# Navigation and Permissions

SmartAcademy shows menu items based on feature permissions. A user may see only the workflows their role allows.

## How navigation works

1. After login, use the sidebar to open modules such as Dashboard, Organization, Students, Fees, Staff, Transport, Daycare, Communication, and Integrations.
2. Select a sidebar group to expand its pages.
3. If a page is marked **Coming Soon**, SmartAcademy displays a notice instead of opening a workflow.
4. Use the top dashboard selectors, where available, to choose the active branch and academic year.

## Permission examples

- `students.view` allows viewing student records.
- `students.manage` allows enrollment, edits, attendance updates, and promotions.
- `fees.view` allows viewing fee records.
- `fees.manage` allows creating structures, assigning fees, collecting payments, and changing fee settings.
- `roles.manage` allows maintaining roles and permission sets.

## What SmartAcademy does in the background

When you open or save a workflow, the backend checks the logged-in user permission before returning data or accepting the change.

## If a user cannot access a page

1. Open **Users & Staff > Roles & Permissions**.
2. Check which role the user has.
3. Add the missing permission to that role, or assign a suitable role to the user.
4. Ask the user to refresh or log in again.

## Related pages

- [Roles and permissions](/smartacademy-v2-platform/staff/roles-permissions)
- [People directory](/smartacademy-v2-platform/staff/people-directory)