> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kayanos.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Groups, positions, and assignments

> Model membership, roles, and time-bounded staffing without confusing them with access.

Groups, positions, and assignments are related but serve different purposes:

* A group is a membership grouping.
* A position is a role in the organization, with an optional parent position, node, location, seniority level, and shift.
* An assignment links one member to one position for an operating period.

Use all three deliberately. A group can help organize people; it does not replace a position. A position describes a staffed role; it does not identify who currently holds it. An assignment identifies the person and period; it does not automatically grant role capabilities.

## When to use it

Use groups to organize members for an approved operational purpose. Use positions to define the organizational roles that must be staffed. Use assignments whenever a member starts, changes, pauses, finishes, or terminates a relationship with a position.

Create the organizational node and location first when the role belongs to a specific unit or service point. Create the member before the assignment. This order prevents records that appear staffed but have no clear person, position, or location context.

## Configuration

| Record     | Essential configuration                                                                                                                                   | Important distinction                                                                              |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Group      | Name, code, members, description, and optional parent group                                                                                               | A group is not a permission role and is not a substitute for an assignment.                        |
| Position   | Code, multilingual name, optional node/location, parent position, seniority level, headcount/count, shift, and overview                                   | A position can be vacant or held by one or more assignments according to the organization’s model. |
| Assignment | Required member and position; optional employment/contract type, salary/currency, dates, shift, holiday groups, experience level, status, and orientation | This is the time-bounded link that supplies staffing context.                                      |

Assignment statuses available in the source include active, paused, terminated, and finished. Use the values visible in the deployed workspace and record related pause/termination dates and reasons when your organization’s process requires them.

### Shift and holiday exceptions

An assignment can carry a direct shift and holiday-group selection. Normally, allow the position and its linked structure to supply the default context. Use the assignment override only when the member genuinely works a different arrangement. An unnecessary override makes future structure changes harder to apply consistently.

## Workflow

1. Create or verify the node and location.
2. Create the position, link it to the right node/location, and choose a parent position only when it reflects an actual reporting relationship.
3. Create or verify the member record.
4. Create the assignment with the member, position, start date, and required organization fields.
5. Review inherited shift and holiday context. Add an override only for an approved exception.
6. Select employment, contract, seniority, experience, salary/currency, probation, and status information only when those fields are enabled and approved for the record.
7. When the relationship changes, record the new period/status rather than overwriting history without review.

## Worked example

The Damascus Regional Service Centre needs temporary coverage for an extended counter window.

> Group: GRP-DAM-INTAKE — Damascus Intake Team
> Position: POS-INTAKE-01 — Intake Adviser
> Node/location: Damascus Regional Citizen Services / Damascus Service Counter
> Member: MEM-1042 — Rania Haddad
> Assignment: 1 September to 30 November, active
> Shift: inherited from the position unless the extended window is an approved exception

For the extended window, create a distinct approved shift or a carefully documented assignment override. Do not rename the position to include a person’s name, and do not make a group membership change look like a reporting-line or access change.

If the temporary coverage ends, set the appropriate end/status information and preserve the assignment record. Rania can remain a member and can later receive another assignment.

## Testing

Use a training or draft workspace without live staff or compensation data.

1. Create one temporary node/location pair and one temporary position.
2. Add a temporary member and assignment with a short date range.
3. Confirm the position tree shows the intended parent relationship.
4. Compare inherited versus intentionally overridden shift/holiday behavior.
5. Verify that changing the group does not automatically create a new assignment or grant an unrelated capability.
6. Retire the test records using the organization’s approved cleanup process.

## Troubleshooting

| Situation                                                          | Check                                   | Resolution                                                                              |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A member cannot be selected for an assignment                      | Member record and assignment capability | Create/repair the member record and verify assignment create capability.                |
| The wrong location or unit appears on an assignment                | Position node/location links            | Correct the position relationship, then re-check shift and holiday inheritance.         |
| A position appears vacant unexpectedly                             | Assignments and their dates/status      | Review the linked assignments; do not use the position name as a person record.         |
| A shift or holiday group does not update after a structural change | Assignment override                     | Remove an unnecessary override only after confirming the inherited result is correct.   |
| A manager assumes a group gives system access                      | Assigned verbs/scopes                   | Configure access through roles/capabilities and scopes; groups are organizational data. |

## Permissions and data-quality limits

The relevant Groups, Positions, and Assignments pages require their own entity capabilities. Editing or deleting an existing assignment can require a matching scope in addition to an entity-level capability. Do not give broad access merely to let a manager view a structure.

Salary, currency, contract, probation, leave, and termination information are operational data fields. Their presence does not create legal classifications, payment obligations, benefits decisions, or employment-policy conclusions.

![ KayanOS workforce assignment for a example public-service organization case manager. ](https://kayanos.app/docs-images/en/government-operations/groups-positions-and-assignments.png)

## Related guides

* Begin with [Nodes and locations](/government-operations/nodes-and-locations).
* Maintain people records in [Workforce members](/government-operations/workforce-members).
* Set service windows in [Shifts and timesheets](/government-operations/shifts-and-timesheets).