SilkFlo controls access in two layers: one system role per user, which sets what they can see and do across the platform, and optional collaborator roles, which give extra rights on individual ideas only. That split lets you open SilkFlo to everyone with an idea, while keeping business cases, funding decisions and settings with the people accountable for them.
Why two layers #
Access works best when people get what their job needs and nothing more. In an AI programme, that need changes from idea to idea. A finance analyst might need to edit the business case for one invoice-automation idea, but has no reason to edit every idea in the pipeline.
- System roles cover the job someone does across the programme: submitting ideas, triaging, assessing, running the pipeline, sponsoring.
- Collaborator roles cover the help someone gives on a specific idea. They’re the right tool for subject matter experts, analysts and delivery teams who join one initiative.
This also keeps costs down. Every system role except Standard User uses a paid Admin seat, so adding someone as a collaborator is often better than upgrading their system role.
You’ll find both under Settings > People > Roles.
System roles #
Every user has exactly one system role. System roles are predefined and can’t be edited or deleted.
| System role | Who it’s for | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Standard User | Everyone. Submit ideas, follow the pipeline, take part in the community. Every new account starts here. | Contributor |
| Sponsor | Executives and budget holders who need read-only visibility of ideas, reports and dashboards. | Admin |
| Authorised User | Subject matter experts, process owners, business analysts and consultants who know a process in detail and submit ideas straight into a Smart Assessment. | Admin |
| Idea Approver | Reviewers who triage new ideas: spotting duplicates, approving ideas for assessment and assigning a Process Owner. | Admin |
| Program Manager | The people who run the pipeline: edit any idea, move ideas through stages, archive or delete them, and see cost information. | Admin |
| Account Owner | The person who runs the SilkFlo account. Manages settings, users and roles. The first user on an account gets this role automatically. | Admin |
What “Admin” means: in SilkFlo, Admin is a seat type, not a role. Every system role except Standard User uses an Admin seat. Standard Users are Contributors. How many Admin seats and Contributors you get depends on your plan; see Pricing.
The three roles most organisations use are Account Owner, Authorised User and Standard User. Add the others as your programme grows.
Permissions by system role #
| Permission | Standard User | Sponsor | Authorised User | Idea Approver | Program Manager | Account Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View ideas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Share employee-driven ideas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Submit CoE-driven ideas (Smart Assessment) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Review new ideas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Assign Process Owner | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Review assessed ideas | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Edit all idea fields | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Edit idea stage and status | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Archive ideas | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Delete ideas | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| View reports | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| View tenant dashboards | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| View cost info in the pipeline | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Manage tenant settings | ✓ | |||||
| Manage tenant users | ✓ | |||||
| Manage tenant user roles | ✓ |
Assigning a system role #
- When inviting: pick the role in the invite dropdown. You can give your own role or a lower one, never Account Owner. If someone has more than one role, the highest one applies. See Invite your Team.
- Changing an existing user’s role: go to Settings > People. Only the Account Owner has Manage Tenant User Roles. Click the edit icon on the user’s row and pick the new role.
Collaborator roles #
A collaborator role gives someone rights on one idea, without widening what they can do anywhere else. Assign collaborators on the idea itself, or in Phase 2 of the idea Modal (Context & Team). Each person you add gets a collaborator role.
Each collaborator role is a combination of seven permissions:
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Edit the About description of an idea | Change the idea’s summary, pain points, impact and assessment answers. |
| Edit the Advanced Settings of an idea | Anything outside the Overview, such as financials, the business case and documentation. |
| View the Cost-Benefit Analysis of an idea | See the idea’s Business Case Builder. |
| Edit the Cost-Benefit Analysis of an idea | Change the forecast, costs and actuals in the Business Case Builder. |
| Edit the documentation of an idea | Upload and update files on the idea’s Documentation tab. |
| Manage the Collaborators of an idea | Add or remove people on the idea and change their roles. |
| Update the Stage and Status of an idea during implementation | Move the idea through the Build stages: Analysis, Solution Design, Development and Testing. |
Example #
Two analysts in Finance, Sam and Priya, are Standard Users. A Program Manager adds Sam to Invoice Matching as a collaborator with a Business Analyst role that can edit the About description, edit documentation and view the business case.
Sam can now update that idea’s assessment and upload the process map. Sam can’t edit the business case, and has no extra rights on any other idea. Priya, who wasn’t added, sees Invoice Matching as a Standard User would.
Default and custom collaborator roles #
SilkFlo comes with a set of default collaborator roles.
- Pro and Enterprise: you can edit collaborator roles and create your own to match how your teams work, such as “Finance Business Partner” or “AI Engineer”, choosing exactly which of the seven permissions each one gets. Go to Settings > People > Roles > Collaborator Roles and click Add role.
- Standard plan: you use the default collaborator roles as they are.
System roles can’t be customised on any plan.
Choosing roles: a quick guide #
| If the person… | Give them |
|---|---|
| has ideas but won’t run assessments | Standard User |
| needs to see dashboards and reports, but not change anything | Sponsor |
| knows a process well and will build business cases for it | Authorised User |
| triages the idea inbox | Idea Approver |
| runs the pipeline and decides what moves forward | Program Manager |
| owns the SilkFlo account and its settings | Account Owner (one per account; to change it, email [email protected]) |
To give someone access to one idea without changing their system role, add them as a collaborator.
FAQ #
Which SilkFlo roles need a paid Admin seat? Every system role except Standard User: Sponsor, Authorised User, Idea Approver, Program Manager and Account Owner. Standard Users are Contributors.
Can I let a Standard User work on a business case without upgrading them? Yes, on a single idea. Add them as a collaborator with a role that includes Edit the Cost-Benefit Analysis of an idea. Their system role, and their access elsewhere, stays the same.
Who should own AI and automation business cases? Usually the person closest to the process. Give them the Authorised User role so they can build the Smart Assessment themselves. A Program Manager then reviews it and makes the stage decision. Splitting it this way keeps the people who know the numbers building the case, and the people accountable for the budget approving it.
Can I change what a system role can do? No. System roles are fixed so permissions stay consistent across the platform. Use collaborator roles for project-level flexibility (custom collaborator roles need Pro or Enterprise).
