This article aims to provide senior managers in manufacturing companies with a clear idea of how to map existing organizational structures within Operations1 so that these can be used for the targeted distribution of content. This might involve optimizing an already existing Operations1 use case or developing a new one. Practical explanations will guide you in transforming a problem into a concrete solution.

Please also check out the article "Access Control" which describes the functionality, whereas here we only provide an example.

In manufacturing companies, production is often divided into various functional areas with clearly defined responsibilities. Common divisions include departments such as production, quality control, maintenance, and logistics. This functional organization ensures a high degree of specialization within production. In some cases, production is also organized based on the production process or product lines, which is typical in a divisional organization. This structure provides flexibility for producing different products or product variations.

In the diagram, you can see how the different functional units that exist in your company can be understood in the context of the content managed within Operations1. Documents, reports, orders, and tasks are assigned to one of these areas.

In an organizational structure based on processes and product lines, the process areas, such as pre-assembly, assembly, and commissioning, replace the functional areas and take on the thematic division of content areas and responsibilities.

This clear separation of content areas and responsibilities can positively impact workflows and, therefore, overall productivity.

To represent these organizational structures in Operations1, we can map the corresponding areas as groups. Continuing with the above example of dividing the organizational structure into functional areas, each area should form its own group. This way, pre-assembly, assembly, and commissioning would each be represented by separate groups, ensuring that responsibilities and content — such as documents, tasks, and reports — are allocated to the correct process area. This approach provides clarity in content management and helps streamline operations.

When applied to an organizational structure divided by processes and product lines, the groups in Operations1 would be organized along these. Each process (such as pre-assembly, assembly, and commissioning) and each product line would form a distinct group. These groups would reflect the processes or product categories, enabling clear allocation of content, tasks, and responsibilities. By structuring groups this way, the system mirrors the company's operational structure, making it easier to manage and distribute content in alignment with the specific needs of each process or product line.

When considering organizational structures that span across multiple locations (or divisions/business units), this can also be effectively represented using groups. Each location, division, or business unit can be assigned its own group, reflecting its unique organizational structure.

In such a structure, this means that both a group for the location must be created as well as a group for the functional or process/product area. It’s important to note that the group assignments do not follow a hierarchical order. For example, a group “Location” is not above a group “Maintenance.” Both groups must be assigned independently to users and to the content.

For users in the maintenance department at a specific location, this means they must be a member of both the "Location I" group and the "Maintenance I.IV" group. The same principle applies to documents. If a document is only assigned to the "Location I" group, it will be accessible to all users at that location. However, to target more specific access, such as content relevant only to the maintenance department at that location, it must be assigned to both groups: "Location I" and "Maintenance I.IV." This flexible approach ensures precise control over content distribution and user access.