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Version: 3.0

Department and Company Structure

In Steedos, constructing a clear organizational structure is the foundation of system implementation. The organizational architecture does more than just display the company's hierarchy (such as headquarters, branches, departments, and offices); it directly determines the scope of data permissions (who can see whose data) and the direction of approval workflows (level-by-level approvals).

1. Core Concepts​

Steedos utilizes a tree structure to manage organizational units.

Organizations​

In the system, whether it is "Headquarters," "Branch Office," "Finance Department," or "Sales Team A," they are collectively referred to as Organizations. They are connected through Parent-Child relationships to form a tree.

  • Root Node: Usually represents the entire group or headquarters.
  • Company (Branch): Typically refers to a subsidiary or a large branch with independent accounting capabilities.
  • Department: Refers to a functional unit, such as "R&D" or "Marketing."

Example Structure:

Steedos Software (Root)
├── Shanghai HQ (Company)
│   ├── R&D Center (Department)
│   │   ├── Backend Team
│   │   └── Frontend Team
│   └── Sales Department (Department)
└── Beijing Branch (Company)
    └── Sales Office

2. Managing the Organizational Structure​

Administrators can maintain this "tree" within the Settings interface.

Creating/Editing an Organization​

  1. Enter the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to Organization > Organizations.
  3. Click New or click on an existing organization name to Edit.

Key Field Descriptions​

Field NameDescriptionImpact/Role
NameThe display name, e.g., "Finance Department."Used for UI display.
ParentThe key to building hierarchy. Select the parent unit this department belongs to.If left blank, this node becomes a Root Node.
CompanyMarks whether this node is an independent legal entity or branch.Used in financial scenarios or data isolation.
ManagerAssigns the leader of the department (linked to a User).Crucial. Used for the "Automatically find manager" function in approval flows.
DirectorSpecifies the high-level executive in charge of the department.Used for cross-level approvals or special permission logic.

3. Managing Personnel Affiliation​

Placing users into the correct "slots" is the first step of permission management. Every user must be assigned within the organizational structure.

Setting a Primary Department​

In User Management, edit the user's Primary Department field to attach them to a specific leaf node of the organizational tree.

One Person, Multiple Positions (Multi-Department Affiliation)​

If an employee holds multiple roles (e.g., John is both the "R&D Manager" and a "Architecture Committee Member"), Steedos supports Auxiliary Departments:

  • In the user's detail page, under the Organizations related list, you can add additional department associations.
  • This means the user can simultaneously view shared data within both departments.

4. Application Scenarios​

Once the organizational structure is configured, the system automatically applies it in the following areas:

A. Data Permissions (Vertical Visibility)​

If the system's sharing rules are set to "Private," the principle of "Superiors see Subordinates" is generally followed:

  • Subordinates: Regular employees can usually only see their own data.
  • Superiors: The "Sales Team 1 Manager" can naturally see all data created by employees in "Sales Team 1."
  • Executive Superiors: The "Sales Director" can see all data from both "Sales Team 1" and "Sales Team 2."

B. Approval Workflows (Automated Routing)​

When configuring workflows or approval processes, you don't need to specify a specific person's name (like "John"). Instead, you specify a Role Relationship.

  • Scenario: An employee submits a leave request.
  • Configuration: The approval step is set to Submitter's Department Manager.
  • Effect: The system automatically looks up the user in the Manager field of the applicant's department. If personnel change (a new manager is hired), you don't need to modify the workflow; the approval will automatically route to the new manager.

5. Best Practices​

  1. Maintain Moderate Hierarchy: Avoid creating excessively deep hierarchies (aim for 5 levels or fewer). Deep trees can slow down permission calculations and increase management complexity.
  2. Keep Managers Updated: The Manager field is the core of approval automation. Ensure this is updated immediately during personnel changes to prevent approval requests from getting stuck.
  3. Framework First: During initial implementation, build the major departmental framework (Level 1 and 2 departments) first. Subdivide into smaller teams (Level 3) once the project is stable.
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