User Roles
ApprovIQ uses role-based access control to manage what each person can do within a project. Each user has exactly one role per project.
Role Overview
Approver
The Approver is the project owner — typically a building certifier, engineer, fire safety practitioner, or other construction professional who needs to verify and approve documentation.
Key responsibilities:
- Creates and configures the project
- Defines the approval list requirements
- Reviews submitted documents
- Changes item statuses (Satisfied, Request for Info, Not Applicable)
- Stamps approved documents with professional credentials
- Invites team members, collaborators, and the applicant
Applicant
The Applicant is the person submitting documents for approval — typically a builder, developer, or project manager.
Key responsibilities:
- Uploads documents against approval list items
- Responds to Requests for Info with revised documents
- Communicates with the approver via comments
- Tracks approval progress
- Invites collaborators to help with document preparation
Team Member
A Team Member assists the approver with review responsibilities. This role is useful when multiple certifiers need to collaborate on a project — for example, when different specialists review different item categories.
Key capabilities:
- Reviews documents and changes item statuses
- Stamps approved documents
- Manages approval list items (add, edit, reorder)
- Views all project information and history
- Manages the project's applicant and collaborators
Limitations:
- Cannot manage organisation-team membership unless their organisation-team rank permits it
- Cannot manage approver-only project settings such as project stages
Collaborator
A Collaborator is an external party with limited access — for example, a subconsultant who needs to upload a specific report, or a project manager who needs visibility.
Key capabilities:
- Views the project and approval list
- Uploads documents
- Adds comments on approval list items
Limitations:
- Cannot change item statuses
- Cannot stamp documents
- Cannot manage any project settings or invitations
Permissions Matrix
| Action | Approver | Applicant | Team Member | Collaborator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View active project | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| View draft project | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| View completed project | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Edit project details | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Manage project stages | Yes | — | — | — |
| Manage approval list items | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Upload documents | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Change item status | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| Stamp documents | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Add comments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manage applicant | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Manage collaborators | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| View audit trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Organisation-team membership is separate from project roles. Team admins and owners can invite team members; ordinary team members cannot.
Anonymous Access
Approvers can optionally enable anonymous access for a project, which allows anyone with the project link to view it without signing in. Anonymous users can see the project details and approval list but cannot upload documents, change statuses, or add comments.
Role Assignment
- The person who creates a project is automatically the Approver
- The Applicant is assigned during project creation or later by the approver or an active member of the project's owning team
- Team Members are invited by organisation-team admins or owners
- Collaborators are invited by the approver, applicant, or an active member of the project's owning team
- A user can have different roles on different projects — for example, you could be an Approver on one project and a Collaborator on another