Invite project users and assign project roles
Bring people into your project and choose appropriate sell-side and buy-side access.
1. Add the user to your organisation
Before inviting someone to a project, ensure they have been added to the organisation and assigned an Organisation Role.
Follow the organisation invitation guide to add users after initial onboarding.
2. Invite the user to the project
- Open the Project Workspace, click More… and then Settings.
- Click Invite team member and select a user from the menu.
- Select a suitable Project Role, such as Manager – Sell-side. Default permissions apply based on that role.
- Click Invite. The user receives an email invitation with next steps.
3. Project roles and default permissions
A person’s project-level role governs what they can do within that project, in addition to their organisation role.
| Project role | Best used for | Manage Data Room | Assign RFIs | Add users | View only |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Owner | Lead broker managing the deal | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Manager – Sell-side | Seller’s representative (e.g. Managing Director) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Reviewer – Sell-side | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Client – Sell-side | External accountants, lawyers and internal staff uploading documents | Limited | Assigned only | No | No |
| Manager – Buy-side | Buyer’s deal lead or lead adviser | Buy-side | Raise and manage | See note below | No |
| Reviewer – Buy-side | Not specified in the default table | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Client – Buy-side | Buyer’s analysts, CFO or advisers with restricted document access | View only | No | No | Yes |
The default table says a Buy-side Manager can add buy-side users, but the later role recommendation says they cannot add team members themselves and must coordinate with the Project Owner. This permission needs confirmation.
The detailed document/RFI permission matrix in the original guide is blank. No access is inferred from blank cells.
Role assignment best practice
- Assign the minimum permissions required for the task.
- External advisers should have the Member organisation role so they can contribute without inviting organisation users.
- External contributors needing someone added should contact the Manager – Sell-side.
- Never assign the Admin organisation role to clients or external parties.
- Review and remove access when contributors finish their tasks.
4. Customise default permissions
A Project Owner can customise the default permissions for each Project Role.
The supplied guide does not include the step-by-step customisation procedure or completed permission matrix. Check the actual configured access before granting permissions.
5. Sell-side role examples
The manual uses a business sale to illustrate organisation and project roles.
| Example person | Role in the sale | Organisation role | Project role | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Doe | Administrator overseeing business sales | Owner | N/A | Adds sell-side and buy-side users to the firm account. |
| Marcus Webb | IT administrator | Admin | N/A | Supports the Owner. |
| Sarah Chen | Senior business broker | Member | Project Owner | Creates Project Alpha, manages the sale and approves seller RFI responses. |
| David Thornton | Managing Director (seller) | Member | Manager – Sell-side | Sets up the Data Room, coordinates collection and responds to seller RFIs. |
| Priya Nair | External accountant | Member | Reviewer – Sell-side | Provides financial records and responds to financial RFIs. Cannot add users. |
| James Kowalski | External legal adviser | Member | Reviewer – Sell-side | Provides legal records and responds to legal RFIs. Cannot add users. |
6. Buy-side role examples
The later buy-side example table gives the following assignments. Earlier examples assign Owen, Marcus and Stephanie differently, so confirm the intended role rather than relying on inconsistent example rows.
| Example person | Role in the sale | Organisation role | Project role | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Yuen | Head of Corporate Development | Member | Manager – Buy-side | Leads the buyer team, raises Q&A RFIs and coordinates access with the broker. |
| Owen Fitzgerald | CFO | Member | Reviewer – Buy-side | Reviews financial and operational documents. |
| Stephanie Lowe | M&A corporate adviser | Member | Reviewer – Buy-side | Reviews documents and provides analysis. |
| Jane Doe | Buy-side legal adviser | Member | Reviewer – Buy-side | Responsibilities marked TBA in the source. |
| John Smith | Buy-side tax adviser | Member | Reviewer – Buy-side | Responsibilities marked TBA in the source. |
| Marcus Deane | Operations manager | Client | Client – Buy-side | Views permitted operational and plant/equipment documents; no Q&A involvement. |
The earlier table also includes John Doe, an external accountant, as organisation Client and project Client – Buy-side, with financial document view/download access only.
7. When to add a Buy-side Manager
Use Manager – Buy-side for the buyer’s lead representative: the M&A lead, Head of Corporate Development or lead external adviser coordinating the process. Normally only one or two people on the buy side should hold this role.
In the example, Sarah adds Rachel using the project invitation steps and assigns Manager – Buy-side.
- Access the Data Room within configured permissions.
- Raise RFIs on behalf of the buyer team.
- Coordinate buy-side access with the seller’s Project Owner.
- Communicate with the sell side through the platform.
The role cannot see sell-side RFIs, team members or documents not released to buyers.
Staged disclosure
The source says Buy-side Managers do not have access to any Data Room documents or folders by default. The Data Room will be empty until access is granted. The referenced access procedure (“step 5.2”) was not included.
8. When to add a Buy-side Reviewer
Use Reviewer – Buy-side for people reviewing documents who are not coordinating the RFI process, such as a CFO, financial analyst, external legal or financial adviser, or technical expert.
In the example, Sarah adds Owen and Stephanie as Reviewer – Buy-side.
- View and download documents they have access to.
- The later role recommendation says Reviewers can create RFIs, with Manager – Buy-side approval recommended before assigning them to the seller. Other example rows say they do not raise RFIs directly; confirm the intended workflow.
- Cannot manage buy-side team access; this is coordinated through the Manager – Buy-side and Project Owner.
Access must be granted separately
Buy-side Reviewers have no Data Room document or folder access by default. The Project Owner must configure the permitted content.
9. When to add a Buy-side Client
Client – Buy-side is the most restricted buy-side role. Use it for subject matter experts reviewing one category of documents, buyer principals who only need a curated Data Room, or people requiring minimal platform interaction.
- Invite the user and assign Client – Buy-side.
- Configure access to only the relevant folders. In the example, Marcus receives Plant & Equipment, Property & Leases, and Licences & Compliance access.
- The user can view and download documents in permitted folders only.
Clients cannot manage team access or see the broader project structure. The manual recommends Client as the default if unsure; it can be upgraded to Reviewer when more access is needed.
10. Verify and release buyer access
Use the platform’s buyer preview function before sending invitations. Confirm that restricted documents and folders are not visible. In a competitive sale, buyer groups must remain isolated from each other.
As the deal progresses, release additional folders through the Data Room Manage Access settings. Buyers with existing access see newly added folders or documents when they next log in.
Example disclosure and Q&A workflow
- Sarah reviews the Data Room and configures folder-level buyer access.
- She adds the buyer team with staged, controlled access.
- Rachel raises Q&A RFIs, Sarah routes them to David, David responds, and Sarah approves and releases the response.
This creates a formal Q&A record within the platform.