Explained: Role Based Permissions vs Individual User Permissions

What this means

• Role based permissions: you configure a set of permissions on a role (for example “Admin” or “Site Team”), then assign that role to users at a company and/or site.
• Individual user permissions: you tick specific permissions directly on a person at a company and/or site.
• Mixed mode: a user’s access is the combination of what they get from roles plus anything ticked directly on them.

When you’ll use this

• Use role based permissions when you want consistent access for groups of people (easier to manage at scale).
• Use individual user permissions when you need an exception for one person (temporary access, special responsibility, or a one-off constraint).
• Use mixed mode when you need both a standard role model and occasional one-off overrides.

Key Considerations

1. Decide the permission approach you want to use

• Roles only: access is driven by the role’s configured permissions
• Individual only: access is driven by permissions ticked directly on each user
• Mixed: access is granted if it is ticked either on the role or on the user
  
  

2. Set up your roles first (recommended)

• Create roles that match how your teams work (for example “Admin” and “Site Team”)
• For each role, select the permissions that role should have
  
  

3. Assign roles to people at the right level

• Company level: use this when someone should have access across all sites in the company (depending on your setup)
• Site level: use this when someone should only have access to one specific site
  
  

4. Only use individual user permissions for exceptions

• If someone needs one extra permission that the rest of their role should not have, tick it directly on that user
• If someone should have less access than their role normally provides, consider creating a separate role instead of removing individual permissions one-by-one
  
  

5. Test with a real user before rolling out widely

• Confirm the person can see the right menus and complete the required actions
• If something is missing, check whether the permission was set at the correct level (company vs site) and whether the user is getting permissions from a role, directly, or both

Common issues

Users are “showing as site hosts” but can’t do anything

• Check whether the role they are assigned has any permissions configured.

• If the role has no permissions, the user may appear in lists but still won’t have functional access.
  
  

Someone suddenly lost access after changing permission mode

• Switching between permission modes can change how roles and user permissions are applied.

• After switching, re-check role definitions and confirm key users still have the intended role assignments and permissions.
  
  

A user has more access than expected in mixed mode

• In mixed mode, a permission granted either by the role or directly on the user will apply.

• Remove the direct user permission if it was added as a one-off, or adjust the role if it was granted there.

Why this matters

• A role-based approach reduces admin effort and makes access easier to audit and maintain.
• Using individual user permissions sparingly helps prevent accidental over-permissioning and reduces support issues caused by inconsistent setup.

Need help?

If you’re not sure which mode your account is using or why a specific person can’t access something, check the user’s assigned roles and any directly-ticked permissions at both company and site level. If you’re still stuck, contact your internal Breadcrumb admin or your site team lead.

If you require any assistance or have a question, please contact our Support Team on +44 7400 977 382 or email us at support@breadcrumb.co, and we'll be happy to help.