Inviting someone from outside your company is different from adding a colleague. They do not have a Rentman account yet, so inviting them creates one, and that has consequences worth understanding before you send the invitation.
In this article, you will learn what happens when you invite an external user, how to do it, what they can and cannot see, and how to remove their access afterwards.
What happens when you invite an external user
When you add someone by email address to a project task board, three things happen:
- They are invited to your Rentman workspace. They receive an invitation and, once they accept, they have become a crew member in your workspace.
- They see the project task board in their Tasks module. The board appears in their list of boards, alongside any other board they have been given access to.
- They see all tasks linked to that project. Not a selection of tasks, and not only the ones assigned to them. The whole board.
They cannot open the project itself. This is the part most people expect to work differently. Access to a project task board is not access to the project. An external user added to a board sees the board in their Tasks module, and nothing else about the project: not the equipment, not the crew planning, and not the financials.
Invite an external user to a project task board
- Open a project's task board, either from a project's Tasks tab or from the Tasks module.
- Click on Share.
- Enter the email address of the person you want to invite.
- Click on + Add [email address].
- Fill in their name and select their user role.
- Click on + Invite crew members.
- Save.
The person receives an invitation by email. They get access to the board once they accept it, so nothing is shared until they do.
What they can and cannot see
| They can see | They cannot see |
|---|---|
| The project task board, in their Tasks module | The project itself, including the equipment, crew planning, and financials |
| Every task linked to that project | Other projects and their boards |
| Task details, deadlines, assignees, and attached files | Boards they have not been added to |
| Private tasks, which are never shown to anyone other than their creator | |
| Anything else in your workspace, depending on their user role |
For tasks that are part of a task board they are invited to, users can change the task status, create new tasks, and edit tasks created by other users.
For tasks that are not part of a task board they are invited to, users can still change the task status, create new tasks, and edit tasks created by other users, but only if their user role gives them permission to do so.
Before you invite: check what you are sharing
A task board carries more than task names. Everything on the board becomes visible to the person you invite, so it is worth a look before you share:
- Task details. Notes written for colleagues are not always written for a client to read.
- Attached files. Drawings, briefings, and quotes attached to a task are visible on the board.
- Planned times. If you have set a planned time on a task, the person you invite may be able to see how many hours you allowed for the work.
- Assignees and deadlines. They see who is responsible for what, and what is running late.
Remove a user's access
You can remove someone from a task board. Removing someone from the board takes away their access to it.
- Open a project's task board, either from a project's Tasks tab or from the Tasks module.
- Click on Share.
- Find the user you want to remove and click on Delete.
- Save.