Bringing someone new onto your team can be chaos—or it can just work. If you’re using Piperai to manage your team’s workflows, this guide will walk you through getting people set up without making it a full-time job. Whether you’re in charge of a small group or wrangling a larger org, you’ll get the nuts and bolts here—no fluffy advice or pointless steps.
Why onboarding and permissions matter (but not too much)
Let’s get this out of the way: onboarding is important, but it doesn’t have to be a ceremony. The real goal is to make sure new folks know what they’re doing and don’t get into places they shouldn’t. Piperai gives you tools for both—if you use them right.
Step 1: Prep before you add anyone
Don’t jump straight to inviting people. Spend five minutes thinking about:
- What will this person actually do in Piperai? Are they creating content, reviewing, or just watching?
- What info or tools do they need? Don’t give blanket access “just in case.” That’s how mistakes (or worse, security issues) happen.
- Do you already have groups or teams set up? Using groups makes life way easier, especially if you plan to grow.
Pro tip: Write down your answers. It’ll save time later and help you spot when you’re giving out access just because it’s easier.
Step 2: Add your new team member
Here’s how to get someone into Piperai the right way:
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Go to the team management section. Usually, you’ll find this under “Settings” or “Team” in the sidebar. If it’s hidden, you might not have the right permissions yourself—check with whoever set up your Piperai account.
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Click “Invite teammate” or “Add user.” Piperai will ask for their email address. Double-check you’ve got it right—typos here are a pain to fix.
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Choose their initial role or group. Don’t skip this. Sending invites with default (usually too-high) permissions is a classic mistake.
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Add a short welcome note (optional). If Piperai lets you include a message, keep it simple: “Hi! Welcome to the team. Here’s where to start: [link].” It shows you care, but doesn’t waste their time.
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Send the invite. That’s it. The person gets an email and follows the link to set up their account.
What works: Inviting people right before they actually start. Don’t send invites a week early—they’ll forget, or the link will expire.
What to skip: Importing a giant CSV of users unless you really know what you’re doing. Most teams don’t need this, and it’s easy to screw up.
Step 3: Set user permissions (and don’t overthink it)
Permissions are where a lot of teams get tangled. Here’s how to keep it simple:
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Pick the closest matching role: Piperai usually offers roles like Admin, Editor, Viewer, and maybe a few custom ones. Give the lowest possible access that lets someone do their job.
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Admin: Can do almost everything, including changing billing—use this sparingly.
- Editor: Can add or change content, but can’t mess with settings.
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Viewer: Can see stuff, but not touch it.
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Use groups for easier management: If you’ve got several people with the same job, assign permissions at the group level. You’ll thank yourself later when someone leaves or changes roles.
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Customize only if you must: Custom permissions sound good, but unless you’ve got a complex setup, they mostly just add confusion and maintenance headaches.
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Review access quarterly: Permissions drift is real. Once a quarter (or when someone leaves), quickly check if anyone has access they shouldn’t.
What works: Starting with less access and bumping it up if someone actually needs it.
What to ignore: The urge to create a dozen custom roles for every possible scenario. You’ll just end up managing a mess.
Step 4: Walk them through the basics (don’t skip this)
Even the best tools aren’t obvious if you’re new. The first 10 minutes make a big difference.
- Show them where to find help. Point out Piperai’s built-in help or docs. If you have your own onboarding doc, link to it.
- Demo the two or three features they’ll use most. Don’t cover everything—just what they need to get started.
- Explain who to ask for help. “If you get stuck, ask me or post in #support.” That’s it.
Pro tip: Schedule a 15-minute screen share if you’re remote. It beats trading a dozen chat messages.
Step 5: Check in after a week
Most onboarding guides skip this, but it’s where a lot of problems surface.
- Ask if they hit any roadblocks. Permissions might need tweaking. They might be locked out of something or overwhelmed with notifications.
- Make adjustments fast. It’s way easier to fix access issues in week one than after someone’s built bad workarounds.
- Get feedback on the process. If something was confusing, fix it for the next person.
Advanced: Automation and integrations (for those who need it)
If your team’s growing fast or you’re tired of doing this manually, Piperai supports some integrations:
- Single Sign-On (SSO): If you’ve got SSO set up, new users can join with their company login. This is overkill for small teams, but a lifesaver for big ones.
- Directory sync: Sync users from Google Workspace, Okta, or similar. Only bother if your team changes a lot.
- Audit logs: For regulated industries or if you just want to see who did what, check Piperai’s audit logs or export features.
What works: Automate only when manual steps start taking real time.
What to skip: Fancy onboarding workflows unless you’ve got hundreds of users. Most teams do just fine with the basics.
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- Giving admin to everyone “just in case”: It’s a security risk and guarantees accidents.
- Not offboarding people who leave: Remove access as soon as someone’s out. Don’t wait for IT to do it.
- Ignoring permission reviews: Over time, people end up with more access than they need. Check regularly.
- Forgetting to document your process: Even a two-line checklist saves hassle when someone else has to do onboarding.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, fix as you go
Onboarding and setting permissions in Piperai doesn’t have to be a project. Start small, give people only what they need, and don’t be afraid to tighten things up over time. A little upfront effort saves hours of cleanup later. If something’s not working, change it—don’t just add another layer of process.
The goal: make it easy for people to do their jobs, and hard for them to make a mess. That’s it.