Overview
In Tropic, each user is assigned a user role. This role determines the user’s permissions and what the user can do in Tropic. This article covers each user role and its permissions, along with best practices for assigning roles to specific types of users within an organization.
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 member |
Can access the Tropic platform and view data across departments. Cannot configure settings. |
Signatories, Contract Owners, Cross-Departmental project leads. Users who need to approve requests should have the platform member role. |
Fewer than 100 employees: 2-5 Platform Members 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 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 |
| Portal user |
Most Tropic users. Can only access the Purchasing Portal. |
Most users in the organization only need access to the Purchasing Portal.Portal users can act as contract owners without needing broader access to the Tropic platform. |
Majority of users for both fewer than and more than 100 employees |
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 following table outlines permissions for each user role.
✓P indicates the role can only perform the action in the Purchasing Portal.