Give directors access automatically

In a large group, directors come and go every month, and granting each one access to their company by hand is work that falls behind. A rule in Automatic access gives people a role because of what the register already says about them: a director reaches the company they sit on from the day the appointment is recorded, and stops reaching it when the appointment ends.

The question that decides the rule is what qualifies someone: a position they hold, shares they hold, or a controlling holding that should also reach the companies beneath.

Create the rule

1. In Administration, open Automatic access and choose New rule.

   

2. Under What qualifies them, keep A position they hold, then tick the positions under Which positions qualify, such as Directors.

   

   Who should qualify	What to choose
   The people appointed to a company	A position they hold, with the positions ticked
   Everyone on a company's register of members, for that company only	Shares they hold
   Shareholders, with those holding more than 50% of the votes also reaching the companies beneath	A controlling holding

3. Under What they get, choose the role they receive. The role decides what they may do; the rule decides which companies.

4. Choose Create rule. The rule is created switched off.

   

Switch it on

1. Check the Reaches column first. It shows how many people the rule would reach, and how many hold the position but have no account linked yet.

2. Turn on the switch in the On column and confirm with Turn on. People who qualify get the role on their next request.

   

Invite the people it cannot reach yet

A rule reaches somebody only once an account is linked to their person record, and accepting an invitation does that. Holding the position makes them eligible; it does not create an account.

1. Under Reaches, choose the line that says how many hold the position. Who this rule reaches opens, listing each person and where they stand, such as Not invited or No email.

2. For someone who already signs in to IQ Entities, choose Link existing member rather than inviting them again.

3. For everyone else, choose Invite on their row, or the button at the foot of the dialog that invites them all at once. For a person marked No email, type an address for them first. Nothing is sent until you choose.

Tips from practice

• Record appointments and resignations promptly. The register is now what grants and removes access, so a resignation recorded late is access that lasted too long.
• Use a narrow role for a rule, such as Member. A director usually needs to read their company's records, not administer them.
• Turning a rule off with Turn off withdraws what it gave. The confirmation says how many people lose access, or keep it through another rule, before you confirm.
• A rule gives access on top of the roles people hold individually. Check Change what a member can do when someone has more access than a rule explains.

Related: Create a role for a team and Give an outside adviser access.