The Observations module uses a set of specialized roles that control what each person can see and do. Unlike User levels in Sibme (User, Admin, Super Admin, Account Owner), Observation roles are assigned per-Process — a person becomes an Observer, Observee, Assignment Manager, or Viewer only when someone puts them in that role for a specific Process. User level does not restrict which roles someone can hold: any User can be a Process Manager, Observer, Observee, or Viewer once they're assigned.

A single person can also hold more than one role at the same time, either within the same Process or across different Processes. What Observations shows someone when they open the module depends entirely on which roles they hold and how those roles combine.

This article covers each role in depth — what it is, how it's assigned, and what access it gives. For a higher-level look at how the module fits together, see Observations Overview | Sibme Help Center. For the step-by-step assignment flow, see How to Assign Observers and Observees to a Process | Sibme Help Center. For setting up Process Managers in Account Settings, see Observations Settings | Sibme Help Center.

This article is for anyone who will set up, manage, or participate in Observations. Some features described here depend on which roles you've been assigned, not your User level. If you don't see something described here, ask your administrator whether you've been assigned the relevant role.

Observations has six roles. Process Manager and Assignment Manager handle setup and coordination. Observer and Observee carry out the Observation itself. Viewer and Supervisor provide oversight.

Each role is described in detail below.

A Process Manager builds the Observation Processes that the rest of the team uses. They create Steps, publish Processes, duplicate and archive them year over year, and hand them off to Assignment Managers for use.

How Process Managers are assigned: An Account Owner or Super Admin assigns Process Managers in Account Settings > Observations > Process Managers. Any User level — User, Admin, Super Admin, or Account Owner — can be a Process Manager.

What Process Managers see: When a Process Manager opens Observations, they land on the Process management view with three tabs: Published, Unpublished, and Archived. This is where they do all Process creation and maintenance work.

What Process Managers can do:

An Assignment Manager pairs Observers with Observees for a specific Process. This role exists so that the work of knowing the right pairings — who should observe whom — can be distributed to the people closest to each school or team, without giving them control over the Processes themselves.

How Assignment Managers are assigned: A Process Manager assigns Assignment Managers during the Process Assignment flow, per Process. Any User level can be an Assignment Manager.

What Assignment Managers see: Assignment Managers see the Published tab only — they cannot access Unpublished or Archived Processes, and they do not see the Manager column that Process Managers use to assign other managers.

What Assignment Managers can do:

An Observer is the person doing the Observation — completing Steps, collecting Evidence, and working through the Process with their Observees.

How Observers are assigned: A Process Manager or Assignment Manager selects Observers during the assignment flow for a specific Process.

What Observers see: The Observer dashboard — a table showing all of their Observees across all active Processes, with a column for each Step and a status dot showing where each Observee stands. A filter bar (People, Custom Fields, Categories, Process/Steps, Step Status, and Dates), a search box, and a Cards button are available at the top.

What Observers can do:

Observers can see all Steps in their Process, including Steps marked Visible to Observer Only — Steps the Observee cannot see.

An Observee is the person being observed. Their dashboard shows the full picture of where their Observer is in the Process, along with any Steps they need to complete themselves.

How Observees are assigned: A Process Manager or Assignment Manager selects Observees during the assignment flow, pairing each one with one or more Observers.

What Observees see: The Observee dashboard — a view of their own Observation, showing every Step in the Process and where things stand. If an Observee is part of multiple Observations, a dropdown at the top lets them select which one to view. Steps are shown as status dots using the same color and icon system as the Observer dashboard.

Observees can click on a completed Observer Step to see what the Observer did — unless the Process Manager marked that Step Visible to Observer Only, in which case the Step does not appear as a dot for the Observee at all. Steps that haven't been started yet are not clickable for the Observee.

What Observees can do:

A Viewer has read-only access to the Observations they're assigned to. They can watch how an Observation is progressing — seeing Steps, Evidence, Forms, and Signatures — but they cannot contribute to the Observation.

For example, a principal may be a Viewer for an Observation that an assistant principal (the Observer) is conducting with a teacher (the Observee).

How Viewers are assigned: During the Observer and Observee assignment flow, Viewers are assigned alongside Observers. A Viewer can be assigned to a specific Observer (using the dropdown on that Observer's row in the Select Observers and Viewers window) or to all Observers at once (using the top dropdown). For details on the assignment flow, see How to Assign Observers and Observees to a Process | Sibme Help Center.

What Viewers can do: Viewers can open any Step and see the Evidence page, signature page, or Form — but everything is read-only. They cannot work on a Step, add Evidence, complete a Form, sign a Signature Step, or use Cards.

What Viewers see depends on how many Observees they're viewing and what other roles they hold:

A Supervisor provides high-level oversight across Observations in the Account. While Observers and Observees are focused on the work of individual Observations, a Supervisor's view is broader — tracking trends, seeing what has been done, and reassigning work when needed.

How Supervisors are assigned: Supervisors are assigned during the Process Assignment flow.

What Supervisors can see: Supervisors can see Steps marked Visible to Observer Only — the same Steps that are hidden from Observees.

A Supervisor's primary access area is the coming Observations Reports, where they will be able to see high-level data across Processes and Observees. Observations Reports is part of Phase 2 of the Observations module and will be documented when it is available.

Note: Observations Reports and the full Supervisor view are coming in a later release. This section will be updated when they are available.

A User can hold more than one Observation role, either within a Process or across Processes. Here is how the different combinations work.

Process Manager and Assignment Manager together — A Process Manager who assigns Observers and Observees directly (rather than delegating to a separate Assignment Manager) becomes an Assignment Manager on that Process as well. Their access stays the same as a Process Manager: they see all three tabs (Published, Unpublished, Archived).

Process Manager or Assignment Manager, plus Observer or Observee — When a User holds both a management role and an active participation role, Observations gives them a way to move between the two views:

Viewer plus Observer or Observee — A Viewer who is also an Observer or Observee sees their read-only Viewer dashboard with As Observer and/or As Observee tabs added, so they can move between their roles. See the Viewer section above for details.

Observer and Observee — A User can be an Observer in one Process and an Observee in another. Within a single Process, a User can technically hold both roles, but not within the same Process instance — they can't be both the Observer and the Observee for the same pairing.

An Admin or User who has not been assigned any Observation role — and who has not previously been part of an Observation that is now archived — sees a landing page when they open Observations:

Observation access is explicit: it must be assigned. No one gets access to Observations simply by being a certain User level.