Scale Your Documentation, Not Your Workload
The biggest bottleneck to a successful Waybook is a leader who tries to write everything themselves. This not only slows down the build but often results in documentation that doesn't reflect how tasks are actually handled on the ground.
Your team members are the experts in their specific roles. By involving them early, you ensure your Waybook is accurate and built on real-world experience. In this module, we’ll show you how to move from being the sole creator to the final reviewer.
Setting Up Permissions & Ownership
A scalable Waybook relies on distributed responsibility. Clear ownership eliminates the 'Who was supposed to update this?' confusion.
Understanding Member Types
Waybook uses four core roles to keep your structure secure while encouraging contribution:
Admins: Full control over settings, billing, and all content.
Managers: Can create, edit, and manage permissions for specific Subjects.
Authors & Contributors: The experts who draft and edit content. You can set them up to require approval before their changes go live.
Readers: The end-users who consume knowledge but cannot make changes.
Access Levels: Control at Every Layer
You can set permissions at the Subject or Document level.
Publish: Can edit and go live immediately.
Edit: Can draft and suggest changes (ideal for delegating to staff).
Read: View-only access.
No Access: Hidden from the user (ideal for sensitive HR or Finance data).
💡 Waybook Tip
Don't overthink permissions on Day 1. Most teams start with leadership as Admins and department heads as Managers. You can refine access as your team gets more comfortable with the platform.
Delegating Document Creation
Instead of writing an SOP yourself, ask the person who actually does the task to document it. They can record a Waybook Shot or draft a document using the AI Assistant in a fraction of the time it would take them to explain the process to you.
How to Delegate Effectively:
Assign Ownership: Use the Document Owner feature to make one person responsible for the accuracy of a process.
Use Comments for Feedback: Tag team members in the Activity Sidebar to ask questions or request updates directly on the document.
Set Approval Workflows: For critical policies, require a Manager review before the document is published to the wider team.
🚀 Activation Challenge
Identify one process that a team member handles better than you. Invite them to Waybook and assign them as the Owner of that Document. Ask them to spend 10 minutes refining the steps to match their current workflow.
Managing Your Knowledge at Scale
As your Waybook grows, the Document Manager becomes your high-level control center. It allows you to maintain quality without getting lost in the weeds.
Filter by Owner: See exactly who is responsible for which parts of your business.
Track Review Status: Quickly identify which documents are in Draft or Pending Approval to keep the build moving.
Mass Reassignment: If a team member leaves or changes roles, you can reassign all their owned documents to a person in just a few clicks.
✨ Case Study
ContainerPort Group streamlined their operations by decentralizing their documentation. Instead of a single department managing all info, they empowered department heads to own their respective Subjects. This resulted in a more accurate knowledge base and significantly higher team engagement.
Ready to Build Together?
The strongest Waybooks are built by the people who use them every day. By delegating the creation phase, you ensure your knowledge base stays relevant and updated. Go ahead and invite your first 2-3 subject matter experts.
In Module 4: Rolling Out & Getting Your Team Engaged, we’ll show you how to launch your Waybook, so your team actually adopts it as their daily resource.
If you're unsure how to structure your team's Member Groups or configure permissions, schedule a free implementation session. We’ve helped hundreds of teams set up their collaborative workflows.