Roles and Access Matrix Template

Roles and Access Matrix Template

Roles and access decisions shape architecture early. If a product has state staff, residents, vendors, supervisors, auditors, or public users, engineering needs to understand who signs in and what each group can do.

This template can usually be drafted by product, program, policy, security, and operations staff before engineering joins.

Why It Helps

Engineering uses this matrix to validate identity provider needs, authorization complexity, audit logging, privacy boundaries, support workflows, and whether a vendor or existing platform can handle the required access model.

Copy This Template

| Role / user group | Who belongs here | Sign-in path today | Actions needed | Data visible | Approval owner | Audit need | Support need | Unknowns |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Resident applicant | Member of the public applying for service | No account today | Submit application, upload documents, check status | Own application only | Program owner | Submission timestamp and changes | Password or identity help if accounts exist | Whether account creation is required |
| Caseworker | State employee processing applications | Agency SSO | Search cases, update status, request documents | Assigned caseload | Operations supervisor | Case changes and notes | Access request through help desk | Whether contractors use same SSO |
| Supervisor | Program manager overseeing work | Agency SSO | Reassign cases, view reports, approve exceptions | Team caseload and reports | Program director | Approvals and reassignment log | Elevated access review | Approval thresholds |
| Vendor support | Vendor staff maintaining rules engine | Vendor-managed account | Troubleshoot file processing | Limited integration logs | Vendor manager | Admin actions | Contract support queue | Whether access can be federated |

Bring This to Engineering

Bring the matrix plus any current access request forms, role descriptions, security policies, or vendor access constraints.

The most useful signal is the exception case: contractors, temporary staff, supervisors, auditors, and external users usually reveal the real authorization complexity.