Understanding Workspace Roles

SignNXT uses a simple three-tier role system to control who can do what in your workspace. Understanding these roles helps you organize your team effectively and maintain security.

The Three Workspace Roles

1. Owner

The Owner is the person who created the workspace. This role has complete control over everything.

Owner Permissions:

✅ Full Access:

• View and manage ALL documents (regardless of privacy settings)
• Create, edit, and delete documents
• Access all folders (system and shared)
• See all workspace activity

✅ Team Management:

• Invite new team members
• Promote members to Admin
• Suspend or remove team members
• Create and manage teams
• Assign team roles

✅ Workspace Management:

• Manage workspace settings
• Upload and change workspace logo
• Configure branding and email settings
• Delete the workspace

✅ Billing & Subscription:

• Manage subscription plans
• Update payment methods
• View billing history
• Add or remove seats
• Cancel subscription

Owners have access to all settings tabs including Billing

2. Admin

Admins are promoted by the Owner and have most of the same powers, except for billing and workspace deletion.

Admin Permissions:

✅ Full Document Access:

• View and manage ALL documents (same as Owner)
• Create, edit, and delete documents
• Access all folders (system and shared)
• See all workspace activity

✅ Team Management:

• Invite new team members
• Suspend or remove team members
• Create and manage teams
• Assign team roles
• Manage shared folders

✅ Workspace Settings:

• Manage workspace settings
• Upload and change workspace logo
• Configure branding and email settings

❌ Cannot Do:

• Manage billing or subscription
• Delete the workspace
• Promote other members to Admin (only Owner can)

3. Member

Members are regular users who can create and manage their own documents.

Member Permissions:

✅ Own Documents:

• Create new documents
• Edit and delete their own documents
• Send documents for signing
• View document status and history

✅ Shared Access:

• View documents shared with them
• Access shared folders they're added to
• Collaborate on team documents (if in a team)
• Sign documents they're assigned to

✅ Personal Settings:

• Update their profile information
• Manage their personal preferences
• View their own activity

❌ Cannot Do:

• View other members' private documents
• Invite new team members
• Manage workspace settings
• Access billing information
• Create or manage shared folders (unless given Edit access)
• Suspend or remove other members

Role Comparison Table

Permission	Owner	Admin	Member
Documents
View all documents	✅	✅	❌ (own only)
Create documents	✅	✅	✅
Edit own documents	✅	✅	✅
Edit others' documents	✅	✅	❌
Delete documents	✅	✅	✅ (own only)
Folders
Create shared folders	✅	✅	❌
Manage folder members	✅	✅	❌
Access shared folders	✅	✅	✅ (if added)
Team Management
Invite members	✅	✅	❌
Promote to Admin	✅	❌	❌
Suspend members	✅	✅	❌
Remove members	✅	✅	❌
Create teams	✅	✅	❌
Workspace
Manage settings	✅	✅	❌
Upload logo	✅	✅	❌
Configure branding	✅	✅	❌
Delete workspace	✅	❌	❌
Billing
Manage subscription	✅	❌	❌
Update payment	✅	❌	❌
View invoices	✅	❌	❌

How Roles Affect Document Access

Owner & Admin: See Everything

Owners and Admins can see all documents in the workspace, regardless of privacy settings:

• ✅ Private documents (created by any member)
• ✅ Team documents (from any team)
• ✅ Workspace documents (public to workspace)
• ✅ Documents in all folders
• ✅ All document activity and history

Why? This ensures business continuity and allows proper oversight of workspace activity.

Members: Privacy-First Access

Members can only see documents they have explicit access to:

• ✅ Documents they created
• ✅ Documents they're signers on
• ✅ Documents in shared folders they're members of
• ✅ Team documents (if they're in that team and document is set to "Team" visibility)
• ✅ Workspace documents (set to "Workspace" visibility)

❌ Cannot see:

• Other members' private documents
• Documents from teams they're not in
• Documents in shared folders they're not added to

How Roles Affect Settings Access

Settings Tabs by Role

Owner sees:

• Profile
• Workspace
• Billing
• Team

Admin sees:

• Profile
• Workspace
• Team

Member sees:

• Profile (only)

Checking Your Role

You can see your role in several places:

1. Workspace Switcher

Click the workspace name in the top navigation to see your role displayed under the workspace name.

2. Settings Page

Your role is displayed at the top of the Settings page next to the workspace name.

3. Team Members List

If you're an Owner or Admin, you can see all members' roles in Settings > Team.

When to Use Each Role

Use Owner Role For:

• The person responsible for billing and payments
• The primary decision-maker for the workspace
• Someone who needs ultimate control and oversight

Recommendation: Keep this role with the business owner or primary administrator.

Use Admin Role For:

• Trusted team members who help manage users
• Department heads who need to oversee all documents
• IT administrators who handle workspace configuration
• Anyone who needs full document access but not billing access

Recommendation: Promote 1-3 trusted team members to Admin to share management responsibilities.

Use Member Role For:

• Regular team members who create documents
• External collaborators with limited access
• New team members (until they prove trustworthy)
• Anyone who only needs to manage their own work

Recommendation: Start everyone as a Member. Promote to Admin only when necessary.

Best Practices

1. Principle of Least Privilege

Give users the minimum role they need to do their job:

✅ Good:

• Sales team: Members (create their own contracts)
• Sales manager: Admin (oversee all sales documents)
• Business owner: Owner (manage billing and strategy)

❌ Avoid:

• Making everyone an Admin "just in case"
• Giving Admin access to temporary contractors
• Promoting users without clear need

2. Regular Role Reviews

Review user roles quarterly:

• Are all Admins still active and trustworthy?
• Do any Members need promotion to Admin?
• Should any Admins be demoted to Member?
• Are there inactive users who should be removed?

3. Document Your Role Strategy

Create a simple guide for your team:

Our Role Strategy:
- Owner: CEO (manages billing)
- Admins: Department heads (manage their teams)
- Members: All other employees
- Promotion criteria: 6+ months tenure + manager recommendation

4. Communicate Role Changes

When promoting or demoting users:

• Explain why the change is happening
• Clarify what new permissions they have (or lose)
• Provide training if needed
• Document the change in your records

Role Change Scenarios

Promoting a Member to Admin

Demoting an Admin to Member

Security Considerations

Owner Account Security

The Owner account is the most powerful - protect it:

• ✅ Use a strong, unique password
• ✅ Enable two-factor authentication (if available)
• ✅ Don't share Owner credentials
• ✅ Use a business email (not personal)
• ✅ Keep contact information current

Admin Account Management

Admins have significant power - manage them carefully:

• ✅ Limit Admin count (3-5 maximum for most workspaces)
• ✅ Review Admin list quarterly
• ✅ Remove Admin access when employees leave
• ✅ Audit Admin actions regularly
• ✅ Document who has Admin access and why

Member Account Hygiene

Even Members need good security practices:

• ✅ Require strong passwords
• ✅ Remove inactive members promptly
• ✅ Suspend (don't delete) when investigating issues
• ✅ Review member list monthly
• ✅ Train members on security best practices

Troubleshooting

"I can't access the Billing tab"

Only the Owner can access billing. If you need to manage billing:

• Contact your workspace Owner
• Ask them to handle the billing task
• Or ask them to transfer ownership (requires creating new workspace)

"I can't see another user's documents"

This is normal for Members. Documents are private by default. To access:

• Ask the document creator to share it with you
• Ask an Admin to add you to a shared folder
• Ask the creator to change document visibility to "Workspace"

"I can't invite new team members"

Only Owners and Admins can invite members. If you need to invite someone:

• Contact your Owner or an Admin
• Provide the person's email and desired role
• They can send the invitation for you

"I was demoted from Admin - why?"

Contact your workspace Owner to understand:

• The reason for the change
• Whether it's temporary or permanent
• What you can do to regain Admin access (if desired)

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