How to set up role based permissions and team collaboration in Referin

If you’re managing a team in Referin and need more control over who can do what, you’re in the right place. This guide is for folks who want to keep things organized—whether you’re onboarding a scrappy startup crew or wrangling a bigger group that’s outgrown “everyone’s an admin.” We’ll talk through the real steps to set up role-based permissions, how to actually collaborate without stepping on each other’s toes, and what to skip if you don’t want to overcomplicate things.

Let’s keep it practical: you want to protect sensitive info, avoid accidental mess-ups, and still get work done together. Here’s how to make Referin work for you.

1. Get Clear on What Roles You Actually Need

Before you start clicking around, pause. The most common mistake is to copy some “best practice” org chart and end up with a permissions mess nobody understands.

Here’s what to do:

  • List your team jobs: Who’s actually using Referin? What do they need to access?
    • Example: Admins, content creators, reviewers, viewers.
  • Decide what’s sensitive: Is there data or functionality you want locked down? Figure out what actually needs protection.
  • Ignore fake complexity: Don’t create more roles than you can remember. If you’re under 10 people, you probably just need 2–3 roles to start.

Pro tip: Write this out on a sticky note or in your notes app. It’ll keep you honest when you start setting things up in Referin.

2. Understand How Permissions Work in Referin

Referin (referin.html) uses a role-based system with a mix of built-in and (sometimes) custom roles. Here’s the honest rundown:

  • Admins: Can do everything—manage settings, users, and billing.
  • Editors/Contributors: Can add or edit content, but can’t change team-level settings.
  • Viewers: Can see stuff but can’t change anything.
  • Custom roles: Some plans let you fine-tune what each role can do. Most people won’t need this, unless you’re in a bigger org or have compliance headaches.

Don’t get fancy unless you have to. Most headaches come from folks who try to build a NASA-level permission structure for a five-person team.

3. Set Up Your Team in Referin

Step 1: Invite Team Members

  • Go to your workspace’s Team or Users section.
  • Click “Invite” or “Add User.”
  • Enter email addresses and assign roles right away.
    • If you skip this, everyone lands as a default (usually Viewer or Editor), and you’ll have to fix it later.

Pro tip: Don’t give everyone Admin just because you trust them. Even smart people click the wrong button sometimes.

Step 2: Assign (and Double-Check) Roles

  • For each new user, set their role based on your earlier notes.
  • Some roles might have extra options—like restricting access to certain projects or folders. Use this only if you need it. Otherwise, keep it simple.
  • Save changes. Seriously, double-check before you hit save.

Step 3: Set Up Teams or Groups (Optional)

  • If your plan supports it, you can create teams (like “Marketing” or “Engineering”) and assign permissions at the team level.
  • This is useful if you’re managing more than 10–15 users, or want to quickly onboard/offboard groups.

What to skip: If you’re a smaller team, don’t bother with groups yet. It’s just more overhead.

4. Fine-Tune Access Where It Matters

Most teams only need broad strokes, but sometimes you need to control access at the project or folder level.

  • Find the “Share” or “Permissions” settings on your workspace, project, or folder.
  • Add users or teams, and set their access (view, edit, admin).
  • Remember: The more granular you get, the harder it is to keep track. Use this for genuinely sensitive stuff, not just because you can.

Real talk: The more exceptions you make, the more likely you are to have someone locked out of something important later—or worse, someone with access they shouldn’t have.

5. Set Up Collaboration Workflows That Don’t Suck

Permissions are just the start. If you want your team to actually get things done together in Referin, set up some ground rules.

Keep Communication Clear

  • Agree on where to add comments, tag people, or flag issues.
  • Use built-in notifications, but don’t go notification-crazy. Too much noise, and people start ignoring alerts.

Track Changes and Ownership

  • Make sure every project or document has a clear owner.
  • Use version history if Referin supports it, so you can always roll back mistakes.

Avoid Stepping on Toes

  • If multiple people edit the same thing, have a system for assigning tasks or locking content.
  • Don’t rely on permissions for accountability—talk to each other.

Skip this: Don’t try to automate everything unless you’re spending hours a week on coordination. Most teams just need a shared doc with “who does what.”

6. Audit and Adjust—Don’t Set It and Forget It

Teams change, people leave, roles shift. If you never revisit permissions, you’ll end up with ex-employees who still have access or new folks who can’t get started.

  • Set a reminder to review roles every couple of months.
  • Remove people who don’t need access anymore.
  • Update roles as people take on new responsibilities.

Pro tip: If you’re not sure what access someone needs, default to less. It’s way easier to add permissions than to clean up after a leak or mistake.

7. Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)

Here’s where people trip up:

  • Giving everyone Admin: Don’t. It’s asking for trouble.
  • Too many custom roles: If you can’t explain your permission structure in 30 seconds, it’s too complicated.
  • No offboarding process: People who leave should lose access. No exceptions.
  • Not documenting your setup: Keep a simple record (even a Google Doc) of who has what access and why.

8. When You Actually Need Advanced Features

Referin sometimes offers advanced permission features—like audit logs, approval workflows, or API-based role management. Here’s who should care:

  • Larger orgs with compliance or security needs.
  • Teams handling sensitive data (legal, HR, finance).
  • Folks integrating Referin with other systems for automation.

If that’s not you, skip it for now. Complexity adds risk and slows you down.

Keep It Simple, Review Regularly

You don’t need to be an IT admin to keep your team humming along in Referin. Stick to a handful of clear roles, double-check who has access to what, and talk to your team about how you work together. Over-optimizing permissions is a waste of time for most teams—start with the basics, and adjust as you grow.

Bottom line: Keep things simple, check in now and then, and focus on actually getting work done. That’s what teams are for.