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Roles & Permissions

CanaryQMS uses five roles to control access. Each user is assigned exactly one role.

Role Overview

RolePurposeTypical Users
AdminFull system access including user management and configurationIT administrator, QMS owner
Quality ManagerCreates, edits, and approves quality records. Manages training.Quality Manager, Food Safety Manager
Quality EngineerDay-to-day operations — creates and edits records but cannot approveQA Technician, Quality Engineer, Lab Analyst
ApproverReviews and approves CAPAs and documents. Cannot create records.Department Head, Technical Director
Read OnlyView-only access to all records, dashboards, and reportsExternal auditor, Senior management, Consultant

Permission Matrix

PermissionAdminQuality ManagerQuality EngineerApproverRead Only
Manage users
System configuration
Create complaints
Edit complaints
Transition complaint status
Create NCRs
Edit NCRs
Transition NCR status
Create CAPAs
Edit CAPAs
Approve CAPAs
Upload documents
Approve documents
Manage training
Complete training
Generate reports
Manage products
View all records

Separation of Duties

Important: Regardless of role, a user cannot approve a CAPA or document they created. This is enforced at the system level to satisfy ISO 9001 Clause 7.5 and ISO 22000 requirements for independent review.

This means:

  • A Quality Manager who creates a CAPA must have a different Quality Manager or Approver approve it
  • A document uploaded by one user must be reviewed by a different user
  • The system will reject approval attempts where the approver is the creator

Changing Roles

Only Admin users can change roles. Navigate to Settings → Users, find the user, and select a new role from the dropdown. The change takes effect immediately.

Consider the principle of least privilege — assign the minimum role needed for each person's responsibilities.