Understanding Department and Section Statuses in Prompt

Collin Updated by Collin

In Prompt, organizations are structured into departments and sections to better manage access, visibility, and document organization. To ensure secure and efficient access control, Prompt provides four distinct statuses that can be assigned to departments and sections. These statuses determine how each department or section behaves within the system, and who can view or interact with them.

This article outlines the purpose, behavior, and limitations of each status: General/Active, Hidden, Restricted, and Disabled.

1. General/Active

A department or section marked as General (also referred to as Active) is fully operational and visible to all users within the organization.

Key Characteristics:

  • Accessible and searchable by all users in the organization.
  • Users can be assigned to this department or section.
  • Documents can be created, viewed, and managed within these areas.
  • Ideal for most open or commonly used departments such as HR, Finance, or IT Support.

Use Case: This is the default status for departments or sections that are not restricted and do not require limited access.

2. Hidden

A Hidden department or section is completely invisible to regular users within the system and only accessible by Prompt Admins and System Admins.

Key Characteristics:

  • Not visible or searchable by general users.
  • Only Prompt Admins and System Admins can view and search for hidden departments or sections.
  • Even though visible to admins, users cannot be assigned to these departments or sections through the admin interface.
  • Designed for confidential or archived departments that are not currently in use but need to remain accessible for system-level tasks or audits.
Important Note: Admins can see these sections but cannot assign users to them.

Use Case: Useful for legacy departments, ongoing investigations, or departments under development that should not be exposed to users yet.

3. Restricted

Restricted departments or sections are visible only to users who are explicitly assigned to them in the user’s profile page.

Key Characteristics:

  • Hidden from users who are not explicitly assigned, including users from other organizations.
  • Contents within restricted departments (e.g., documents or sub-sections) are also hidden from unauthorized users.
  • Ensures strong segregation of sensitive information.
  • Admins must manually assign users to these departments or sections via the User Profile settings.

Use Case: Essential for handling sensitive or compartmentalized information such as Legal, Executive Operations, or cross-organizational projects with strict access requirements.

4. Disabled

A Disabled department or section is effectively inactive and cannot be used for ongoing operations.

Key Characteristics:

  • Users cannot add documents or create new sections under a disabled department.
  • May still be visible, depending on user permissions, but it is functionally locked down.
  • Used to archive or phase out departments that are no longer active but should remain for record-keeping or historical reference.
Use Case: Useful when a department has been dissolved or merged, and needs to be preserved without allowing further modifications.

Summary Table

Status

Visible to All Users

Assign Users

Add Documents

Best For

General/Active

✅

✅

✅

Standard departments

Hidden

❌ (Admins only)

❌ (Admins can't assign)

✅ (by admins)

Archived or confidential areas

Restricted

❌ (Unless assigned)

✅ (Manually via profile)

✅

Sensitive or compartmentalized teams

Disabled

❓ (Depending on permissions)

❌

❌

Retired or deprecated departments

Choosing the correct status for each department or section in Prompt ensures data security, user access control, and organizational clarity. Prompt Admins and System Admins should regularly review and update statuses to reflect changes in departmental roles, organizational restructuring, or evolving access requirements.

For best practices:

  • Use Restricted for sensitive data.
  • Use Hidden for admin-only areas.
  • Use Disabled to archive old departments.
  • Keep departments General/Active only if they are meant for organization-wide use.

How did we do?

How to add/edit a Department

How To Edit Your Organisation

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