Defining detailed roles

You work for a large manufacturing firm that wants to create a just-in-time (JIT) inventory management system. The firm purchased an off-the-shelf enterprise system about five years ago, but the firm’s manufacturing process is so highly customized that the software does not meet their needs. The project owner said general roles are not sufficient, and that he wants to define each major item and provide access to create, read, update, and delete individually. As you evaluate the system, you realize hundreds of roles must be created, which will make maintenance a challenge.

What are some advantages of creating this many roles?
What can you do to mitigate maintenance challenges?