In Ariadne, you control what users can see and edit through rights groups. This article explains which groups exist, what rights they have, and how to assign them.
Default rights for new users
When a new Ariadne user is created – either manually or via Active Directory – they automatically receive the rights of a standard user. No manual assignment is needed.
You can grant additional rights to a user or restrict existing rights:
| Extend rights | Restrict rights |
|---|---|
Assignment to KeyUserGroup, QMGroup, ResubmissionGroup, or ReportingGroup; entry as module owner of a module | Assignment to ReadOnlyGroup |
View and modify rights overview
As a Key User, you can use the Rights Overview to see which groups have read or write permissions in which modules.
You can adjust a group's rights directly using the settings icon for each module.
Rights groups overview
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
| Standard users | All registered users automatically belong to this group. They have all read and write rights needed for daily work with Ariadne. |
| Page owners | Defined in the metadata of each page. They are responsible for the content and can perform content approval in the approval workflow. |
| Module owners | Defined per module in the module configuration (one group per module). Within their module, module owners have the same rights as Key Users: they can always read and edit all content of the module, have page owner rights for every page in the module, and can grant both content and formal approval in the approval workflow. They do not have access to administrative tools such as user or group management. Details: Define module owners. |
KeyUserGroup | Points of contact for standard users with questions about usage. Key Users have all rights to edit and approve in the approval workflow and can access administrative tools (user management, group management, usage statistics, currency check). |
Unit-KeyUserGroup | Like KeyUserGroup, but limited to a single unit. Points of contact for users in that unit. |
QMGroup | Responsible for formal approval in the approval workflow and for the structure and formal design of Ariadne. Moderates process recordings. See also The Seven Tasks of an Ariadne Gardener (external). |
ReadOnlyGroup | Users have read-only access. Typical use case: external auditors or customers who need to view documentation. |
ReportingGroup | Members receive access to the Usage Report. Key Users are automatically part of this group. |
ResubmissionGroup | Members can configure the resubmission functionality. Key Users are automatically part of this group. |
RoleManagementGroup | If role management should be reserved for specific users, add them here. If the group is empty, anyone can edit roles. Details: Role Management in Ariadne. |
UserProfileManagementGroup | Members can edit the editable attributes of all user profiles. |
AdminGroup | Reserved for Modell Aachen for technical setup and configuration. Can only be administered by Modell Aachen. |
Functions and rights groups in the Processes module
The following table shows which functions in the Processes module are available to which rights groups. Page owners have their rights only for their own pages; module owners have them for all pages in their module.
| Function | ReadOnly | Standard | Reporting | Resubmission | QM | Page Owner | Module Owner | Key User |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read content | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Edit content (draft / change proposal) | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Upload attachments (draft / change proposal) | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| View usage report | – | – | – | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Configure resubmission | – | – | – | – | ✓ | – | – | ✓ |
| Perform content approval | – | – | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Perform formal approval | – | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Archive content (published version) | – | – | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Change page owner, move pages, define additional approvers | – | – | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Always read and edit pages with visibility protection | – | – | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Edit module configuration (module access permissions, module owners) | – | – | – | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
Define module owners
For each module, you can define a group as module owners (shown in Ariadne as Module responsible). Members of this group manage the module on their own without needing to be Key Users.
- Open Tools > Access overview.
- For the module you want, click the settings icon (Edit module configuration).
- Select Module responsible and enter the group.
- Click Save.
Within their module, module owners can:
- always read and edit all content, even if module or page permissions are restricted
- edit the module configuration, e.g. module access permissions and module owners
- change the page owner, move pages, define additional approvers, and archive pages for every page in the module
- grant content approval in the approval workflow and, on behalf of others, grant formal approval and the approvals of additional approvers; they can also reject or cancel change proposals
Module owners cannot use user and group management, the usage report, resubmission configuration, or create new modules.
Assign users to a group
For step-by-step instructions, see the article Add or remove users from Ariadne groups.
Key User and module owner roles: notes and best practices
Key Users can perform the approval workflow without restrictions – that is, they can grant both content and formal approval. This is convenient but carries a risk: if one person approves both alone, the four-eyes principle may be violated, leading to audit deviations.
Our recommendations
- For companies with up to 200 employees: a maximum of 3 Key Users
- Key Users and module owners should use their approval rights only in exceptional cases, such as when a page owner is absent
- Content approval typically lies with page owners
- Formal approval is performed by QM (users in
QMGroup, maximum 2 people)
Tips and step-by-step instructions: Perform formal approval – checklist.
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