Managing Access to Your Resources

This guide walks you through sharing resources with teams, managing permissions, and using Catalio’s access control features effectively.

Opening the Sharing Modal

You can access sharing settings from any resource that supports sharing:

1. Navigate to the resource (Requirement, Process, Persona, etc.)
2. Look for the Share button in the resource header or actions menu
3. Click to open the sharing modal

The sharing modal displays:

• Current visibility setting
• List of teams with access
• “Who Has Access” breakdown

Changing Resource Visibility

Setting Visibility

In the sharing modal, you’ll see three visibility options:

Private (Lock Icon)

Only you can access this resource. You must explicitly share
with others for them to see it.

Shared (Users Icon)

Only teams you invite can access this resource. Add teams below
to grant access.

Internal (Building Icon)

All members of your organization can view this resource.
Only users with edit permissions can modify it.

How to Change Visibility

1. Open the sharing modal
2. Click on your desired visibility option (Private, Shared, or Internal)
3. The change takes effect immediately
4. Users with existing access may lose or gain access based on the new setting

Important: Changing from Internal to Private removes read access for all organization members who don’t have explicit grants.

Adding Team Access

When you want to share a resource with specific teams:

Step 1: Search for a Team

1. In the sharing modal, find the “Add Team” section
2. Type the team name in the search box
3. A dropdown shows matching teams from your organization

Step 2: Select Permission Level

Before adding the team, choose their permission level:

• Viewer - Can view but not edit
• Editor - Can view and modify
• Admin - Can view, modify, and manage sharing (rare for resources)

Step 3: Add the Team

1. Click on the team name from the search results
2. The team appears in the “Teams with access” list
3. The access is granted immediately

Removing Team Access

To revoke a team’s access:

1. Find the team in the “Teams with access” list
2. Click the Remove (X) button next to their name
3. Confirm the removal if prompted
4. The team immediately loses access

Note: You cannot remove the owner’s access. To change ownership, use the “Transfer Ownership” feature.

Understanding “Who Has Access”

The sharing modal includes a “Who Has Access” section that shows everyone who can access the resource. This panel has three tabs:

Direct Tab

Shows users and teams with explicit access to this specific resource:

• Owner - The resource creator/owner (highlighted)
• Teams with grants - Teams you’ve explicitly shared with
• Individual users - Users with direct access (via team membership)

Each entry shows:

• Name and avatar
• Permission level (viewer, editor, owner)
• How to remove access (if applicable)

Inherited Tab

Shows access granted through parent resources:

"Access via Requirement: REQ-001 OAuth Implementation"
  → Backend Team (editor)
  → QA Team (viewer)

Inherited access cannot be removed from the child resource—you must modify permissions on the parent resource instead.

Organization Tab

Shows organization-level access:

• Organization Admins - Have full access to all resources
• Internal Visibility Access - When visibility is internal, shows that all org members can read

Managing Ownership

Viewing the Current Owner

The owner is always shown at the top of the “Who Has Access” panel, marked with a special indicator.

Transferring Ownership

If you’re the owner and need to transfer ownership to another user:

1. Open the sharing modal
2. Find the “Transfer Ownership” section (usually at the bottom)
3. Search for the new owner
4. Confirm the transfer

Important considerations:

• You will lose owner-level access after transfer
• You may retain editor or viewer access if granted
• The new owner can modify visibility and sharing settings
• Transfer cannot be undone without the new owner’s action

Practical Examples

Example 1: Sharing a Draft with Your Team

You’ve created a draft requirement and want feedback from your team:

1. Open the requirement’s sharing modal
2. Keep visibility as Private (only invited teams)
3. Search for “Backend Team”
4. Select Editor permission
5. Add the team

Now your Backend Team can view and comment on the draft.

Example 2: Publishing an Approved Requirement

Your requirement has been approved and should be visible to the whole organization:

1. Open the requirement’s sharing modal
2. Change visibility to Internal
3. Optionally add specific teams as Editor if they need to modify it

All organization members can now view the requirement.

Example 3: Restricting Access to Sensitive Requirements

You have a compliance requirement that should only be visible to specific teams:

1. Open the requirement’s sharing modal
2. Set visibility to Private or Shared
3. Add “Compliance Team” with Editor access
4. Add “Legal Team” with Viewer access

Only these teams can access the requirement.

Example 4: Enabling Cross-Team Collaboration

Multiple teams need to work on a shared process:

1. Open the process’s sharing modal
2. Set visibility to Shared
3. Add each participating team with appropriate permissions:
   • “Architecture Team” → Editor
   • “Development Team” → Editor
   • “QA Team” → Viewer
   • “Product Management” → Viewer

Common Tasks Quick Reference

Troubleshooting

“I can’t see a resource my colleague shared”

1. Ask your colleague to verify they added your team
2. Check if the resource is in a different organization
3. Ensure you’re a member of the team they shared with
4. Contact your organization admin for assistance

“I removed team access but they can still see it”

Check for:

• Inherited access - They may have access via a parent resource
• Internal visibility - If visibility is internal, all org members can view
• Admin access - Organization admins always have access

“I want to share with a specific person, not a whole team”

Catalio shares with teams, not individuals. To share with one person:

1. Create a small team for this purpose, or
2. Use an existing team they belong to
3. Contact your admin about team organization

“The sharing modal won’t open”

1. Verify you have owner or editor access to the resource
2. Check if you’re logged in
3. Refresh the page and try again
4. Contact support if the issue persists

Tips for Effective Sharing

Do:

• Start with restrictive visibility and expand as needed
• Use teams for sharing rather than trying to track individuals
• Regularly review “Who Has Access” to audit permissions
• Consider inheritance when organizing your resource hierarchy

Don’t:

• Set sensitive resources to Internal visibility
• Share editing access unless collaborators need to modify
• Forget to review sharing when resource content changes significantly
• Ignore inherited access—it affects who can see child resources

What’s Next?

• Permission Levels - Deep dive into viewer, editor, and owner roles
• Best Practices - Security and collaboration guidelines

Need help? Contact support@catalio.ai or use the AI assistant in the application for guidance.