Working with others
Sharing a space with someone outside
When the back-and-forth with a third party lasts months and does not fit in one link.
Requesting documents with a link works when the relationship is one-off. When you will be exchanging things with that third party for months — a long project, a site, a client who sends material weekly — the link runs out of road.
Link or shared space
| Situation | What to use |
|---|---|
| You ask them for four documents once | A case with its link |
| Continuous exchange over months | A shared space |
| They also need to leave things for you | A shared space |
| There are several people on each side | A shared space |
What they see and what they do not
Important
A shared space is more convenient, which is why it is easier to over-share into it. Before uploading, ask whether that person has to see it: what goes into a shared space is seen by the other side, with no further filter.
Watch out
When the relationship ends, close the space that day. It is the most forgotten step, because an open space bothers nobody — until it does.
Worth knowing
If you work with several competing clients, one space per client is not tidiness: it is what stops one seeing another's material.
›Does the outsider need an account?
For an ongoing space, yes; for a one-off case, no.
›Can I see what they looked at?
Yes, accesses are logged.
›Can a link become a space?
Yes, without losing what was already delivered.
A real case
The situation
A builder exchanges drawings and certificates with the same engineering firm for two years.
What you do
- Opens a shared space instead of sending separate links
- Closes it when the project ends
What you get
Documents stop circulating by email and everything sits in one place with its dates.
The situation
A contractor shares a network folder with their advisers and ends up giving access to other clients' files.
What you do
- Shares the specific file rather than the folder
- Limits access to read-only if they only need to consult
- Revokes access when the engagement ends
What you get
The adviser sees what they need, there is a trail of what they opened, and access expires with the work.
The situation
Something is shared with an external party and nobody knows what they opened.
What you do
- Checks that file's access log
What you get
The question is answered with data rather than an assumption.
The situation
The external party asks for access to everything to avoid asking weekly.
What you do
- Grants what they need for their specific task
- Extends later if needed, and it is recorded
What you get
Scope grows for a reason rather than for convenience.
The situation
The project ends and the consultant is still logging in six months later.
What you do
- Sets an expiry date when granting access
What you get
Access closes itself even if nobody remembers.
The situation
A link is shared by email and ends up forwarded to a third party.
What you do
- Shares with the person, not as an open link
What you get
Access stands in the name of whoever uses it.
The situation
The external party uploads documents and there is no record of who did.
What you do
- Records them as a named participant
What you get
Every contribution has an author and a date.
The situation
Two consultancies work on the same project and can see each other.
What you do
- Separates each one's scope
What you get
Each sees their own without crossing over.
This article answers
- shared space with a client
- working continuously with a supplier
- shared folder with an external party
- collaborate with a third party without full access