Member Access Types

There are seven different member types available in LiquidPlanner. This chart explains key differences for each member type:

How to Set Access Levels

There are two ways to set or change workspace access for an Administrator, Manager, Full Member or Restricted Member:

• During the new member invite process, you will be prompted to choose an access level for the invitee.
• Or go to the People tab > Member List > Click on the member name > Access Controls tab within their member profile > Select an access level > click Update Access.

To setup access for a Portal Guest, review the Project Portal setup.

To setup access for a Dashboards Guest, review the Dashboard setup.

Workspace Member Privileges

The table below outlines what permissions a member has if they are given access to your workspace. This chart does not include Virtual Members, Portal Guests or Dashboard Guests because they are not given access to your full workspace.

• Full Members and Restricted Members can be restricted from reprioritizing plan items. You can read about how to set this restriction here: Restricting Members from Reprioritizing
• Only the workspace owner can delete a workspace.

Related Articles

Setting Up an Administrator
Changing the Workspace Owner
Virtual Members
Project Portals
Member and Guest Access FAQs

The post Member Access Levels and Privileges appeared first on LiquidPlanner.

• The People tab > Invite Members
• The People tab > Add+ button > Add Member
• User Menu > Settings > Members and Access > Add Member

Step 1: Enter the email address(es)

Step 2:  Choose the access level for this new person

If you choose Administrator or Manager, you can finish by clicking Send Invitations.

If you choose Full Member, determine whether or not you will allow the workspace member to re-prioritize items in the schedule and check or un-check the box under Restrictions and Permissions accordingly. Then you can click Send Invitations.

If you’re not sure which access level is appropriate, read more detail in our Member Access Levels & Privileges help article.

If you choose the Restricted Member access level, determine the following:

• Decide whether or not you will allow this person to re-prioritize plan items and check/un-check the box accordingly.
• Select the specific projects that you want this person to have access to – type the project name(s) into the search bar to find it quickly.

Then finish by clicking Send Invitations.

Each person will receive an email inviting them to create a unique LiquidPlanner sign-in. After completing the activation process, they will become an active member of your workspace.

Resending and Retracting Invitations

If an invitation needs to be resent or cancelled, go to the People tab > Member List and hover over the invitee member row. Under the Action column for that member, click the link to resend or retract the invitation. Quickly find all pending invites by typing “pending” into the Search field on the People tab.

Related Articles

Member Access Levels and Privileges
Virtual Members
Billing Summary and Product Upgrades

The post Inviting People Into Your Workspace appeared first on LiquidPlanner.

Restricted Member Access Rules

The chart below explains the access rules that apply to restricted members in your workspace. In addition, you can also restrict members from being able to re-prioritize plan items.

Setting Up Restricted Members

A restricted member signs into your workspace, but they will not see a task, event, or milestone unless:

• It lives in a project that they have been granted access to
• It lives in the Inbox and they own it

Keep in mind this means that Restricted Members will not be able to view a task, event, or milestone that has only been placed within a package, without a project association. The task, event, or milestone must also be placed within a project for which they have been granted access.

Inviting a person into your workspace as a restricted member

You can set the restricted access level and specific project access right up front as part of the member invitation process. This is also where to check or uncheck the box that allows you to restrict the member from reprioritizing plan items.

Converting an existing member to a restricted member

1. Go to the People tab > Member List
2. Select the appropriate workspace member on the left
3. Select the member Access Controls tab
4. Choose the Restricted Member access level
5. Under Restrictions & Permissions, check the box if you want to allow this member to reprioritize plan items
6. Check the boxes to grant access to specific projects – type the project name(s) into the search bar to find it quickly

Related Articles

Member Access Levels and Privileges
Inviting People Into Your Workspace
Restricting Members from Prioritizing

The post Restricted Members appeared first on LiquidPlanner.

By default all new workspace members can re-prioritize.  If this permission is disabled, the workspace member will not be able to reprioritize any plan items via dragging and dropping on the Projects tab, or by changing the Project or Package association in the Edit Panel.

To restrict a workspace member from reprioritizing:

• Go to User Menu > Settings > Members and Access > Member Access
• Select the workspace member from the list on the left and click Access Controls
• Uncheck the box saying can move and reprioritize tasks
• Click Update Access

Members with the reprioritization restriction will see that the Package and Project fields are locked in the Edit Panel.

Related Articles

Member Access Levels and Privileges
Restricted Members

The post Restricting Members from Reprioritizing appeared first on LiquidPlanner.

1. What types of members can I assign plan items to?
2. What is a Real Member?
3. Which member types do I need to pay for?
4. What are the access levels for Full Members?
5. Do Restricted Members count as Full Members?
6. Can I customize other things for Restricted Members?
7. What is a Virtual Member and how is one used?
8. What is a Portal Guest?
9. Which member types can estimate their tasks and track time (log progress)?
10. Why can’t Portal Guests or Virtual Members estimate their tasks or track time (log progress)?
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?
12. What are my options when the Portal doesn’t meet my needs for visibility or collaboration?
13. What is a Dashboard Guest?
14. What do people see when a dashboard is shared with them?

1. What types of members can I assign plan items to?

1. Full Members
2. Virtual Members
3. Portal Guests
4. 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:

1. Full Members
2. Portal Guests

3. Which member types do I need to pay for?

Full Members.

4. What are the access levels for Full Members?

1. Workspace Owner (only one per workspace)
2. Administrator
3. Manager
4. Full Member
5. 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?

1. You can disable permissions so Restricted Members cannot reprioritize the project plan. (This can be disabled for Full Members too.)
2. 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)?

1. Portal Guests have a limited feature set – estimating tasks and logging progress are not included.
2. 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

The post Member and Guest Access FAQs appeared first on LiquidPlanner.

An administrator is the only person automatically capable of taking over the role of workspace owner if the original owner leaves your organization before designating a new workspace owner.  You can designate multiple administrators.
Only a workspace owner or established administrator can designate a new administrator.

To set a member with administrator level access:

1. Click the People tab > Member List
2. Select the appropriate workspace member on the left.
3. Click on their Access Controls tab
4. Select the Administrator access level.
5. Click Update Access.

Members should be encouraged to contact workspace administrators with regard to workspace settings.  A list of administrators can be found on the Help tab.

Related Articles

Member Access Controls & Privileges
Changing the Workspace Owner

The post Setting Up a Co-Owner appeared first on LiquidPlanner.

• If you are evaluating or implementing LiquidPlanner, you might not be ready to invite your team into the workspace yet. But you can start to build out your projects and assign work to virtual members as placeholders for your real team members.
• Virtual members can represent an external resource that owns tasks within your project, such as a contractor or vendor.
• Virtual members can be used to represent work assigned to a machine or non-person resource that completes work within a project.

Keep in mind virtual members are not intended to be be a long-term replacement for people who could otherwise be real members. We don’t encourage using them to support centralized project control. We have designed LiquidPlanner to support our strong belief that direct team engagement is a key to project success!

Create a Virtual Member

You can create virtual members via the People tab > Add+ button > Add Virtual Member or from your User Menu > Settings > Members and Access > Add Virtual Member.

Set Availability for a Virtual Member

• A virtual member has a profile and an availability setting, which you can access via the People tab > Member List. Just click on the virtual member’s name to open their profile > adjust their hours under the Availability section on the right-hand side.

Assign Tasks to Virtual Members

• You can assign tasks to a virtual member, just as you would assign the task to a Real Member.
• Tasks assigned to a virtual member will schedule just the same as tasks assigned to a real member.

Tracking Time for a Virtual Member

• A real workspace member must take responsibility for estimating and tracking time to tasks owned by a virtual member.
• Timesheets are created for virtual members when you log progress for them.
• Virtual member’s logged time is picked up in timesheet exports.

Transfer Tasks from a Virtual Member to Another Member

• You can easily transfer a virtual member’s work to an existing workspace member via the People tab Member List. Hover over the virtual member row and under the Actions column, click Transfer Items.
• You can also invite a brand new person into your workspace to replace the virtual member.  In the Member List, just click the link under the virtual member name that says Invite Member. 

Disconnecting Virtual Members

• If you invite a member to fill a virtual member’s role, the virtual member will automatically be disconnected.
• If you want to disconnect a virtual member for any reason, go to the People tab Member List. Hover over the virtual member row and under the Actions column, click Disconnect.
• Before disconnecting your virtual member, be sure to transfer any outstanding tasks to a real member or another virtual member.

FAQs

1. Is there a limit to the number of Virtual Members in my Workspace?
   Accounts on the Professional Plan have can have up to 25 Virtual Members and accounts on the Enterprise Plan can have up to 50 virtual members. See our Pricing for more information. Go to Settings > Click on Add Virtual Members. At the top of the screen you will see a notification of your current Virtual Member count compared to the total number available. 
2. Is there a way to create a team of Virtual Members?
   You can create a Virtual Team to represent a team of external resources with a daily availability that is determined by you.
3. If I track time to a virtual member’s tasks, will their time tracking history move if I transfer the tasks to a Real Member later?
   No, if you log time on behalf of the virtual member, the time entries will stay with the virtual member in time tracking history. If you want time entries associated to a real team member, make sure to log time after the real user has accepted their LiquidPlanner invitation.

The post Virtual Members appeared first on LiquidPlanner.

As soon as you’re ready for the real member to join the workspace, you can invite them in to fill the role of that virtual member. This means all of the work assigned to that virtual member transfers automatically to the newly invited real member.

This is also helpful for mature workspaces when you’re hiring for an open position. A virtual member can represent the open position and once it’s filled, the real member can be invited to fill the role of the virtual member and all items will simply transfer over.

Inviting a new member to replace a virtual member

On the People tab Member List, click the link under the virtual member name to Invite Member.

Following this action, the Invite Members page will open. Follow steps provided there to issue an invitation and establish the member access level.

• After receiving the invitation and completing the activation process, the new person will become a real member in the workspace. All of the tasks belonging to the virtual member will now be owned by the new member, and the virtual member will be disconnected.
• On tasks where progress was logged, the virtual member’s assignment will be marked done and the disconnected virtual member will remain on the task. Remaining effort transfers to the new member. If no progress was logged, the virtual member’s name will drop off the task completely.
• If this new member brings the workspace over its current paid seat count, you will be prompted to purchase a seat before completing the invitation process.

Transferring a virtual member’s work to an existing member

On the People tab Member List, hover over the appropriate virtual member name and click the Transfer Items link in the Actions column.

Select the existing member who will take on the items being transferred.
To include items that are done in the transfer, check the box to Include Items Marked ‘Done.’

On tasks where progress was logged, the virtual member’s assignment will be marked done and the disconnected virtual member will remain on the task. Remaining effort on the task transfers to the new owner. If no progress was logged, the virtual member’s name will drop off the task completely.

Confirm that everything transferred as expected, then go back to the Member List and disconnect the virtual user.

Related Articles

Billing Summary and Product Upgrades
Inviting People Into Your Workspace
Virtual Member

The post Converting a Virtual Member to a Real Member appeared first on LiquidPlanner.

• You can filter your plan and timesheets by team.
• The team association is captured in plan exports and timesheet exports.
• You can create custom reports by team.
• You can view resource workload by team.
• You can address a comment to a team, and each team member will receive an email notification in accordance with their notification preferences.
• You can create bill and pay rules by team.

Creating Teams

Workspace owners and Administrators can add Teams to the workspace from the User Menu > Settings. Under Data Customization, select Teams > Add Team > enter the team name > click OK. Now you’re ready to add workspace members to these teams via the member profile.

Adding Workspace Members to a Team

Go to the People tab > Member List > select a member to open their Profile > choose the appropriate team under the Team field. Members can also update their own team assignments from their User Menu > My Profile.

Workspace members can only be added to one team. If you need to filter the plan or report by a set of people that aren’t part of a single team, create a Saved Person Filter.

Related Articles

Modeling Virtual Teams
Project Teams
Your Personal Profile Settings

The post Adding Members to Teams appeared first on LiquidPlanner.