We've updated how staff permissions work in BrightBooks Bureau to give you more control and consistency when managing your team's access across your practice.

Key Changes

• Default Permissions for New Staff: New team members automatically receive appropriate permissions based on their role
• Default Staff Permissions: The permissions screen now shows the default permissions that apply across all businesses
• Better Permission Visibility: See at a glance when permissions vary across different businesses with the new "Indeterminate" state
• More Control: Choose whether to apply permission changes to all businesses or set the defaults for new businesses

Understanding the Permission System

Master vs. Business Permissions

Master Permissions are the default permissions set at your organization level. These apply when a staff member doesn't have specific permissions set for an individual business.

Business Permissions are specific overrides for individual businesses. When set, these take priority over the master permissions.

The Rule: If a business has specific permissions set for a staff member, those are used. Otherwise, the master permissions apply.

Permission States

When you view staff permissions, you'll see three possible states:

• ✓ Checked: The permission is granted in ALL associated businesses and matches the master setting
• ☐ Unchecked: The permission is NOT granted in ANY associated business and matches the master setting
• -- Indeterminate: The permission differs across businesses, or the master setting differs from some business settings

When Staff Are Added

New Staff Members

When you add a new staff member to your organization, they automatically receive default permissions based on their role:

Owner/Administrator Role:

• Receives ALL permissions
• Full access to all features and functions

Regular User Role:

• Receives most permissions EXCEPT:
  • Staff Permissions (cannot manage other users)
  • Practice Details (cannot modify organization settings)
  • Delete functions (cannot delete critical data)
  • Other sensitive administrative functions

These defaults are set once when the user is created and are never automatically changed later.

Adding Staff to a New Business

When you give a staff member access to a new business, the system copies their master permissions as a starting point. You can review and adjust these permissions before saving.

Changing Staff Permissions

How to Update Permissions

1. Navigate to Staff > Staff Permissions
2. Select the staff member whose permissions you want to change
3. The form heading will show "Default Staff Permissions"
4. Review the informational message at the top explaining the three permission states
5. Make your changes by checking or unchecking permissions
6. Click Save

The Two-Step Save Process

When you save permission changes, you'll go through two steps:

Step 1: Update Master Permissions

• Your changes are saved to the master permission set
• These will apply to any new businesses the staff member is added to in the future

Step 2: Apply to Existing Businesses (Optional)

• You'll be asked: "Would you like to apply these changes to existing businesses?"
• If you choose Yes: Select which businesses should receive the updated permissions
  • All businesses are unselected by default for safety
  • Use "Select All" if you want to update all businesses
  • Note: SME businesses will not appear in this list
• If you choose No: Only the master permissions are updated; existing business permissions remain unchanged

Important: If the staff member has no associated businesses, Step 2 is automatically skipped.

Understanding Indeterminate Permissions

What Does Indeterminate Mean?

An indeterminate checkbox (shown as "--" or grayed out) means one of two things:

1. The permission is granted in some businesses but not others
2. The master permission setting differs from one or more business-level settings

How to Handle Indeterminate Permissions

• To grant the permission everywhere: Check the box and save. This sets the master permission and you can then choose which businesses to update.
• To remove the permission everywhere: Uncheck the box and save. This removes it from the master and you can choose which businesses to update.
• To leave it as-is: Don't change it. The indeterminate permission will remain unchanged unless you explicitly check or uncheck it.

Important Rules and Restrictions

SME Business Protection

Practice staff cannot change permissions for SME businesses.

• SME businesses are owned and managed by individual business owners
• SME businesses will not appear in the "Apply to businesses" list when updating permissions
• Only the SME business owner can modify permissions for their business

Permission Priority

When both master and business-level permissions exist:

• Business-level permissions ALWAYS take priority
• Master permissions only apply when business-level permissions are empty or not set

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Granting a New Permission to All Staff

Goal: Give all your staff access to a new feature

Steps:

1. Open Staff Permissions for the staff member
2. Check the new permission
3. Save and proceed to Step 2
4. Select Yes to apply to existing businesses
5. Click Select All to include all Bureau businesses
6. Confirm the changes

Result: The permission is added to master AND all selected businesses

Scenario 2: Restricting Access for Future Businesses Only

Goal: Prevent a staff member from having a certain permission in new businesses, but keep their existing access

Steps:

1. Open Staff Permissions for the staff member
2. Uncheck the permission you want to restrict
3. Save and proceed to Step 2
4. Select No - do not apply to existing businesses

Result: The permission is removed from master but existing businesses are unchanged. New businesses added in the future will not have this permission.

Scenario 3: Setting Up Consistent Permissions

Goal: Ensure a staff member has the same permissions across all businesses

Steps:

1. Open Staff Permissions for the staff member
2. Configure permissions as needed
3. Save and proceed to Step 2
4. Select Yes to apply to existing businesses
5. Click Select All
6. Confirm the changes

Result: All businesses (except SME) now have matching permissions, and the indeterminate states are cleared

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I give different permissions to the same staff member in different businesses?
A: Yes. While we recommend keeping permissions consistent for simplicity, you can set specific permissions for individual businesses by managing them separately at the business level.

Q: What happens if I change a staff member's role from User to Administrator?
A: The role change doesn't automatically update their permissions. You'll need to manually update their permissions if you want to grant them full administrative access.

Q: Why can't I update permissions for some businesses?
A: SME businesses don't appear in the update list because only the business owner can manage permissions for their business.

Q: What if I make a mistake when applying changes to businesses?
A: In Step 1, you set the master permissions. In Step 2, you choose which businesses to update. If you click "No" in Step 2, only the master permissions change - all existing businesses stay the same. You can always go back and update permissions again if needed.

Q: Will permission changes affect staff who are currently logged in?
A: Permission changes take effect immediately. Staff members may need to refresh their browser or log out and back in to see the changes reflected in the interface.

Q: What's the difference between Master and Business permissions?
A: Think of master permissions as the "default template." When a staff member is added to a new business, they start with the master permissions. Business permissions are specific overrides - if set, they take priority over the master for that specific business.

Need More Help?

If you have questions about managing staff permissions or encounter any issues, please contact our support team for assistance.