Access levels determine what each person can see and do in Mosaic. They govern everything from who can view financial data, to who can create work plans, to who can change organization-wide settings. Your admin assigns access levels and can raise or restrict a user's access at any time as responsibilities change.
Mosaic groups access into two categories:
Standard access levels — the four foundational tiers. Every user is assigned exactly one: Admin, Budget Manager, Work Planner, or Base Member.
Additional access levels — Portfolio Manager and Project Manager. These are not fixed tiers. They are extra responsibilities layered on top of a user's standard access level.
Click any role name below to open its full permissions article.
Every Mosaic user has one standard access level. These four tiers form the foundation of the permission system, generally ranging from the broadest access (Admin) down to the most focused (Base Member). Higher tiers can see and do everything the tiers below them can, plus more.
Admins control who has access to what across the entire organization and determine which actions each user is authorized to take. This lets you grant trusted staff higher-level access to sensitive information while keeping confidential data out of reach for lower-level users. It is a critical role for protecting the security of your organization and its data.
Budget Managers oversee the financial side of the organization — setting budgets, monitoring spending, and keeping records accurate. This role can see financial information such as bill rates and planned-versus-spent time that other levels cannot. Budget Managers help ensure resources are used efficiently and responsibly while supporting profitability and growth.
Work Planners design and maintain the team's day-to-day workflow. This role can create and manage work plans, allocate resources, and view team capacity across the Workload and Planner spaces. Work Planners need a solid understanding of the company's structure, roles, and responsibilities so they can prioritize work and communicate expectations to keep the organization running smoothly.
Base Member is the foundational access level for anyone who contributes to work in Mosaic. Base Members can see their own schedule, tasks, and time off, and participate in the projects they are a member of. They contribute their knowledge and input to the team but do not manage team-wide capacity, budgets, or organization settings.
Portfolio Manager and Project Manager are not standard tiers — they are extra layers of access assigned on top of a user's standard level. A Base Member, Work Planner, or Budget Manager can also be designated a Project Manager or Portfolio Manager. Rather than changing a user's account-wide access level, these roles add management responsibility over specific portfolios or projects.
Portfolio Managers oversee the planning, execution, and evaluation of the projects within a portfolio, making sure objectives are met on time and on budget. They set strategic direction and timelines and coordinate resources across multiple projects at once. This role is layered onto a user's standard access level to give them broader management reach across a group of related projects.
Project Managers lead a team to deliver a project on time and on budget. Responsibilities include allocating resources, assigning tasks, building timelines, tracking progress, spotting risks, and resolving issues as they arise. Like Portfolio Manager, this is an additional designation layered onto a user's standard access level, giving them management control over the specific projects they run.
Every user has one standard level. Admin, Budget Manager, Work Planner, and Base Member are the fixed foundation. A user is always assigned one of these.
Additional levels stack on top. Portfolio Manager and Project Manager do not replace a standard level — they add to it. A Work Planner who is also a Project Manager keeps their Work Planner access and gains project-management responsibilities on the projects they lead.
Sensitive data is gated by level. Financial details like bill rates and budget figures are limited to Budget Managers (and Admins). If a space or field appears blank or grayed out, it usually reflects your access level.
Match the level to the responsibility — Assign Work Planner to people who need to build and manage schedules, and reserve Budget Manager for those who need to see financials. Keep everyone else on Base Member.
Use Project Manager for day-to-day ownership — When someone runs a specific project, designate them Project Manager on that project rather than raising their standard access level for the whole organization.
Review access as roles change — Admins can adjust any user's access at any time. Revisit assignments when someone changes teams or takes on new responsibilities.
Check the individual articles for specifics — Each role links to a full permissions article detailing exactly what that level can see and do.
