Document Permissions & Operations Guide

Document Permissions & Operations Overview

In any organization, maintaining control over company files, policies, safety manuals, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) requires a clear balance between collaboration and security. You want frontline employees to easily find the latest safety guidelines, while ensuring confidential files remain protected and only authorized personnel can make changes.

The Algus Document Management module operates under a dual-layer security model that functions identically across both the Web Portal and the Mobile App:

1. Module-Level Permissions (Role Permissions): Assigned in organization settings to define what general actions a user's role can perform (e.g., viewing, creating, editing, deleting, or uploading versions).
2. Resource-Level Access (Document & Folder Rules): Applied directly to individual files or folders to control who owns the document, who has been granted access, and whether the item is Public or Private.

This guide provides a clear, user-friendly breakdown of "Who Can Do What" so you can easily configure permissions for your organization.

👥 Understanding User Roles & Badges

When viewing documents in the library, users belong to one or more of the following access categories:

🌐 Public Documents vs. 🔒 Private / Restricted Documents

Every folder and file in your library is either Public or Private (Restricted). Understanding this difference is key to configuring access:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        DOCUMENT VISIBILITY MODES                       │
├───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┤
│       🌐 PUBLIC DOCUMENTS         │       🔒 PRIVATE DOCUMENTS         │
│                                   │                                    │
│ • Open to all employees           │ • Hidden from general staff        │
│ • Everyone can View & Download    │ • Only Creator, Owners, Authors,   │
│ • Anyone with "Upload Version"    │   Full Access users, or granted    │
│   permission can upload revisions │   members can see or open it       │
│ • Ideal for SOPs, Company Hand-   │ • Ideal for HR files, financial    │
│   books, and Safety Procedures    │   records, and executive memos     │
└───────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘

Public Documents & Folders

• Visibility: Immediately visible in search and folder browsing to every active employee in your organization who has the View Documents role permission.
• Reading & Downloading: Any permitted team member can view the file preview and download copies on Web or Mobile.
• Uploading Revisions: Any team member who holds the Upload Version role permission can upload a new revision or add attachments to a public document. This makes collaborating on company-wide procedures seamless.
• Editing & Deleting: Only the Creator, designated Owners, Authors, or users with Full Document Access can edit metadata (such as renaming or changing numbers) or delete the document.

Private / Restricted Documents & Folders

• Visibility: Completely invisible to general staff. It does not appear in search results, folder listings, or offline mobile sync for unauthorized users.
• Access Control: Only the following people can see or interact with a private document:
  1. The original Creator / Uploader.
  2. Designated Owners (👑) and Authors (📖).
  3. Users holding the Full Document Access permission.
  4. Individual Users, User Groups, or Work Sites explicitly added through the Manage Access window with View or Edit permissions.
• Uploading Revisions: To upload a new version to a private document, a user must hold the Upload Version role permission AND be an Owner, Author, Creator, or hold explicit Edit access.

📋 "Who Can Do What" Operations Matrix

Use this quick-reference table to understand exact operational permissions across the platform:

🔄 Document Status Rules & Their Impact on Access

A document's workflow status directly affects who can see it and what actions can be performed:

┌─────────────┐       Publish       ┌─────────────────┐       Archive       ┌────────────────┐
│    DRAFT    │ ──────────────────> │    PUBLISHED    │ ──────────────────> │    ARCHIVED    │
│  (Private)  │                     │ (Active & Live) │                     │  (Read-Only)   │
└─────────────┘                     └─────────────────┘                     └────────────────┘
       │                                     │
       │ Future Date                         │ Deactivate
       ▼                                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────┐         ┌─────────────────────────┐
│  SCHEDULED PUBLICATION  │         │       DEACTIVATED       │
│ (Hidden until release)  │         │   (Hidden from Staff)   │
└─────────────────────────┘         └─────────────────────────┘

1. Draft Status

• Purpose: For documents currently being authored, reviewed, or prepared.
• Who Can See: Only the Creator, designated Owners, Authors, and Admins. General staff cannot see draft files.
• Uploading Revisions: Uploading a file to a Draft document updates the current draft directly rather than incrementing to a new version number.

2. Published Status

• Purpose: The official, active version of the document.
• Who Can See: All users permitted by the document's Public or Private access rules.
• Uploading Revisions: Uploading a new file automatically increments the version (e.g., from v1 to v2) and archives the previous version in the audit history.

3. Scheduled Publication

• Purpose: Allows managers to upload a future policy or manual in advance with an automatic release date.
• Who Can See: Visible only to Creator, Owners, Authors, and Admins. General employees cannot see or access the file until the scheduled date and time arrives.

4. Archived Status

• Purpose: Retires outdated or superseded documents while preserving an unalterable compliance audit trail.
• Who Can See: Preserved in historical version logs. Can be viewed and downloaded by permitted users.
• Strict Restrictions: Archived documents are frozen and read-only. Nobody (not even Owners or Admins) can edit metadata, delete attachments, or upload new versions to an archived document.

5. Deactivated Status

• Purpose: Temporarily removes a document from active circulation without permanently deleting its records.
• Who Can See: Hidden from all general users. Only the Creator, Owners, Authors, and Admins can view it.
• Actions Allowed: Permitted managers can view, download, or permanently delete deactivated files. Editing is disabled.

💻 📱 Platform Action Guide

🛠️ Best-Practice Permission Blueprints for Organizations

Administrators can configure role permissions in Account Settings → Roles & Permissions to match common company job functions:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               RECOMMENDED PERMISSION BLUEPRINTS                        │
├───────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ROLE BLUEPRINT                │ RECOMMENDED ROLE PERMISSIONS           │
├───────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 👷 Frontline Field Staff       │ • View Documents                       │
│                               │ • Download Documents                   │
├───────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 👨‍💻 Department Contributor    │ • View Documents                       │
│                               │ • Download Documents                   │
│                               │ • Create Documents                     │
│                               │ • Upload Version                       │
├───────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 📋 Document Controller /      │ • View Documents                       │
│    Safety Supervisor          │ • Download Documents                   │
│                               │ • Create Documents                     │
│                               │ • Edit Documents                       │
│                               │ • Delete Documents                     │
│                               │ • Upload Version                       │
│                               │ • Manage Document Access               │
├───────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 👑 EHS Director / Compliance   │ • All Document Permissions             │
│    Manager                    │ • Full Document Access (Superuser)     │
└───────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────┘

💡 Practical Real-World Scenarios

Scenario A: Team Member Cannot See a Safety Folder

• Problem: A field technician reports that the "High-Voltage Electrical SOPs" folder is missing from their mobile app.
• Root Cause: The folder was set to Restricted (Private), but the technician was not added to the access list.
• Solution: A folder Owner opens Manage Access, clicks Grant Access, selects the technician's User Group (e.g., "Electrical Maintenance"), selects View permission, and saves. The folder immediately appears on the technician's device.

Scenario B: Uploading an Annual Safety Manual Revision

• Scenario: The company safety manual is a Public Document. An authorized safety officer wants to release the 2026 update.
• How It Works: Because the document is public, the safety officer only needs the Upload Version role permission. They open the file, select Upload New Version, attach Safety_Manual_2026.pdf, enter change notes, and save. The document increments to version 2, and all employee bookmarks immediately point to the latest version.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an Owner and an Author?

An Owner (👑) has complete managerial authority over the document, including modifying privacy settings, granting access to others, moving the document, and deleting it. An Author (📖) is a content specialist who can edit document details, upload new versions, and attach files, but cannot reconfigure access rules or delete the document unless granted specific delete permissions.

Can a user with View-only access upload a new version to a public file?

Yes, provided they have been granted the Upload Version role permission in their user profile. On public documents, any employee with the Upload Version role permission can submit an updated revision.

Can I delete an older version attachment without deleting the entire document?

Yes. On the current version, you can delete individual secondary attachments provided at least one primary file remains. However, you cannot delete attachments from older historical revisions or archived documents, ensuring historical integrity.

What happens to employee acknowledgments when a new version is uploaded?

If Document Acknowledgment is enabled and configured for version updates, uploading a new version automatically resets pending acknowledgments. Employees will receive a prompt to review and sign off on the new version.