Member Groups make it easy to manage who sees what in your Waybook - and who can edit it. Instead of setting permissions one person at a time, you can organize your team into groups and assign access at scale - saving time and ensuring consistency.
Getting your Member Groups right from the start means new team members get exactly what they need from day one, and your permissions stay organized as your team grows.
Here's the simple rule:
Member Groups control access
Structure them as your team works, and consider both who needs to view content and who needs to edit it.
Why Use Member Groups?
Managing permissions individually can become overwhelming fast. Member Groups solve this by letting you assign access to Subjects, Documents, and Learning Paths once for an entire group - rather than person by person.
Member Groups help you:
Save time by managing permissions at scale
Control both viewing and editing access efficiently
Reduce errors and inconsistencies
Ensure new team members get the right access immediately
Keep permissions aligned with your organization's structure
Choosing a Structure That Works for You
When setting up Member Groups, think about how your team actually works - and who needs to create or update content versus who just needs to reference it.
Vertical Groups (By Department or Team)
Organize groups based on departments or functional teams. This ensures employees within the same function have access to relevant content.
Common examples:
Sales Team – Sales playbooks, client onboarding guides, CRM processes (read access)
Sales Contributors – Same content but with editing rights for managers and trainers
Marketing Team – Brand guidelines, campaign strategies, content workflows (read access)
Marketing Contributors – Edit access for content creators and campaign managers
HR Team – Policies, employee handbooks, compliance training (read access)
Ask yourself:
Do these team members work on the same types of tasks?
Should they have access to the same Subjects or Documents?
Do they need to view this content or edit and maintain it?
Horizontal Groups (By Member Type or Level)
Organize groups based on member types that span across departments. This ensures employees at the same level or with similar responsibilities get the right access.
Common examples:
All Employees – Company-wide policies, mission and values, general resources (read access)
Managers – Leadership training, reporting tools, performance management (read access)
Contributors – Subject matter experts with editing rights across relevant Subjects
New Starters – Onboarding documents, company introduction, first-week tasks (read access)
Executives – Strategic planning, board materials, company-wide reporting (read access, sometimes editing)
Ask yourself:
Do these people share the same level of responsibility across different teams?
Should they complete the same training or learning paths?
Do they need to reference resources or create and update them?
Combination of Both (Flexible Structure)
For maximum flexibility, mix Vertical and Horizontal structures. This gives team members both department-specific content and member type-based resources - with the right permission levels for each.
Example: A Marketing Manager might be in:
Marketing Team Group (read access to all marketing content)
Marketing Contributors Group (edit access to marketing documents they own)
Managers Group (read access to leadership training and reporting)
This ensures they can view all relevant content, edit what they're responsible for, and access leadership resources - without over-complicating permissions.
💡 Waybook Tip: Start by creating groups for read access based on departments (who needs to see what). Then add "Contributor" or "Editor" groups for subject matter experts who need to create and maintain content. This keeps permissions clear and prevents accidental edits.
Thinking About Permission Levels
As you plan your Member Groups, consider these common permission scenarios:
Read-Only Access (Most Common):
Team members who need to reference and follow processes
New starters completing onboarding and training
Employees who need to stay informed but not update content
Editing Access (More Selective):
Subject matter experts who create and maintain documents
Managers who update processes for their teams
Designated content owners responsible for keeping information current
Mixed Access:
Some Subjects and Documents are set to read-only, others to editing for the same group
Using permission overrides for individuals who need exceptions
Learn how permission overrides work here in the help center.
Best Practices for Member Groups
Separate Viewing from Editing: Create distinct groups for read access (e.g., "Sales Team") and edit access (e.g., "Sales Contributors"). This prevents accidental changes and makes permission management clearer.
Use Multiple Groups: Team members can - and often should - belong to multiple groups. A Marketing Manager might be in both "Marketing Team" and "Managers Group" to get the right mix of content. This is normal and expected.
Reserve Overrides for Outliers: Permission overrides are for exceptions - individual team members who need different access than their groups provide. Use them sparingly for special cases, not as a workaround for unclear group structures.
Assign at Scale: Always assign permissions at the group level first. Only use individual permissions for exceptions or special cases.
Default to Read-Only: When in doubt, start with read access. You can always grant editing rights later, but it's harder to remove them once content has been changed.
Review Regularly: As your team grows and roles evolve, audit your groups quarterly to ensure permissions still align with how people actually work.
Name Groups Clearly: Use descriptive names that make it immediately obvious who belongs and what access they have (e.g., "Marketing Team" vs. "Marketing Contributors").
By structuring Member Groups effectively - with clear distinctions between viewing and editing rights - you maintain clarity, consistency, and efficiency in managing team access while protecting your content from accidental changes.
Need help configuring Member Groups for your team? Our customer success team can guide you through the setup process and help you build a permissions structure that scales with your business.
Get in touch with our customer success team to create a seamless permissions strategy for your Waybook.