This article is a reference for workspace administrators responsible for inviting members into the workspace. It provides an overview of member types and access privileges for each. Many topics covered below are also detailed in the help guide articles Member Access Levels and Privileges, Restricted Members and Project Portals.
- What types of members can I assign plan items to?
- What is a Real Member?
- Which member types do I need to pay for?
- What are the access levels for Full Members?
- Do Restricted Members count as Full Members?
- Can I customize other things for Restricted Members?
- What is a Virtual Member and how is one used?
- What is a Portal Guest?
- Which member types can estimate their tasks and track time (log progress)?
- Why can’t Portal Guests or Virtual Members estimate their tasks or track time (log progress)?
- What if I need Portal Guests to estimate and log their progress because they are contractors completing project work and I need to bill for their time?
- What are my options when the Portal doesn’t meet my needs for visibility or collaboration?
- What is a Dashboard Guest?
- What do people see when a dashboard is shared with them?
1. What types of members can I assign plan items to?
- Full Members
- Virtual Members
- Portal Guests
- Unassigned – but this should be temporary because unassigned plan items are not scheduled.
As a best practice, always have items assigned to a Real or Virtual member. Virtual Members can be used as placeholders (see FAQ #7).
2. What is a Real Member?
Real members represent people who can log into a workspace or portal. Real members require email addresses so you can invite them into your workspace and collaborate with them.
Member types that are Real members:
- Full Members
- Portal Guests
3. Which member types do I need to pay for?
Full Members.
4. What are the access levels for Full Members?
- Workspace Owner (only one per workspace)
- Administrator
- Manager
- Full Member
- Restricted Member
5. Do Restricted Members count as Full Members?
Yes. Restricted Members are real members who log into LiquidPlanner and have full functionality, while subject to access level and privilege restrictions.
They are granted access to individual projects and can only see the plan items within those projects.
Restricted Members only see packages when the package contains an item they have access to (the item is within a project where they have manually been granted access). Restricted Members will not see everything in that package – only the items that are part of projects they have access to.
They can access the People tab and see the workspace member list. They can view the workspace comment stream. When a Restricted Member is invited to a dashboard, they will see everything presented there, including data related to projects where they have not been granted access.
6. Can I customize other things for Restricted Members?
- You can disable permissions so Restricted Members cannot reprioritize the project plan. (This can be disabled for Full Members too.)
- Because Restricted Members only have permission to access certain projects, by default they are prevented them from adding tasks to other projects.
7. What is a Virtual Member and how is one used?
Virtual Members are not real members (they cannot log into the workspace). They are most commonly used as placeholders for work that has not been assigned yet in the workspace, or to represent outside resources.
Virtual Members are helpful when you’re not ready to invite your full team into LiquidPlanner, but would like to see how projects will schedule when work is assigned. Adding a Virtual Member can also help you see what your project schedule would look like if you hired someone new and were able to reassign tasks, or take on more work.
Virtual members are frequently used to model work being done by an outside resource- someone who isn’t expected to collaborate with you in any way. A Virtual Member could even be a machine.
NOTE: Virtual members should not be used to represent people on a long term basis. LiquidPlanner works best when there are real members in your workspace participating and collaborating fully.
8. What is a Portal Guest?
Portal Guests are real members, but they do not have full visibility into your workspace. They are invited to see only those projects and tasks that you specifically share with them via the Project Portal.
Portal Guests are most often clients and contractors. Portal Guest access is best for people who primarily need to see high-level project status. Portals allow you to collaborate on certain tasks, communicate, and share documents in a centralized place. Portal Guests should not be doing a lot of the project work.
When sharing a dashboard with a Portal Guest, they will see will see everything presented there, with read-only access. When inviting a Portal Guest to a dashboard, make sure it includes only the project data you would like them to see.
9. Which member types can estimate their tasks and track time (log progress)?
Full Members
10. Why can’t Portal Guests or Virtual Members estimate their tasks or track time (log progress)?
- Portal Guests have a limited feature set – estimating tasks and logging progress are not included.
- Virtual Members are not real members and their accounts are not associated with an email address, so it is not possible to log in.
For both of these member types, you need to log progress on their behalf, as well as estimate and re-estimate their tasks to keep your project up-to-date and ensure accurate reporting.
11. What if I need Portal Guests to estimate and log their progress because they are contractors completing project work and I need to bill for their time?
We recommend asking Portal Guests to comment “@” you or the project manager, on the tasks they own – indicating their progress (work done and/or hours remaining) and other relevant information. Then, you or the PM, as a full workspace member, can then estimate their tasks and log their progress.
12. What are my options when the Portal doesn’t meet my needs for visibility or collaboration?
If the concern is limited visibility, then invite them as a dashboard guest in addition to their Portal Guest status. Dashboards can complement project portals when they are used to share data and reporting features that are not available via the portal.
When the concern is limited collaboration and functionality, but privacy is needed with regard to projects, set them up as paid members of your workspace and make them Restricted Members. This way they will only have access to certain projects, but they can use other LiquidPlanner features. Please note, Restricted Members have access to the People tab and see all workspace members listed there. They will also be able to view the workspace comment stream.
13. What is a Dashboard Guest?
A Dashboard Guest is someone who is invited to view data that has been shared on a dashboard. They cannot edit the dashboard and won’t have access to the rest of your workspace. Only workspace administrators can share dashboards externally and manage guest administration.
Dashboard guests can be external stakeholders with no connection to your workspace- like your executive team or clients. Portal Guests can also be invited as external dashboard guests.
14. What do people see when a dashboard is shared with them?
When a dashboard is shared, people see everything you see. Take care when sharing dashboards with Restricted Members, Portal Guests, or other External Stakeholders, as they will see all the data presented there.
Related Articles
Inviting People Into Your Workspace
Dashboards
Restricted Members