Role-based access control
Also known as RBAC
Granting permissions to roles rather than individuals, and assigning people to roles.
It makes access reviewable. Asking what a billing coordinator can reach is answerable when permissions attach to that role, and unanswerable when every person has an individually assembled set built up over years.
The failure mode is role explosion, where exceptions multiply until there are nearly as many roles as people. Periodic consolidation keeps the model useful.
Where this comes up
Role-based access control sits inside our identity and access work. If you are trying to work out what this means for your own environment rather than in the abstract, that is the page worth reading next, and a short call will get you a straight answer faster than either.