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Manage project members

Manage who has access to your project and what they can do by adding members and assigning roles.

Prerequisites:

  • You must be a Project Admin or Workspace Admin to manage project members
  • Users must be workspace members before they can be added to projects

Add members to a project​

Users must be workspace members before you can add them to a project.

Project members and teamspaces

If the user isn't in your workspace yet:

  1. First, invite them to the workspace.
  2. Once they accept the workspace invitation, proceed with adding them to the project.

Add existing workspace members to your project:

  1. Navigate to Project Settings > Members & Teamspaces.
  2. Scroll to the Members section.
  3. Click Add member.
  4. Search for and select the workspace member.
  5. Assign their role: Admin, Member, or Guest.
  6. Click Add.

The member now has access to the project with the permissions defined by their role.

Project roles:

  • Admin - Full project access including settings, member management, and all features.
  • Member - Can create and manage work items, cycles, and modules (cannot change project settings).
  • Guest - Limited view access (cannot create or edit).

See Member roles for complete role permissions.

Change a project member's role​

Update project member roles as responsibilities change.

  1. Navigate to Project Settings > Members & Teamspaces
  2. Find the member in the Members list
  3. Click the Role dropdown next to their name
  4. Select the new role (Admin, Member, or Guest)

The role change takes effect immediately.

Remove a member from a project​

Remove members who no longer need project access.

  1. Navigate to Project Settings > Members & Teamspaces.
  2. Find the member in the Members list.
  3. Click the three dots next to their name and select Remove.
  4. Confirm the removal.

The member loses access to the project immediately but remains in the workspace.

What happens when you remove a member:

  • They can no longer access the project or its work items
  • Work items they created remain in the project
  • Their comments and activity history are preserved
  • They remain a workspace member (unless removed separately)

Set a default assignee​

Configure a default assignee to ensure all work items get assigned when created without an explicit assignee.

  1. Navigate to Project Settings > Members & Teamspaces
  2. Find the Default Assignee setting
  3. Click the dropdown and select a project member
  4. The setting saves automatically

How default assignee works:

  • When someone creates a work item without selecting an assignee, the default assignee is automatically assigned.
  • This ensures no work items are left unassigned.
  • Useful for projects where a specific person triages new work items.
  • The creator can still manually assign work items to different members.

To disable: Select None from the Default Assignee dropdown.

Set a project lead​

Designate a project lead who serves as the primary point of contact for the project.

  1. Navigate to Project Settings > Members & Teamspaces.
  2. Find the Project Lead setting.
  3. Click the dropdown and select a project member.
  4. The setting saves automatically.

What a project lead does: The project lead is the go-to person for questions about the project's execution, goals, and status. This is an informational role that helps team members know who to contact, not a permission level.

Project lead vs. Project Admin:

  • Project lead is a designation that identifies a point of contact.
  • Project Admin is a role with specific permissions.
  • They can be the same person but don't have to be.

Grant view access to Guests​

By default, Guests can only see work items they've created through the Intake section. You can expand their visibility to all project work items.

  1. Navigate to Project Settings > Members & Teamspaces.
  2. Find the Guest access setting.
  3. Toggle on Grant guest users view access to all the project work items.

Grant guest users view access

This setting is project-specific. Enabling it in one project doesn't affect Guest permissions in other projects. Even with view access, Guests remain isolated to invited projects only.

How users join projects​

Users can become project members in two different ways, and understanding both helps you manage your project team effectively.

Direct project membership is where you specifically invite users to your project and assign them roles. These members have access only to the projects you've added them to, and you have full control over their permissions.

Teamspace-based membership happens automatically when your project is linked to a Teamspace. All members of that teamspace automatically receive Member access to your project, making it perfect for teams that collaborate across multiple projects.

Users can have both types of access simultaneously. When this happens, Plane automatically applies whichever role gives them higher permissions. For example, if someone is a Guest on your project but joins a linked teamspace, they're automatically upgraded to Member access. If they're already an Admin, they keep their Admin role.