Team Collaboration

This guide explores how to effectively structure your team in Aperture, assign appropriate permissions, and create efficient workflows for collaboration across your organization.

Why Team Structure Matters

Proper team organization in Aperture delivers significant benefits:

Improved Security

Limit sensitive actions to appropriate team members, reducing risk of unauthorized changes.

Reduced Deployment Risk

Ensure changes are reviewed by the right people before they’re released to your users.

Clear Accountability

Know who made what changes when issues arise, making troubleshooting faster and more efficient.

Workflow Efficiency

Streamline approvals and handoffs between teams, reducing bottlenecks in your deployment process.

Scalable Processes

Maintain control as your organization grows, without sacrificing speed or security.

Organizations, Teams, and Roles

Understanding the hierarchy of Aperture’s organization structure is essential for effective team management:

Organization Structure

Every Aperture account belongs to at least one organization, which serves as the container for all resources:

Organization
├── Members (Users with access)
├── Teams (Groupings of members)
├── Applications (Web and Native)
├── Deployments
└── Cohorts

Why it matters: The organization structure determines who can access what and establishes boundaries between different parts of your business.

Team Structure

Teams are groups of users with similar responsibilities:

Teams
├── Development Team
├── QA Team
├── Operations Team
└── Product Management

Why it matters: Teams allow you to assign permissions and application access collectively, making management more efficient as you scale.

Role-Based Permissions

Roles define what actions members can perform:

Roles
├── Owner (Full administrative access)
├── Admin (Can manage most aspects but not billing)
├── Member (Basic access to organization resources)
└── Custom Roles (Tailored permission sets)

Why it matters: Properly configured roles enforce the principle of least privilege, ensuring users have access only to what they need.

Setting Up Your Organization Structure

Follow these steps to establish an effective organization in Aperture:

Creating an Effective Organization

Step 1: Define your organization

1. Navigate to: Settings → Organization
2. Configure:
   • Organization name and description
   • Default timezone
   • Billing information

Why it matters: Your organization settings affect how timestamps are displayed, when scheduled deployments occur, and other system-wide behaviors.

Creating and Managing Teams

Step 1: Plan your team structure

Before creating teams in Aperture, consider:

• How your company is organized
• Who needs access to which applications
• What deployment responsibilities exist
• Security and compliance requirements

Step 2: Create teams

1. Navigate to: Settings → Teams → New Team
2. For each team, specify:
   • Team name and description
   • Team lead/manager
   • Initial members

Why it matters: Well-structured teams simplify permission management and create clear boundaries of responsibility.

Step 3: Assign application access to teams

1. Navigate to: Web Application or Native Application → Access → Manage Team Access
2. For each application:
   • Select teams that should have access
   • Specify permission level for each team

Why it matters: Application-level access control ensures teams only see and interact with the applications relevant to their work.

Configuring Roles and Permissions

Step 1: Understand default roles

Aperture includes three default roles:

• Owner: Full administrative access
• Admin: Can manage most aspects except organization settings
• Member: Basic access to organization resources

Step 2: Create custom roles (Pro/Enterprise)

1. Navigate to: Settings → Roles → New Role
2. Configure permissions:
   • Select individual permissions
   • Name and describe the role
   • Assign to appropriate users

Common custom roles include:

• Deployment Manager: Can create and manage deployments but not applications
• QA Specialist: Read-only access plus ability to create cohorts for testing
• Analytics Viewer: Read-only access to performance and user metrics

Why it matters: Custom roles allow for precise permission allocation, following the principle of least privilege while still enabling teams to work effectively.

Collaboration Workflows

Configure streamlined processes for team collaboration:

Deployment Approval Workflow (Enterprise)

Step 1: Configure approval requirements

1. Navigate to: Settings → Deployment Settings → Approval Workflow
2. Configure:
   • Required approvers (number and/or specific roles)
   • Auto-approval conditions
   • Notification settings

Step 2: Create deployment with approval process

Developer creates deployment
↓
QA team reviews and approves
↓
Operations team gives final approval
↓
Deployment executes automatically

Why it matters: Approval workflows ensure critical deployments receive proper review while automating the process to avoid bottlenecks.

Team-Based Application Access

Step 1: Map applications to teams

1. For each application:
   • Identify primary owner team
   • Identify secondary teams with usage needs
   • Determine appropriate permission level for each

Step 2: Configure team access

1. Navigate to: Web/Native Application → Access → Manage Team Access
2. For each team:
   • Grant appropriate permission level
   • Configure notification settings
   • Set mandatory approval if required

Why it matters: Clear application ownership prevents confusion about who is responsible for maintenance and updates.

Scaling Your Organization

As your organization grows, your Aperture setup should evolve:

Startup Phase (2-10 members)

• Single team with clearly defined roles
• Simple permission structure
• Direct communication for deployments

Growth Phase (10-50 members)

• Multiple teams by function
• Role-based permissions
• Structured deployment process

Enterprise Phase (50+ members)

• Teams organized by product or business unit
• Custom roles with granular permissions
• Formalized approval workflows
• Audit logging and compliance tracking

Why it matters: What works for a small team will create bottlenecks and security risks as you grow. Planning for scale prevents disruption later.

Security and Audit

Maintain security and compliance as your team grows:

Implementing Least Privilege

Step 1: Audit current permissions

1. Navigate to: Settings → Audit → Permission Report
2. Review:
   • Who has what permissions
   • Unused or excessive permissions
   • Historical permission changes

Step 2: Refine roles based on actual usage

1. For each role:
   • Remove unused permissions
   • Split overly broad roles into more specific ones
   • Document permission justifications

Why it matters: Regular permission audits prevent permission creep and reduce the risk of unauthorized actions.

Tracking Actions with Audit Logs (Enterprise)

Step 1: Configure audit logging

1. Navigate to: Settings → Audit → Log Settings
2. Configure:
   • Retention period
   • Export schedule
   • Alert conditions

Step 2: Review logs regularly

1. Navigate to: Settings → Audit → Logs
2. Filter by:
   • Action type (deployment, permission change, etc.)
   • User or team
   • Application
   • Date range

Why it matters: Comprehensive audit logs provide accountability and are essential for security incident investigation and compliance requirements.

Best Practices for Team Collaboration

1. Document Your Permission Strategy

Create clear documentation that explains:

• What each role is allowed to do and why
• The process for requesting additional permissions
• How deployment responsibilities are assigned

2. Implement Regular Permission Reviews

Schedule quarterly reviews to:

• Remove permissions from users who no longer need them
• Adjust roles based on changing responsibilities
• Identify potential security concerns

3. Create Clear Escalation Paths

Establish procedures for:

• Emergency deployments outside normal hours
• Handling failed deployments
• Temporary permission elevation when needed

4. Train Your Team on Aperture

Ensure all team members understand:

• How to interpret deployment metrics
• When to escalate issues
• Their specific responsibilities in the deployment process

Next Steps

Now that you understand team collaboration in Aperture:

1. Audit your current organization structure and identify improvement opportunities
2. Document your ideal permission model based on your security requirements
3. Create a transition plan to implement changes without disrupting workflows
4. Establish regular review processes to maintain security as you grow