How to assign multiple contract roles to a single person

In this article we explain:-

• Why you might want to edit a workflow to allow a single user to do multiple roles
• How to amend a contract so the PM can perform Supervisor actions
• How to amend a Master Template so all contracts created from this template have a combined role

Related articles:-

• How to configure Contract Templates 
• Understanding Workflow and Templates

Why you might want to edit a workflow to allow a single user to do multiple roles

By default, workflows are set up in FastDraft with a single party role in mind. This is normally sign posted in the name of the workflow. So for example in the Project Manager’s Early Warning Workflow (NEC ECC) below the party role is by default set to the Project Manager. 

However, on small projects, it’s common for multiple roles to be performed by a single person. In this article we will show you how to do this.

It worth noting that the template editors support not only party role which in this example align to NEC ECC but also "role permission" which provide an extra layer of granularity to workflows rules and help support organisation roles and permissions. You can learn more about - How to configure Contract Templates in this support article.

Each contract is based on a default contract template, depending on the contract type (e.g. NEC4 ECC, PSC etc).  Workflows can be amended to allow role access that are not normally performed by that role. For example, a contract may have one user performing the role of Project Manager and Supervisor, so the Supervisor workflow would need amending so the Project Manager can fulfil the Supervisor role or the Project Manager's Workflows could also be amended to add the Supervisor. 

N.B.  The Party changes made to a workflow affect ALL (Party) Project Managers assigned to the contract.  If you wish to have different roles and permission for certain project managers to cater for seniority or other internal requirements, the individuals would need to be given different roles and permissions.

N.B. Some contract conditions require this type of change to be notified formally to the other party or agreed by the other party. Under NEC ECC for example, the Project Manager and Supervisor can only delegate their duties in writing and the Contractor when replacing key people needs to get the Project Manager Acceptance.

Here are some specific example of how to change common combination of roles.

How to amend an individual NEC ECC contract so the PM can perform Supervisor actions

In this example we looking at how the Project Manager's and Supervisor's role can be combined for a single person. This can in theory be done two ways, either adding the Supervisor party to all PM workflows or adding the PM to all Supervisor workflows.

A user can only have one party role and this is shown in the contract user table, so if you wish to the user to be shown as a PM, you would need to add the PM role to the Supervisor workflows. This is less admin work as well as there are less Supervisor workflows than PM workflows.

Below are the main "Inspection and Defects" workflows that the Supervisor is responsible for.  

There are a couple more that can be switched on

Select the contract to amend from the Contracts register in the Admin Panel or from My Contracts. 

1. Select the contract template from the left-hand navigation panel. 

2. Select Workflows>>>Workflows

A list of available Workflows Groups is displayed. Scroll down to see the main workflow group we want to change "Inspection & Defects".

3. Select the relevant Workflow Group (Step 1) you wish to change. Most of the Supervisor's workflows are under the ‘Inspection & Defects’ workflow group. Once the Workflow Group is selected and then select ‘workflow’ tab (Step 2) to display a list of the workflows in this group that you may need to edit. 

4. Select the relevant workflow to update.

5. Within the Workflow Editor there are a number of variables that can be changed. Select the "Format Filter to Default" button and it will display preconfigured common combinations.

This provides you with the following options and a quick and easy way to change the setting in one click.

1. 1. Supervisor ->Supplier is the default template version - The Supervisor creates and communicates these notifications. It looks like this:-
   2. PM & Supervisor -> Supplier   -  The PM & Supervisor create and communicate these notifications. It looks like this:-
   3. PM ->Supplier  -  Only the PM creates and communicates these notifications. It looks like this:-                 
   4. It is also possible to manually change the workflows for other combinations.
   5. Select the relevant workflow configuration, and click on Update workflow button to save the changes. N.B. In order for the changes to be saved, you must save the "Update Workflows, "Update Workflow Group" and general "Update" template buttons. 
   6. Perform this for all the relevant "Inspection & Defects" workflows available under the main workflow tab. 
   7. Repeat the same process for the Supervisor Notifications under the Notifications workflow group and Supervisor's Delegations under the Delegated Actions workflow group, and click on Update workflow button to save the changes. N.B. In order for the changes to be saved, you must save the "Update Workflows, "Update Workflow Group" and general "Update" template buttons. 

How to amend a Master Template so all contracts created from this template have a combined role

In the example above we navigated to an individual contract from the My Contracts page, so the changes made in the example above only apply to a single contract. If you need to create multiple contracts which are all configured the same way, then it may be easier to change the Master Template rather than each contract individually. The steps to do this are the same as outlined above, but any new contracts created after the Master Template has been updated will be based on the new configuration.

Other questions?

If you have other combination you require, please get in touch with our support team and they can discuss how best to achieve this.