table below outlines which actions are available to each role.
✓ indicates full access
If assigned means the action is available only when the user is directly assigned
✓ P indicates the action is available in the Purchasing Portal only