Role Playing in ACC
In this article, Autodesk Certified Professional Daniel Lench emphasizes defining role-based permissions in Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC).
I wouldn't go to a bakery for an oil change. Similarly, team members should only change the data for which they possess the skills, knowledge, and authorization. This allowance may come from their position, department, or role within a project. Project managers rarely need to be in design software, and the design team would not be involved in project management. Crossing roles would confuse and impact the entire team's effectiveness. Surveyors must protect their observed data at all costs. I have seen countless times when a designer will mistakenly edit a topo file to "fix" linework. This breaks the chain of custody and adds an element of risk to the design workflow.
The traditional server and folder layout may present users with a project folder containing subfolders whose permission levels are inherited from the drive letter on which they reside. This typically allows all users in a division to read and write access for all items in the drive. Other drives may be created for accounting, human resources, management, or administration. Permissions are set at the drive level by IT.
ACC treats each project as a stand-alone, self-contained data set. When users are added to the company and given a default role, their permissions are automatically defined when they are added to a project. A user’s roles can be modified uniquely in each project's folders, but starting with an intentional default permission hierarchy ensures success throughout the project and consistency throughout the company.
Your project creation template should include the company's Role permissions scheme for each folder. Any project created with the template will have these default permissions defined, allowing you to add users and trust that they will gain appropriate access levels to the areas they have been provisioned.
The "Project Files" folder is the topmost level of an ACC project. This folder will have the ACC admins added by name with the "Manage" permission. Additional roles with "Manage" permissions may include a BIM Manager or other appropriate role identified by your organization. Every other role at this top level should be the most restrictive. Subfolders will become less restrictive as they get deeper into the project to isolate data and tasks. Setting "View+Download" for roles other than CAD Coordinators sets the default permission inheritance throughout the project.
Project Root:
Survey folder:
The Survey folder has the "View+Download" role inherited from the Project Root. This inheritance gives you the greatest control over folder access throughout the project. The Survey role has been allowed editing permissions. Users can have multiple roles assigned to them, the default company-wide role and a project-specific role.
A project-specific role is handy when identifying a user who will share data between consultants over Bridge. Assigning a "Project CAD Coordinator" role with project-wide "Edit" permissions allows the user to share data. Lesser privileged roles do not allow sharing.
Understanding your company's needs and assets and how these relate to a project's data structure is paramount to enforcing responsible access across folders. I welcome additional observations and tips and look forward to learning from your ACC experiences.
